Two silver medals for Italy, Great Britain leading the medal table with five golds and one bronze, and another memorable day at the Rieti 2026 European Athletics U18 Championships, where the performances of more than 1,100 young athletes once again delivered excitement and smiles.
Another sell-out crowd filled the Raul Guidobaldi Stadium, with only the last few tickets remaining for Sunday's two sessions.
Italy celebrated silver medals won by Davide Sorressa from Puglia in the 10,000m race walk and Antony Del Pioluogo from Friuli in the shot put. The Italian flag flew proudly on the podium, while several other athletes came agonisingly close to medals: Yasmine Lazouzi finished fourth in the 2,000m steeplechase by just two thousandths of a second, while Gabriele Belardi (pole vault) and Riccardo Rabai (race walk) also narrowly missed the podium.
MORELLI ENJOYS HER HOME CHAMPIONSHIPS
A special moment belonged to Cristina Morelli, the local athlete from Studentesca Andrea Milardi, who contested the women's 1,500m final in front of her home crowd.
Cheered on by a packed Guidobaldi Stadium, surrounded by banners and shirts dedicated to her by friends, clubmates and fellow citizens, Morelli stayed with the leading group for much of the race before the front four pulled away with 300 metres to go. She finished seventh in 4:29.73.
"Thank you to my city, my teammates from Studentesca and the Italian team. It was amazing. This was completely different from the national championships—my first international experience. Thank you for all your support," she said after the race.
THE FINAL DAY: 18 TITLES TO BE DECIDED. GO ALESSIA!
The championships conclude on Sunday with 18 European titles to be awarded.
The afternoon session promises two thrilling hours of athletics, beginning at 5:25 p.m. with the 400m hurdles and ending with the decathlon 1,500m, the final event of both the combined events competition and the championships.
One of the highlights will undoubtedly be the 100m hurdles, featuring European record-holder Alessia Succo. She will first contest the semi-finals at 11:55 a.m., before aiming for the final at 6:20 p.m., where she is expected to face strong competition from Slovakia's Nina Hejcíková, who has already clocked 12.96, just five hundredths slower than Succo's qualifying mark.
Following Kelly Doualla's success earlier in the championships, another of Italy's brightest young stars will be one to watch.
LAST TICKETS AVAILABLE
The final tickets for Sunday's competitions are on sale today. The ticket office will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., with the remaining Terminillo Stand tickets available for €5.
The covered Velino Stand has been sold out for several days, while Saturday's tickets were completely gone by 10:30 a.m. The championships have attracted outstanding crowds throughout the week, thanks to affordable ticket prices and a high-quality competition programme featuring more than 1,100 athletes from across Europe.
BIG SCREEN FOR THE SPAIN–ARGENTINA WORLD CUP FINAL
The Rieti 2026 Organising Committee, together with the Municipality of Rieti, has announced that on Sunday 19 July fans will be able to watch the FIFA World Cup Final between Spain and Argentina on the giant screen at the Fan Village in Piazzale Adolfo Leoni.
The initiative is designed to make the Fan Village an even more vibrant and welcoming meeting place for local residents, visitors, volunteers and international delegations, creating another opportunity to celebrate together the values of sport, friendship and cultural exchange.