European Athletics Team Championships Third League

European Athletics announced on Wednesday (27) that all divisions of the European Athletics Team Championships will be part of the European Games 2023.&nbsp;
The European Athletics Team Championships is the world&rsquo;s premier&nbsp;team competition between nations, with promotion and relegation&nbsp;at stake between the various divisions.
As part of the agreement between European Athletics and the European Olympic Committees, all divisions of the Team Championships will be contested back-to-back at the Slaski Stadium in the Region of Silesia the venue for the 2021 European Athletics Team Championships Super League &ndash; with the concept &lsquo;under one roof&rsquo; thus providing a feast of top-class European team athletics.&nbsp;
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European Athletics Interim President, Dobromir Karamarinov,&nbsp;said: &ldquo;We have been discussing&nbsp;with the&nbsp;European Olympic Committees&nbsp;for some time now about&nbsp;integrating&nbsp;the European Athletics Team Championships&nbsp;to&nbsp;become&nbsp;a key part of the European Games in 2023. The European Athletics Council approved this move last month.
&ldquo;Now, thanks to the agreement with the European Olympic Committees and the local authorities in Silesia, with whom we already have an excellent relationship, we can continue&nbsp;with the detailed planning of the format of the championships and finding the right dates within the&nbsp;European Games&nbsp;window of 21 June to 2 July in 2023.
&ldquo;I would like to take this opportunity to thank the European Olympic Committees President Spyros Capralos for the positive and speedy discussions between our two organisations that have led to this agreement,&rdquo; concluded Karamarinov.&nbsp;
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European Athletics CEO, Christian Milz, said: &ldquo;The addition of the European Athletics Team Championships to the programme of the European Games 2023 is a &lsquo;win-win&rsquo; situation for both European Athletics and the European Olympic Committees. We will deliver a top-level team athletics competition, with exciting promotion and relegation battles between national teams, that provides a truly exciting athletics event for both television and spectators alike.&rdquo;&nbsp;
European Olympic Committees President, Spyros&nbsp;Capralos, said: &ldquo;Since 2015, we have been working closely with European Athletics to make sure we have the best athletics competition as part of the European Games programme. Thanks to their great cooperation, we have now found an outstanding solution for 2023 with the Team Championships and we are confident that the athletics competition in Poland will be one of the most popular events during the Games.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Chair of European Games Coordination Commission, Hasan Arat, said: &ldquo;It is fantastic news for us to welcome&nbsp;athletics back into the European Games programme. Now we will have the very best track and field athletes in Europe competing, and this is not only great for the Games, but it will also be very much appreciated by the passionate athletics fans in Poland.&rdquo;&nbsp;
The Marshal of Silesia, Jakub Chełstowski, said: &ldquo;I am delighted and honoured to announce that the Region of Silesia will once again be hosting European Athletics at the Slaski Stadium, this time in the form of the athletics at the forthcoming European Games in 2023. We already had a very successful cooperation with European Athletics when we welcomed the European Athletics Team Championships Super League this year and I know that the Polish athletics fans are already looking forward to seeing top-class athletes in action in 2023.&rdquo;
Discussions will now commence with the Spanish athletics federation about their hosting the 2025 European Athletics Team Championships Super League after they had been provisionally awarded the 2023 event in May this year prior to the advanced discussions with the European Olympic Committees.

European Athletics can announce that all divisions of the next European Athletics Team Championships, the world’s premier team competition between nations, will be part of the European Games 2023.

European Athletics can announce that all divisions of the next European Athletics Team Championships will be part of the European Games 2023.

European Athletics Team Championships to join the European Games in 2023

Serbia missed out on promotion by the narrowest of margins two years ago but they made no mistake this time around at the European Athletics Team Championships Third League in Limassol, Cyprus this weekend.
After a crucial disqualification in the men&rsquo;s 4x400m knocked Serbia out of the sole promotion spot in 2019, the Serbian team convincingly topped the standings at this edition with 570 points. Hosts Cyprus also comfortably secured their passage into the Second League with 539 points while Moldova secured the third promotion spot ahead of Luxembourg - 481 to 465 points.
These three teams will be replaced in the Third League in two years&rsquo; time by Austria, Israel and Russia who were all automatically relegated by virtue of not competing at the Second League in Stara Zagora, Bulgaria.
Serbian athletes placed in the top two in no fewer than 25 of the 40 events across the weekend. Individual highlights included former European U20 champion Milica Gardasevic winning the long jump with 6.54m and Lazar Anic providing the first part of a Serbian double in the long jump with 7.83m to defeat former European indoor champion Izmir Smajlaj from Albania with 7.70m.
Multiple European age-group medallist Elzan Bibic from Serbia won the 1500m in 3:48.96 although he had to settle for second in the 3000m behind Malta&rsquo;s Jordan Gusman who set a national record of 7:53.70 ahead of Bibic&rsquo;s 7:55.51. Gusman&rsquo;s winning time in the 3000m was the fastest across all four divisions and he was less than three seconds shy of Richard Ringer&rsquo;s championship record of 7:50.99.
Hosts Cyprus amassed 14 victories across the weekend to secure an immediate return to the Second League in 2023. Their veteran sprinter Eleni Artymata won the individual 400m in 51.79 before anchoring the Cypriot team to victory in the 4x400m in a national record of 3:41.52.
Olivia Fotopoulou was another star performer across the two days. She won the 100m in 11.42 and the 200m in 23.31 and ran the first leg of their victorious 4x100m team which clocked 44.61.
Former European indoor 60m hurdles champion Milan Trajkovic improved his season&rsquo;s best to 13.82 to win the 110m hurdles and fellow world finalist Apostolos Parellis threw 59.27m in the discus to defeat arguable pre-competition favourite Danijel Furtula from Montenegro with 57.97m.
Moldova overhauled Luxembourg for the third and final promotion spot thanks in no small part to some excellent performances in the throwing events. World U20 discus champion Alexandra Emilianov came away with maximum points in both the shot put (16.50m) and discus (56.41m), Andrian Mardare won the men&rsquo;s javelin with 82.57m and the brother-sister combo of Serghei Marghiev and Zalina Petrivskaya took a double in the hammer with winning marks of 74.49m and 70.33m respectively.
Other individual highlights included Luxembourg&rsquo;s Bob Bertemes winning the shot put with 21.02m ahead of Serbia&rsquo;s former European indoor champion Asmir Kolasinac with 20.45m and Albania&rsquo;s Luiza Gega winning the 3000m steeplechase in a gun-to-tape 9:39.56.&nbsp;
Full Third League results can be found <a href="https://limassol21results.european-athletics.com/en/results/athletics/daily-schedule.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.

