Sandra Elkasevic’s, formerly Perkovic, women's disus gold at Roma 2024 made history as she became the athlete - male or female - with the most European Athletics Championships gold medals – a feat made even more impressive as single-event athlete.
In the lead up to the Birmingham 2026 on 10-16 August, we are taking a look back at 26 classic moments from the European Athletics Championships, including Elkasevic’s seventh title.
The background
Croatia’s Elkasevic, formerly Perkovic, made her senior European Athletics Championships debut in 2010 at just 20-years-old where she took her first of many European golds.
She returned in 2012, ready to defend her title, with the championships in Helsinki but after two no throws in the opening rounds of the final, her legacy was oh so nearly cut short before it even truly began.
In the third round, however, she pulled out the gold medal winning performance with a throw of 67.62m to confidently take the win ahead of Germany’s Nadine Muller who threw a best of 65.41m, also in the third round.
Then every two years, she returned. Well, not only returned, but created a routine, a routine of winning gold.
She was untouchable, even winning her third title in 2014 by a 5.75m margin ahead of French legend, Melina Robert-Michon, in second.
Then in 2022, her run was nearly cut short, just shy of making history. The 2021 Olympic silver medallist Kristen Pudenz of Germany was looking to cause an upset.
Four rounds down in the final Pudnez had a grasp of the lead by just over one metre ahead of Elkasevic. But in the fifth round, the Croatian awoke to take back what was hers with a throw of 67.95m.
Pudnez, next to throw, followed with a desperate attempt to not let the gold slip through her hands in front of the home crowd.
But her discus landed painfully shy of what she needed, with 67.87m. By just eight centimetres, Elkasevic’s reign continued.
Munich marked her narrowest winning margin, but also took her to six golds – tied for the most European gold medals by any athlete in history.
What happened
Then in 2024, she became the sole most decorated European Athletics Championships athlete, based on number of gold medals, when she took her seventh successive gold medal.
Elkasevic made easy work of taking the gold, automatically qualifying for the final with her second throw, and the furthest qualifying distance with 65.62m.
The final came, and there was no denying the Croatian. Straight away in the first round she launched the discus to a massive 67.04m, a season’s best at the time.
With that distance she could have retired from the competition and still taken gold, but she continued and added 66.34m throw in the fourth round, another distance that was enough to take gold.
Despite the rest of the field’s best effort, Elkasevic was simply untouchable. The Netherlands’ Jorinde van Klinken took silver with a final round throw of 65.99m while Portugal’s Liliana Ca took bronze with 64.53m.
She had previously held the title alongside Marita Koch with six golds, but Elkasevic didn’t dare settle for a tie, and had taken the outright title in Rome.
The aftermath
"This gold medal means a lot to me," said Elkasevic. "Here in Rome I won my seventh gold medal at a European Championships and as Rome was built on seven hills I wanted to have a medal for each hill. It was an amazing crowd. Thanks to the Italians and also to the Croatians who came here to support me.
"I knew that I am the best one here and that I can throw far. But I am still a human and I get a little nervous. If something does not go according to the plan, it is not good. I opened really good, and the second one was even better.
"It is emotional because this is my first medal for me and my husband under the name of Elkasevic, like there is a new girl in town. I won six under the name of Perkovic and this is the first one for our family. And that gold goes to him."
Just under two months later she was in Paris for the Olympics, where she yet again easily qualified for the final, surpassing the auto-qualifying mark this time in the first round.
In the final, she threw a comfortable 64.25m which put her in fourth after two rounds, however in the third round she extended her performance to 67.51m.
The only problem, she was not the only athlete to throw that distance.
China’s Feng Bin also produced the exact same distance, so the race was on to beat one another on count back.
Elkasevic, unfortunately, didn’t get another valid attempt in Paris, but was awarded with the bronze medal as she made her way back to the Olympic podium for the first time since 2016 when she won her second gold.
Her record-breaking run of European golds has also come to an end, with the Croatian recently announcing she will not be competing in 2026 as she “listens to her body”.
Elkasevic explained she is taking the year off so that she can keep chasing history as she targets the 2027 World Championships in Beijing and the 2028 Olympic Games.
“For as long as I can remember, my life has been measured in meters, rings, and the relentless drive to win,” she wrote on social media.
“If you know me, you know I am a fighter. I have stepped into the circle with injuries, pushed through exhaustion, and battled through the toughest moments because giving up was never an option. Competing is who I am.
“That is why writing this is one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. For the first time in my career, I have decided to listen to my body and take a step back from all competitions for the 2026 season.
“Please know that this is not a goodbye, far from it. This sport has blessed me with an incredible journey: two Olympic golds, two World Championship titles, and seven European Championship gold medals. But to keep chasing history, I need to take a moment to heal. My body and my mind need time to recover from years of intense, dedicated training.
“Because 2026 does not have a global championship, it is the absolute right time for me to pause, rebuild, and protect my future in this sport. My eyes are firmly set on the World Championship in Beijing 2027 and the Olympic Games in Los Angeles 2028. I am doing this now so I can give you my absolute best when it matters most.
“I want to wish all my fellow competitors the best of luck this year. To all of you who have cheered for me through thick and thin, thank you for understanding. I’m not done yet. I’ll see you back in the circle next year.”