The Rieti 2026 European Athletics U18 Championships are set to welcome the continent's finest talents in the women’s endurance races – events in which Europe has produced a stream of global stars.
Rieti 2026 will be the fifth edition of the European Athletics U18 Championships and will be streamed live in its entirety on the European Athletics website on 16-19 July with daily highlights on the European Athletics YouTube channel.
In brief
- Women’s 800m championship record of 2:04.23 under serious threat from Slovenia’a Živa Remic
- Italy’s race walk expertise continues as they look to take gold and silver
- Sweden’s Hanna Strand looks to take home two medals as she races in the 1500m and 3000m
Five to watch
- Živa Remic (SLO) – 800m
- Hanna Strand (SWE) – 1500m and 3000m
- Caterina Carissimi (ITA) – 5000m race walk
- Alice Penciu-Jurin (FRA) – 1500m
- Evelyn Wildman (GBR) – 2000m steeplechase
Europe’s talented 800m women pool is far from drying up in the future, as the start list for the upcoming championships is led by Slovenia’s Živa Remic.
She took silver at the Tampere 2025 European Athletics Championships over 800m at just 15-years-old and set a European indoor U18 best of 2:00.73 in February before going to run 1:59.64 in June.
In Rieti she will not only have her eye on the gold medal, but the championship record of 2:04.23 by Czechia’s Adéla Holubová is also well within her reach.
Though there are five more athletes, three Britons, one Spaniard, and a Frenchwoman, who have ran under 2:06, so the rest of the field is wide open for anyone to make their way into the top three.
A strong lead is also held by France’s Alice Penciu-Jurin in the 1500m, after clocking a new PB of 4:11.41 on just 4 July, eight seconds faster than Sweden’s Hanna Strand who enters the championships in second.
Penciu-Jurin had previously only raced over 800m, with this season being her 1500m debut where she has steadily increased her speed after opening with 4:29.93.
Strand was part of Sweden's bronze medal winning team at the Lagoa 2025 SPAR European Cross Country Championships, she tops the 3000m standings heading into Rieti 2026 with a PB of 9:16.71 from January this year.
Italy’s Cristina Morelli completes the top three for the 1500m narrowly ahead of the rest of the field and will be looking to use her home advantage to secure her spot on the podium.
In the 3000m, Strand is likely to be challenged by numerous athletes including Italy’s Aimie Decrausaz and France’s Pauline Daumas, who currently stand in second and third place based on PB’s.
While Evelyn Wildman, from Great Britain, is the favourite for the 2000m steeplechase as she holds a near-six second lead over the rest of the field with her PB of 6:34.06 which she set in June.
Though the group behind her includes four athletes that have run under 6:43.00 which will give a great battle for the podium.
It’s Italy’s Yasmine Lazouzi who sits in second with a PB one second ahead of Ireland’s Lucie Cawley in third as they look to make the podium ahead of the rest of the 26-deep field.
In the 5000m race walk, Italy and Spain continue their dominance that can be seen across all age groups, with the top four athletes all coming from the two nations.
Italy holds the top two sports with Caterina Carissimi and Rebecca D’Alessandro boasting PB’s set this year of 22:45.79 and 22:50.91 respectively.
Then Spain’s Paula Elvira and Ana Gonazalez sit in third and fourth with bests of 22:59.51 and 23:05.23 each.