Serbia and hosts Cyprus dominate proceedings in the Third League in Limassol

The Serbian team missed out on the sole promotion spot at the 2019 European Athletics Team Championships Third League after a dramatic disqualification in the men&rsquo;s 4x400m but with the top three teams to gain promotion in Limassol this weekend, Serbia should secure a comfortable passage into the third tier of the biennial competition.
The European Athletics Team Championships Third League will be steamed live through the European Athletics Facebook page.
While reigning world indoor champion Ivana Spanovic won&rsquo;t be on team duties this weekend, former European U20 champion Milica Gardasevic should still deliver a full complement of points for Serbia in the women&rsquo;s long jump.&nbsp;
Other standout names on the Serbian team include Elzan Bibic in the men&rsquo;s 1500m, five-time Olympian Olivera Jevtic in the women&rsquo;s 5000m, Lazar Anic in the men&rsquo;s long jump, Dragana Tomasevic in the women&rsquo;s shot put and discus and former European indoor champion Asmir Kolasinac in the men&rsquo;s shot put.
The men&rsquo;s shot put is shaping up to be one of the highest quality events across the three divisions of the European Athletics Team Championships this weekend and Kolasinac is one of four throwers in the line-up with lifetime bests in excess of the 21 metre-line.
Kolasinac&rsquo;s lifetime best of 21.58m ranks him ahead of his Georgian rival Giorgi Mujaridze (21.21m) and Mesud Pezer from Bosnia and Herzegovina (21.48m) although Luxembourg&rsquo;s Bob Bertemes leads the way based on his season&rsquo;s best of 21.71m and his lifetime best of 22.22m.&nbsp;
Luxembourg were one of four nations to get relegated from the European Athletics Team Championships Second League two years ago along with Georgia, Malta and host nation Cyprus. Along with Serbia, Cyprus are arguably the strongest favourites for an immediate reprieve back into the Second League in 2023.
The star name on Cyprus&rsquo; team is their popular sprint hurdler Milan Trajkovic, the 2019 European indoor 60m hurdles champion and a world finalist outdoors in the 110m hurdles in Doha. However, Trajkovic has been struggling with injuries this year which has so far limited him to a modest season&rsquo;s best performance of 13.91.
Veteran sprinter Eleni Artymata, a world finalist in the 200m as far back as the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, will be representing the hosts in the 400m as well as the 4x100m and 4x400m while twins Olivia (100/200m) and Filippa Fotopoulou (long jump) are expected to accrue a healthy quote of points for Cyprus. Olivia and Filippa will join forces with Artymata in the 4x100m as well.
Another standout clash of the weekend pits home favourite and world finalist Apostolos Parellis in the discus against Danijel Furtula from Montenegro who leads the entry-list with a season&rsquo;s best of 65.50m to Parellis&rsquo; 61.90m. Montenegro has another strong favourite in the women&rsquo;s high jump with the Athens-based Marija Vukovic expected to secure maximum points.
Moldova has featured in the Second League in editions gone by and their team&rsquo;s strength is heavily weighted to the men's and women's throwing events. Their team includes the in-form javelin thrower Andrian Mardare, who finished second to Johannes Vetter at the European Throwing Cup, world U20 discus champion Alexandra Emilianov who has been entered for both the shot put and discus and the sister-brother duo of Zalina Petrivskaya and Serghei Marghiev in the hammer.
And while it would be a mild surprise if Albania claimed one of the three promotion places, their standard bearer for so many years Luiza Gega is fully expected to dominate the 3000m steeplechase and 5000m in Limassol.
Gega, who holds all the Albanian records from 800m to the marathon, won both events in the Third League in Skopje two years ago and her winning times of 9:25.80 and 15:36.62 were the fastest times recorded across all four divisions.
Likewise, former European indoor champion Izmir Smajlaj is also expected to bring home maximum points for Albania in the long jump.

