Promotion will be a plausible objective for hosts Slovenia at the 2025 European Athletics Team Championships 2nd Division in Maribor, Slovenia on 28-29 June.
Both days of the European Athletics Team Championships 2nd Division will be streamed live through the European Athletics website.
Slovenia came agonisingly close to sealing promotion into the top-tier two years ago, missing out on the third promotion spot to Lithuania by an agonising half-a-point despite a gritty victory in the mixed 4x400m, the last event on the programme.
But a full-strength Slovenian team buoyed by home advantage will be looking to make amends and climb into the top flight of the European Athletics Team Championships for the first time in competition history next weekend.
Their team is headed by joint team captains Kristjan Ceh, the European discus champion, and European indoor pole vault silver medallist Tina Sutej, both of whom took individual victories for Slovenia in Silesia 2023.
In still conditions, Ceh set a championship record of 69.94m to win the discus two years ago - the longest throw across all three divisions. In favourable conditions, it is possible that Ceh could be the first athlete in competition history to break the 70 metre-barrier in the discus.
Ceh has struck a rich vein of form this season, surpassing the 72 metre-barrier in three competitions in the space of a week at the end of May. He has won his last eight competitions with his most recent win coming in Johvi, Estonia last week when he broke the 70 metre-barrier again with 70.17m to defeat reigning world champion Daniel Stahl from Sweden.
Aside from Ceh and Sutej, hosts Slovenia will also have high hopes for European indoor bronze medallist Anita Horvat to bring home maximum points in the 800m and for Klara Lukan in the 5000m. Lukan broke the national record with 14:56.50 in her most recent race at the distance.
But while Ceh will be fervently supporting all of his compatriots in his role as team captain, he might have slightly split loyalties when it comes to the women’s hammer in which his wife Anna-Maria will be competing for Estonia.
Belgium leaving nothing to chance in 2nd Division
However, the probable favourites to top the standings in Maribor are Belgium, one of three teams who were relegated from the European Athletics Team Championships 1st Division two years ago alongside Norway and Türkiye.
The outstanding name on Belgium’s team is reigning European 400m champion Alexander Doom - one of four individual European champions from Roma 2024 due to compete - who has entered the 400m and mixed 4x400m in Maribor.
An adductor injury has halted Doom’s heady progress since winning European 400m gold last year but the Belgian is back in sub-45 second form with a season’s best of 44.92. The line-up also features Norway’s Havard Bentdal Ingvaldsen who won in Silesia two years ago in a championship record of 44.88 but also watch out for Romania’s Mihai Dringo who won in Geneva at the weekend with a national record of 44.88.
It is by no means impossible that Belgium could sweep all the men’s track events from 400m to 5000m. Their team for Maribor also includes Pieter Sisk (800m), Ruben Verheyden (1500m) and Isaac Kimeli (5000m), the latter the silver medallist in the 10km at the 2025 European Running Championships at home in Brussels-Leuven.
The Belgian team is also fortified by European 10,000m Cup winner Jana Van Lent in the 5000m and Yanla Ndijp-Nyemeck who leads the entry-list in the 100m hurdles with 12.71.
Like Belgium, Norway will be looking to climb back into the top-tier again although this could be a tricky task with many of their top names absent. However, there will be high expectations for Thomas Mardal in the hammer and for their mixed 4x400m team which features both Ingvaldsen and Henriette Jaeger. The latter is focusing solely on the relay in Maribor.
One of the perennial yo-yo teams at the European Athletics Team Championships, Türkiye will also have plausible aspirations of sealing promotion back into the top flight. Their team includes former European U20 champion Berke Akcam (400m hurdles) and European bronze medallist Ersu Sasma (pole vault) along with 2018 European 200m champion Ramil Guliyev and 2023 European indoor triple jump champion Tugba Danismaz, both of whom are the Turkish team captains.
Strong Serbian field event team
Serbia might not necessarily challenge for promotion but expect them to put up a good showing in the women’s field events. Their team includes 2024 women’s Rising Star and 2025 world leader Adriana Vilagos in the javelin and world long jump champion Ivana Spanovic who will be making her championship debut in the triple jump.
Milica Gardasevic will be contesting the long jump with world U20 champion and double European senior medallist Angelina Topic to compete in the high jump.
Other big individual names in action this weekend include seven-time European discus champion Sandra Elkasevic for Croatia and European javelin champion Victoria Hudson from Austria. Sharlene Mawdsley, who anchored Ireland to a memorable gold medal in the mixed 4x400m in Rome, will also be in action but just in the mixed relay.
Reigning European indoor shot put champion Andrei Toader will be competing for Romania whose team will also expect big points from 2022 European hammer champion Bianca Ghelber who has already amassed four victories at the European Athletics Team Championships, including in 2023
At the other end of the standings, the bottom three teams will get relegated into the European Athletics Team Championships 3rd Division. Among the countries looking to avoid the ignominy of relegation are Ireland, Austria and Israel, all of whom were promoted in Silesia two years ago.