The Rieti 2026 European Athletics U18 Championships was a stage to spotlight the global stars of the future, with some even already making a name for themselves.
Records fell everywhere you looked, but some of the best moments came from the mixed zone, so here are some of the best quotes from the championships.
“I did not expect this time at all. We had a clear plan with my coach - to secure the qualification in an easy, relaxing way, to save as much energy as possible because there are three runs.
“The more you push in the heat, the more it is going to hurt in the final. So I do not understand this time.
“The second lane does not sound like an issue - I guess also Marek Vana or Michal Rada got the second lane at the previous championships so it would not be that bad.
“Two years ago, I was watching Nina Radova when she broke the Championships record and I was cheering for her so much. Linda Botkova (CZE), after breaking the 400m hurdles championship record in the heats, before going on to a record-breaking run in the final.
“Oh my god, I did not know that I was over 6000 points, I never calculate it. My coaches told me about times, but I was in the zone. These 6065 points is a new German record and I am the first U18 athlete over 6000 points - I cannot believe it.
“The 6000 points were always my aim, I wrote them everywhere, now I achieved them at European championships plus I got the silver medal. I am so blessed.
“Yesterday was my 17th birthday and I got four PB’s! Tonight we will have a big birthday and medal party.” Svea Funck (GER), heptathlon silver medallist.
“I am overwhelmed by what I achieved, these are tears of joy. The whole season I was looking forward to this competition, to this result. And now it is here.
“I would like to thank my family and the people close to me that came to see me. Without their support I would not be here. This is the best gift for me for what I sacrificed this season. It is also a great motivation for me to continue and to try to become a better athlete.
“My father was also a hammer thrower, I wanted to keep the tradition. My father is also my biggest fan.” Petros Kassavitas (GRE), men’s hammer throw silver medallist.
“I am really happy because I did not expect a medal but in a final anything can happen.
“For me it is an honour to better the time of Jael Bestue [senior Spanish 200m record holder and Madrid 2025 European Athletics Team Championships champion] when she was my age. She is an inspiration for me and I look up to her.
“I will celebrate this gold medal with my coaches, my teammates and my friends. Tomorrow I will watch the football match of Spain against Argentina and I hope they will follow my example and also win gold.” Mariona Armero (ESP), women’s 200m champion.
“This competition has been my dream for the summer, for the whole season. Representing Great Britain is amazing. I came second, I cannot complain, I am really, really happy.
“Achieving this result is because of the level of competition, the adrenaline and the crowd. All this makes records and PBs possible. Jere Murto is a nice guy. Finland is a javelin nation.
“He threw 10 metres more than me, this is amazing, he is simply brilliant. I will always be chasing him and maybe beat him. When I saw my teammate [Lucy Bull] win gold in the women’s javelin, it was extra motivation for me.” Edward Scott (GBR), men’s javelin silver medallist.
“I still cannot believe what just happened right now. I expected to jump more than my PB, but not that much - like 40cm that is crazy. I am just super happy and grateful for my coach - I love him.
“I train in Greece with Mr. Pomaski with Miltiadis Tentoglou and I am super motivated by him. It is really nice to have this chance to train with them and it is a pleasure. He is the chilliest guy ever and he always makes jokes, so it is super fun.” Viktoria Angelova, (BUL), women’s triple jump champion.
“I am really happy for this win and I would like to thank everyone for their support. Actually, I have no words and I hope that in the future, I will run even better races.
“This is the first gold for Turkiye, it is a very important result for me. I made my country proud, I made my family proud and I am proud myself. And in the future, I would love to do more important things for my country.
“We have done a great work with my coach - she is like a mum to me and we have been working together for more than a year just for this one competition. She was not just a coach, she was a mum. We went to training camps together and we train in Sakaria, my home town. I could not have done it without my coach.” Yunus Emre Civelek (TUR), men’s 110m hurdles champion.