Serbia and hosts Cyprus primed for promotion in Limassol

Final entries for the European Athletics Team Championships First, Second and Third Leagues on 19-20 June have been published and are available to view.
The First League takes place in Cluj-Napoca, Romania and features the five relegated teams from the Super League in 2019: Sweden, Finland, Greece, Czech Republic and Switzerland. The final entries for the First League can be found <a href="https://directus.european-athletics.com/assets/891728ea-f1a2-4e87-9ce5-0e260faefbb7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.&nbsp;
The Swiss team features recently crowned European indoor champions Ajla Del Ponte (100m, 4x100m) and Angelica Moser (pole vault) while the Greek team will be expecting maximum points in the long jump from world leader Miltiadis Tentoglou.
Another reigning European indoor champion in action is Femke Bol who will contest the 400m flat in Cluj-Napoca. Her training partner Lieke Klaver will also be in action in the 200m.
However, Ireland will not be competing in Cluj-Napoca citing ongoing coronavirus restriction. The full statement from Athletics Ireland can be read <a href="https://www.athleticsireland.ie/news/european-team-championships-2021/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.
The European Athletics Team Championships Second League takes place in Stara Zagora, Bulgaria and the final entries can be found <a href="https://directus.european-athletics.com/assets/60fb4df4-26f9-4347-8e72-098f4593e4db" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.
One of the highlights will be the men's discus featuring reigning European champion Andrius Gudzius from Lithuania and in-form Slovenian Kristjan Ceh who extended his European U23 record to 69.52m last month.&nbsp;
The Bulgarian team will be anchored once again by Ivet Lalova-Collio who competes in the 200m and 4x100m, and Olympic silver medallist Mirela Demireva in the high jump. Lalova-Collio won a 100/200m double on this track in 2015 which helped Bulgaria gain promotion into the First League.
The European Athletics Team Championships Third League will be held in Limassol, Cyprus and final entries can be found <a href="https://directus.european-athletics.com/assets/32ad20c5-7f47-428b-ba8f-e3c8c8079900" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.&nbsp;
Hosts Cyprus will be one of the favourites for promotion back into the Second League. Their team includes world finalists Milan Trajkovic (110m hurdles) and Apostolos Parellis (discus) along with Eleni Artymata (400m) and twins Olivia Fotopoulou (100m) and Filippa Fotopoulou (long jump).
The men's shot put could be one of the highest quality events of the weekend with the entry-list featuring four throwers with 21 metre-plus lifetime bests: Georgia's Giorgi Mujaridze (21.21m), Mesud Pezer from Bosnia &amp; Herzegovina (21.48m), Serbia's Asmir Kolasinac (21.58m) and Luxembourg's Bob Bertemes (22.22m).
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Final entries published for European Team Championships First, Second and Third Leagues

Sixteen teams are due to compete in the European Athletics Team Championships Third League which will now be held in Limassol, Cyprus on 19-20 June 2021.
The fourth tier of Europe&rsquo;s flagship team competition was initially due to be held in the Cypriot capital of Nicosia but the event will now take place in the Tsirio Stadium in Limassol, the second largest city in Cyprus by population.
Cyprus was relegated from the Second League two years ago but the home contingent will be optimistic of securing one of the three promotion spots out of the Third League this June.
Their standout performer for more than a decade now has been veteran sprinter Eleni Artymata who will undoubtedly play another leading role on the Cypriot team this summer. In her pomp, Artymata reached the world 200m final in 2009 before finishing fifth in the European final the following year in a lifetime best and national record of 22.61.
But her affinity with this competition even precedes those performances. Artymata&rsquo;s first victory for Cyprus came at the 2005 European Cup - the event was thus rebranded as the European Athletics Team Championships in 2009 - when she won maximum points in the 100m in the third-tier of the competition in Istanbul.
Fourteen years later, Artymata won the individual 400m and was also part of their victorious 4x100m relay team in the Second League in 2019 although those triumphs were not quite enough to save Cyprus from the ignominy of relegation in Varazdin, Croatia.&nbsp;
The host nation will also expect full points in the 110m hurdles from 2019 European indoor 60m hurdles champion and world finalist Milan Trajkovic and in the discus from fellow world finalist Apostolos Parellis who has been a mainstay on the Cypriot team since 2007. Now 35, Parellis seems to be improving with age as evidenced by his fifth-place finish in Doha 2019 when he improved his national record to 66.32m.
Twins Filippa and Olivia Fotopoulou are also expected to be key protagonists for Cyprus in the long jump and sprints respectively while the Swiss-based Natalia Evangelidou should contribute a high number of points in the middle distance events.
With 16 victories across the weekend, Serbia would have expected to gain promotion from the Third League two years ago but a crucial disqualification in the last event of the programme - the men&rsquo;s 4x400m relay - handed the overall title to Iceland and with it promotion into the Second League.
But with the top three teams to be promoted from the Third League this June, Serbia will almost certainly make amends in Limassol barring any unforeseen disasters. Their standout individual performer two years ago was their rising middle distance star Elzan Bibic who won both the 1500m and 3000m.
Moldova finished fourth in the Third League in 2019 but a powerful cohort in the throwing events could help to steer the landlocked nation back into the Second League for the first time since 2017.
Moldovan athletes will have strong individual chances in at least five of the eight throwing events courtesy of the brother-and-sister combo of Serghei Marghiev and Zalina Petrivskaya in the hammer, Alexandra Emilianov in the women&rsquo;s discus, Dimitriana Surdu in the women&rsquo;s shot put and Andrian Mardare in the javelin.
And while Albania might not have the quality across their ranks to challenge for a top three finish, Luiza Gega could quite possibly be the star athlete across the weekend. The Albanian holds all of her country&rsquo;s national records from 800m (2:01.30) up to the marathon (2:35:34) and her winning times in the Third League in the 3000m steeplechase (9:25.80) and 5000m (15:36.62) were the fastest across all four leagues.&nbsp;
Other competing teams in Limassol include Luxembourg, Georgia and Malta - all of whom were relegated from the Second League along with Cyprus in 2019 - along with Azerbaijan who picked up a silver medal at the European Indoor Championships in Torun courtesy of Alexis Copello in the triple jump.
The full list of participating teams can be found <a href="https://directus.european-athletics.com/assets/a2c17fc0-c779-47a5-b56b-2310dfe7b23b" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.&nbsp;

Limassol to stage European Athletics Team Championships Third League

Relegated two years ago in Tel Aviv, Iceland gained automatic promotion after winning the European Athletics Team Championships Third League in Skopje, North Macedonia in the most dramatic fashion. 
A weekend which had seen Serbia, who had also gone down last time, dominate the competition, with 15 individual winners, came down to the last event, the men’s 4x400m. Leading with 427 points from Iceland with 418, Serbia was disqualified from the second of the relays and with it went the title. 
As Abedin Mujezinovic led Bosnia & Herzegovina home in 3:13.61, Iceland banked 12 points in second, anchored by Ivar Kristinn Jasonarson as they finished in 3:14.28, and the one promotion spot available was theirs. Serbia was disqualified under rule 163.2, jostling or obstructing, as Iceland moved back into the second tier of the competition which will resume in 2021.
Trailing by eight points to Serbia after the first day, it was always a battle between the two nations during the second day as they came out on top by just those three points with Bosnia and Herzegovina third with 385 and Moldova fourth with 377. 
In the end, Iceland was further proof you can become champions without winning an abundance events but as important having a series of good finishes.
On Saturday, they took maximum points in the women’s pole vault with Hulda Thorsteinsdottir (3.60m), the women’s javelin with Asdis Hjalmsdottir (57.04m), the women’s 4x100m relay in 45.81 and the men’s 4x100m relay in 40.44. 
They had only one victory on Sunday when Gudbjorg Jona Bjarnadottir added to her relay success by taking the 200m in 23.74 but their good finishes brought them success. 
One of the surprises of the weekend was that Anita Hinriksdottir, a multiple winner at these European Athletics team Championships, came second in both the 800m and 1500m.
The Icelandic star seemed a banker in the 800m, her specialist distance where she was the 2017 European indoor bronze medallist, but Bosnia’s Jelena Gajic had other ideas on Saturday, winning in 2:05.82 from Hinriksdottir in 2:06.16 and Serbia’s Marija Stambolic while teammate Teodora Simovic won the 1500m in 4:32.33 from Hinriksdottir in 4:36.33. 
It was some two days for one of Albania’s greatest athletes - Luiza Gega - as she produced the best result across all four leagues in winning the 3000m steeplechase and 5000m.
The former European 3000m steeplechase silver medallist won this event without being at all troubled in 9:25.80 on Saturday and then on Sunday, she smashed her 5000m national record of 15:46.89 with victory in 15:36.62. 
It was also two days to remember for the hosts sprinter Jovan Stojovski. He broke his personal best to win the 100m in 10.72 on Saturday from Bosnia’s Hajrudin Vejzovic in 10.77 and then made it a double with 200m glory in 21.35. 
But it was always Serbia who were in the lead on Sunday as along with Simovic’s win in the 1500m, Milos Savic triumphed in the pole vault (4.81m), Anja Lukic won the 100m hurdles (13.83), Luca Trgovcevic took the 110m hurdles (14.29), Elzan Bibic won the men’s 3000m (8:04.74), Milica Gardasevic was first in the women’s long jump (6.28m) ahead of victory in the women’s 4x400m relay in 3:43.50. 
But Iceland stayed close to them - and it proved enough.
Saturday had seen the Republic of North Macedonia have success from the start in their home championships as they won the 400m hurdles, the opening track final, which Drita Islami won clearly in 60.81 from Moldova’s Iana Garaeva (64.35).
Serbia’s Asmir Kolasinac, the 2013 European champion, confirmed his position as favourite for the shot put as he was the only man to clear 20 metres. He did that with his fourth and last effort of 20.01m for score maximum points from Montenegro’s Tomas Djurovic (19.45m) and Bosnia’s Kemal Mesic (19.43m).
Kolasinac was one of nine Serbian winners on Saturday. The others were: Elzan Bibic in the 1500m (3:47.79), Strahinja Jovancevic in the long jump (7.39m), Jasmin Halili in the high jump (2.10m) and Milos Malesevic in the 5000m (14.47.05). In the women’s events, Milana Tirnanic won the 100m (11.50), Maja Ciric took the 400m (53.32), Simovic in the 3000m (9:23.86) and Dragana Tomasevic in the discus (59.19m).

 Relegated two years ago in Tel Aviv, Iceland gained automatic promotion after winning the European Athletics Team Championships Third League in Skopje, North

A late disqualification for Serbia is Iceland’s gain in the Third League

When it comes to the European Athletics Team Championships, Anita Hinriksdottir is a model of consistency. She is still only 23 and yet she has more victories to her name than many in the decade that the competition has taken place.
Next stop for Hinriksdottir and her Icelandic teammates will be in Skopje in the Republic of North Macedonia this weekend as they look to make up for their relegation two years ago. 
Iceland were one of three teams to go down into the Third League in 2017 – they were joined by Serbia and Moldova – but only one will be promoted this time as part of the restructure of the European Athletics Team Championships which was approved in November. 
Iceland will be looking for maximum points again from Hinriksdottir in both the 800m and 1500m and she has also been named in their relay pool for the 4x400m.
Hinriksdottir won the 800m two years ago in the Second League in Tel Aviv having first achieved the middle distance double as a 17-year-old in 2013 in Banska Bystrica before finishing second at both distances the following year in Tbilisi behind Albanian stalwart Luiza Gega who will also be in action in Skopje in the 3000m steeplechase and 5000m.
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Final entries are now available for the European Athletics Team Championships Third League in Skopje. 
Serbia's team features European indoor bronze medallist Strahinja Jovancevic and former European indoor champion Asmir Kolasinac. 
: <a href='https://t.co/gDaResHfYM'>https://t.co/gDaResHfYM</a> <a href='https://t.co/WKvGnUnriI'>pic.twitter.com/WKvGnUnriI</a>
— European Athletics (@EuroAthletics) <a href='https://twitter.com/EuroAthletics/status/1157569526252392448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw'>August 3, 2019</a></blockquote>
On times alone, Hinriksdottir should have no trouble winning both events as Iceland will battle it out for the sole promotion spot with the Athletic Association of Small States of Europe, Albania (AASSE), Andorra, Armenia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Kosovo, Moldova, hosts Republic of North Macedonia, Montenegro, San Marino and Serbia. 
Another potentially high scoring athlete on the Icelandic team is the reigning European U18 100m champion Gudbjorg Jona Bjarnadottir who has been entered for both the 100m and 200m and both relays. 
In a city which lies on the banks of the Vardar River, the hosts will be hoping for big points from Jovan Stojoski who will have an action-packed two days. 
It is proving a great outdoor season for Stojoski who initially broke the national 200m record with a time of 21.40 which he then lowered to 21.32 a month later. He has also run personal bests in the 100m (10.82) and 400m (47.01) and not only will he run in three individual events this weekend, he will also be part of the 4x400m relay team.
 [INSTAGRAM ID='https://www.instagram.com/p/B00l5aKon4E/']
The three relegated teams from 2017 could be the ones to catch as Serbia and Moldova also have line-ups replete with familiar names. 
Strahinja Jovancevic has become one of the stars of the Serbian team after a brilliant performance to not only win bronze in the long jump at the European Indoor Championships in March but to break the national record also with 8.03m. 
Jovancevic will also run in the 4x100m relay in a Serbian team in which former European indoor champion Asmir Kolasinac should win the shot put. Big points should also come from recent European U23 1500m bronze medallist Elzan Bibic in the 1500m and 3000m and veteran Olivera Jevtic, the 2006 European marathon silver medallist, in the 5000m. 
For Moldova, discus thrower Alexandra Emilianov knows all about winning. She is not 20 until next month but she is already one of her country’s most acclaimed athletes with a run of success in the discus dating all the way back to the 2015 IAAF World U18 Championships in Cali where she won gold.
Emilianov can expect a close battle with Serbian veteran Dragana Tomasevic in the discus - their season’s bests stand at 61.62m and 61.55m respectively - while Emilianov’s teammate Zalina Petrivskaya is the marginal favourite in the women’s hammer ahead of Azerbaijan’s former European bronze medallist Hanna Skydan. 
The Moldovans will have high hopes for Petrivskaya’s younger brother Serghei Marghiev in the hammer while Dimitriana Surdu, who has a season’s best of 18.62m, is the favourite for maximum points in the shot put. 
It is set to be a tight match for the title and a fascinating one too.
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 When it comes to the European Athletics Team Championships, Anita Hinriksdottir is a model of consistency. She is still only 23 and yet she has more victories

Iceland and Serbia poised to push for promotion in the Third League

Final entries are available for the European Athletics Team Championships Third League in Skopje, North Macedonia are available and can be found <a href='https://directus.european-athletics.com/public/uploads/european-athletics/originals/0effa965-f969-4838-8b88-e0b84dce02d9.pdf' target='_blank'>here</a> or under 'Related Documents'
Serbia was relegated two years ago but they are among the favoured teams for promotion back into the Second League. Their team features European indoor bronze medallist Strahinja Jovancevic in the long jump and 4x100m relay, former European indoor champion Asmir Kolasinac in the shot put, Elzan Bibic in the 1500m and 3000m and veteran Olivera Jevtic in the 5000m.
Also relegated from the Second League in 2017, Moldova and Iceland have also named strong teams. Moldova will be strong in the throwing events with world U20 discus champion Alexandra Emilianov and Dimitriana Surdu in the shot put while Iceland can expect big points from Youth Olympic Games winner Gudbjorg Jona Bjarnadottir in the 100m and 200m and Anita Hinriksdottir in the 800m and 1500m.
Albania’s Luiza Gega has entered the 3000m steeplechase and 5000m and former European bronze medallist Hanna Skydan competes for Azerbaijan in the hammer.
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 Final entries are available for the European Athletics Team Championships Third League in Skopje, North Macedonia are available and can be found here or under

Final entries available for European Athletics Team Championships Third League

After the successful staging of the 2018 European Mountain Running Championships in Skopje, the attention of athletics fans in the capital of North Macedonia will turn to the track as the city will stage the next European Athletics Team Championships Third League on 10-11 August 2019.
The venue will be Skopje's Philip II Arena, the 34,500-capacity national football stadium which underwent a €3.5 million reconstruction and expansion - including the laying of a new athletics track and additional facilities - in 2011. Around 300 athletes and 100 officials and coaches are expected to participate.
This will be the second time Skopje has held a European Athletics competition on the track after staging the European 10,000m Cup in 2014 and reflects the Member Federation’s growing commitment and ambition to host of continental athletics events.
The Member Federations who will be vying for three promotion places are: AASSE (the Athletics Associations of the Small States of Europe – Gibraltar, San Marino, Monaco and Liechtenstein), Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, hosts North Macedonia, Iceland, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro and Serbia.
Serbia, having been surprising relegated from the Second League in 2017, should start as favourites.
They should have 2019 European indoor long jump champion Ivana Spanovic at their disposal. She has got maximum points for Serbia in the European Athletics Team Championships on three occasions in the past and her absence in 2017, through injury, was keenly felt.
Other Serbian stars who could help engineer an immediate return to the Second League by getting big points include: former European and world championships 400m hurdles medallist Emir Bekric, former European indoor shot put champion Asmir KolaÅ¡inac, former European U20 and U23 1500m champion Amela Terzic and Berlin 2018 discus finalist Dragana Tomasevic.
 [PHOTO src='1281489' size='mediumLandscape' align='right'] 
In 2017 Luxembourg romped away with this League but there were only 22.5 points between second and fifth place so a close competition for the two other promotion places is expected if Serbia do fulfil expectations.
Bosnia and Herzegovina missed out on promotion by just 1.5 points but amassed seven victories, including an impressive 3000m and 5000m double from Osman Junuzovič as well as a shot put win from 2013 European Athletics Indoor Championships silver medallist Hamza Alic, and should be in contention for promotion again.
However, several other teams have outstanding athletes who performed well at the Berlin 2018 European Athletics Championships.
Moldova finished bottom of the Second League in 2017 and were relegated but have a wealth of strong throwers such as javelin exponent Andrian Mardare, the hammer throwing siblings Serghei Marghiev and Zalina Petrivskaya as well as the reigning world U20 discus champion Alexandra Emilianov.
Montenegro finished fifth in 2017 but also have an emerging star in their midst in Kristina Rakocevic, Emilianov’s predecessor as the world U20 champion in 2016, and 2010 world U20 high jump champion Marija Vukovic, one of the star performers in this league in 2017 when she cleared 1.90m for victory.
Indeed, the potential combination of Emilianov, Rakocevic and Tomasevic all battling for points to aid their nations’ promotion prospects could make the women’s discus one of the highlights of the 2019 Third League. 
Azerbaijan fielded only a partial team in 2017 and struggled for cover in all events but they had two triple jumpers in the top four in Berlin with Alexis Copello and Nazim Babayev while hammer thrower Hanna Skydan finished fifth in the German capital and the latter could potentially contribute valuable points in the other throws at this level. 
Albania may also be a factor and return to the fray after not competing in 2017. They could call upon the likes of steeplechaser Luiza Gega, who could score significant points if she doubles in an event without the barriers, and former European indoor long jump champion Izmir Smajlaj. 
No less than eight of the competing nations of the 2019 European Athletics Team Championships Third League are members of the Association of the Balkan Athletic Federations and so this time around this division will have a very strong south eastern European aspect to it, not least because of where the event is being staged.

 After the successful staging of the 2018 European Mountain Running Championships in Skopje, the attention of athletics fans in the capital of North Macedonia

Skopje set to stage the European Athletics Championships Third League 

Luxembourg won a total of eleven events across the weekend at the European Athletics Team Championships Third League in Marsa, Malta to secure the title with 317 points and gain promotion into the Second League alongside Bosnia & Herzegovina and Georgia. 
While Luxembourg dominated, it was a close run thing for second as Bosnia & Herzegovina (266) just edging out Georgia (257), although the latter clinched the third promotion spot, while the hosts Malta had a total of 253.5 but were an agonising 3.5 points away from a historic result and climbing a division.
But after finishing fifth two years ago when they staged the competition as part of the European Games in Baku – where four teams went up – Azerbaijan suffered the disappointment of being tenth and bottom this time with 90 points. 
However, they did produce one of the best performances of the weekend as European bronze medallist Hanna Skydan kept up her good start to the summer by winning the hammer by almost 15 metres with her throw of 69.54m. 
As for Luxembourg, they are nothing if not consistent as their points tally of 317 was the exact amount they tallied back in 2015 when they were seventh in the 14-team table. 
The European Athletics Team Championships Third League had since been reduced to ten teams and they were so much the dominant force, establishing a strong base on Saturday which they strengthened even more on Sunday at the Matthew Micallef St. John Stadium where the two day competition played out. 
Luxembourg had ended that opening day top with 173 points from Malta (145.50) and Georgia (135) and they led the way with victories across all different events. 
Multiple national record-holder Charline Mathias made it successive 800m victories for Luxembourg as she won in 2:07.81, Charles Grethen took the 1500m in 3:50.72 before Francois Grailet claimed victory in the long jump with 7.58m. 
Liz Weiler then won the 3000m steeplechase in 11:14.54 ahead of a moment of athletics history for as their women’s 4x100m relay team of Victoria Rausch, Patrizia van der Weken, Tiffany Tshilumba and Anais Bauer combined to lower the national record to 46.38 as they secured another ten points. 
Felix Jenn, Olivier Boussong, Pol Bidaine and Grailet then followed suit by winning the men’s 4x100m in 42.04. 
Sunday brought more glory for the team. It was quite a weekend for Grailet, who also finished second in the 110m hurdles (14.88) won by Azerbaijan’s Rahib Mammadov (14.13) to go along with his relay and long jump successes. 
With a series of seconds and thirds alongside their eleven victories, Luxembourg were always going to be tough to be overtaken at the top but it was very much a Third League of ‘double’ success. 
Malta’s national record-holder Charlotte Wingfield - who was second in Baku two years ago - won the 100m this time in 11.81 on Saturday and then won the 200m the following day in 24.37 to maintain her position as the country’s leading female sprinter. 
And as Bosnia & Herzegovina pushed for that second spot, Osman Junuzovic had two days to remember as he won the men’s 3000m in 8:26.77 and the 5000m in 14:56.90. 
In 2013, Bosnia’s Hamza Alic won shot put silver at the European Indoor Athletics Championships and in the most anticipated events of the Third League, he reached out to 19.84m to defeat reigning European U23 silver medallist Bob Bertemes from Luxembourg (18.92m) and Montenegro’s Tomas Djurovic (18.48m). 
Bosnia also won the men’s 200m with Damir Redzepagic (21.60), the 800m with Abedin Mujezinovic (1:51.89), the women’s 400m with Alisa Becic (55.12) and the javelin with Vanja Spajic (52.86m).
As Montenegro finished in fifth with 236.5 points, they too had double success in the 3000m and 5000m as Olympian Sladjana Perunovic won the first of those in 9:46.64 and she triumphed in the second of them in 17:12.40. 
Equally successful was her teammate Kristina Rakocevic, the reigning world U20 discus champion, who won the shot put with 14.91m and the discus with 55.09m.
<div> </div>

 Luxembourg won a total of eleven events across the weekend at the European Athletics Team Championships Third League in Marsa, Malta to secure the title with

Luxembourg claim a runaway win in Malta

Of the participating teams lining up for the European Athletics Team Championships Third League in Malta this weekend, Azerbaijan will be hoping they can build on their success of two years ago. 
As the host nation when the competition was part of the inaugural European Games in Baku in 2015, Azerbaijan finished a creditable fifth but just missed out on promotion.
At the Matthew Micallef St John Athletics Stadium in the town of Marsa, they will be eyeing a place in the European Athletics Team Championships Second League in 2019 and in hammer thrower Hanna Skydan, have an athlete in sensational form this year.
Skydan was the bronze medallist at last summer&rsquo;s European Athletics Championships in Amsterdam but she is still cresting a wave of improvement.
At the Islamic Solidarity Games in Baku last month, Skydan won gold with a national record of 75.29m to move to second on the European rankings, only behind Poland&rsquo;s two-time Olympic champion and world record-holder Anita Wlodarczyk with 79.73m.
Barring disaster, Skydan will almost certainly claim maximum points in Malta.
Along with the hosts and Azerbaijan, the Third League is made up of the Athletic Association of Small States of Europe (Liechtenstein, Gibraltar and San Marino), Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Bosnia &amp; Herzegovina, Georgia, Kosovo, Luxembourg, Macedonia and Montenegro.
It will be a proud weekend for Malta whose federation president Edwin Attard said: &ldquo;It is an honour for Malta to host the 2017 European Team Championships Third League, just one year after having successfully hosted the inaugural Championships of the Small States of Europe.&rdquo;
Among the home nation&rsquo;s athletes, Charlotte Wingfield will be out to bank big points in both the 100m and 200m.
In 2015, Wingfield finished second in the 100m in Baku in a national record of 11.69, a mark which she lowered to 11.54 at the Maltese Championships last month while at the Games of the Small States in Serravalle at the end of May, she improved her national 200m record to 23.78. Indoors and outdoors, Wingfield has set seven Maltese records in 2017.
In Charline Mathias, Luxembourg have their quickest-ever 800m runner with a personal best of 2:01.30 and she holds five other individual national records: 1500m outdoors, 400m, 800m, 1500m and 3000m indoors, let alone being part of their national 4x400m record-setting team indoors and out.
The men&rsquo;s shot put will be one of the closest events as it throws together Hamza Alic, the 2013 European indoor silver medallist from Bosnia &amp; Herzegovina, and Bob Bertemes, Luxembourg&rsquo;s 2015 European U23 silver medallist.
In addition, high jumper Eugenio Rossi will be representing the AASSE after wearing the colours of San Marino at most major international championships in recent years and he will be aiming to improve on his national record of 2.27m.
&nbsp;
<div>&nbsp;</div>

 Of the participating teams lining up for the European Athletics Team Championships Third League in Malta this weekend, Azerbaijan will be hoping they can build

Azerbaijan poised for promotion in Malta

The final entries for the European Athletics Team Championships Third League League in Malta on 24-25 June are now available <a href='https://directus.european-athletics.com/public/uploads/european-athletics/originals/abe01f76-ca96-46ac-92c4-0c1935552214.pdf' target='_blank'>here</a>.
The throws could take pride of place with the men’s shot put featuring a duel between Bosnia’s 2013 European indoor silver medallist Hamza Alic, who reached a personal best of 20.82m earlier this month, and another 20-metre plus performer in the shape of Luxembourg’s 2015 European U23 silver medallist Bob Bertemes.
Azerbaijan’s 2016 European Championships bronze medallist Hanna Skydan will be in action in the women’s hammer.
Georgia’s Lasha Torgvaidze, now 24, recently won his national long jump title with a personal best of 7.92m but had been better known as a triple jumper up until now, with international credentials including a fourth place finish at the 2015 European Athletics U23 Championships, so it will be very interesting to see what he can produce in his ‘second event’ in Malta.
Torgvaidze is concentrating on the long jump so the mantle of men’s triple jump favourite falls to Armenia’s former European U20 champion Levon Aghasyan, who will want to redeem himself after three no jumps in qualifying at the European Athletics Indoor Championships earlier this year.
The concentration of talent in the Third League is predominantly in the field events but one track athlete whose name catches the eye is Luxembourg’s 800m runner Charline Mathias, a 2:01.30 performer at her best who holds no less than seven national records from 400m indoors to 3000m indoors, and who wore her small county’s colours at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

 The final entries for the European Athletics Team Championships Third League League in Malta on 24-25 June are now available here. The throws could take pride

Final entries available for European Team Championships Third League

It could not have been closer in the European Athletics Team Championships Third League in Baku and while Slovakia and Austria were always the favourites for automatic promotion, in the end they were divided by just half a point.
Back they go into the Second League for 2017 after the event broke new ground as it was staged as part of the first European Games.
And while hosts Azerbaijan just missed out on making the top four, they had one of the stars of the whole weekend across all the leagues as distance runner Hayle Ibrahimov won three events.
 [PHOTO src='1276536' size='mediumLandscape' align='right'] 
In the end Azerbaijan finished fifth with 387 points, just behind the quartet who won promotion, an increased number going up as the Second League now becomes a 12-team event.
Slovakia scored 485.5 points from Austria with 458, Israel with 439 and Moldova with 401 and the top three teams received medals counting towards the European Games.
The Athletic Association of Small States of Europe finished bottom of the 14 with 99 points.
Relegated 12 months ago in Riga, Slovakia and Austria were always the dominant force in an event staged in the Olympic Stadium on Baku where 22,000 people saw an opening day which finished with those two countries ahead.
Infact, the top four overnight - Austria led with 250 points from Slovakia’s 239, Israel’s 238 and Moldova’s 216 - stayed the same.
Slovakia had 13 individual winners over the weekend, and by taking the last two events, both 4x400m relays, they were crowned champions.
Ibrahimov, the 5000m silver medallist from last summer’s European Athletics Championships in Zurich, was outstanding as he won two events on the opening day before adding another 24 hours later.
On Sunday he produced a fine sprint finish to take the 1500m in 3:49.69 and then won the 5000m in 14:02.16, the fastest time from all the leagues, just as his time was in the 3000m which he won in 7:54.14.
It was a memorable occasion and as he said after his Sunday double: 'I wanted to put on a show and have a good run, to make it nice for Azerbaijan. The support was great.'
Azerbaijan were just a point behind Moldova after the first day but their opponents stretched away on the second.
Among the Slovakian winners, their women’s relay teams really made their mark as they broke the national record in both events.
On Sunday, the women’s 4x100m quartet of Lenka Krsakova, Iveta Putalova, Jana Veldakova and Alexandra Bezekova won in 44.92 and then on Monday, Bezekova and Putalova were joined by Silvia Salgovicova and Alexandra Stukova to run 3:35.03 for the 4x400m.
Veldakova also took the long jump with 6.68m and her twin sister Dana finished second in the triple jump with 13.95m as Israel’s Hanna Knyazyeva Minenko triumphed with 14.41m.
Minenko’s teammate Donald Sanford won 400m bronze in Zurich and he was the easy winner of the event here in 45.75 and in what has been a superb season for teammate Margaryta Dorozhon, who broke the national javelin record in Oslo with 64.56m, she won with 58.00m. Israel's Olga Lenskay won the sprint double, with 11.61 for 100m and 23.40 for the 200m.
Austria banked the maximum 14 points with Jennifer Wenth in the 3000m in 9:11.98, Verena Menapace in the 400m hurdles in 58.94 and Kira Grunberg in the pole vault with 4.35m on Sunday.
And while on Monday they had four winners - Dominik Siedlaczek in the 110m hurdles in 14.07, Beate Schrott in the 100m hurdles in 13.18, Gerhard Meyer in the discus with 59.48m and Anita Baierl in the 5000m in 16:33.09 - it was Slovakia who finished top. But only just.
<blockquote class='twitter-tweet' lang='en'>
Reminder: FINAL TEAM STANDINGS <a href='https://twitter.com/Euro_Team'>@Euro_Team</a> Third League in Baku as part of the European Games <a href='http://t.co/GzB6mIUFLU'>pic.twitter.com/GzB6mIUFLU</a>
— European Athletics (@EuroAthletics) <a href='https://twitter.com/EuroAthletics/status/613273252320944128'>June 23, 2015</a></blockquote>

 It could not have been closer in the European Athletics Team Championships Third League in Baku and while Slovakia and Austria were always the favourites

Slovakia take gold in Baku

By the time those involved in the top three divisions of the European Athletics Team Championships are heading for home on Monday morning, the action in the 3rd League will only be at the halfway stage.
The reason is because the competition is breaking new ground by being incorporated into the inaugural European Games which are currently being held in Baku.
Thirty sports are part of the Games which started last Friday and the track and field programme is held only on Sunday and Monday when 14 countries take part in the European Athletics Team Championships.
The home support for one man should be immense when Azerbaijan’s Hayle Ibrahimov competes in both the 3000m and 5000m.
He is the 2013 European Indoor champion and last year was second behind Great Britain’s Mo Farah in the 5000m at the European Athletics Championships in Zurich.
Along with chasing promotion, the winning teams will also receive team medals from the European Games.
Azerbaijan’s new Olympic Stadium, with a capacity of 68,195, will stage the competition as the hosts face Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Bosnia & Herzegovina, FYR Macedonia, Georgia, Israel, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro and the Slovak Republic.
Austria and Slovakia are in this division after suffering relegation last year while four promotion places are up for grabs.
One woman looking to make her mark for her country is Israel’s javelin thrower Marhartya Dorozhon.
She has had fabulous year, moving to second on the European Athletics rankings last week when she won brilliantly at the Bislett Games in Oslo with an Israeli record throw of 64.56m.
Her presence should guarantee Israel top points in this event while the Austrians will be looking for a quick return to the 2nd League and are expected to have a strong squad, including distance runner Jennifer Wenth, who is 11th on the European Athletics’ 3000m rankings with 9:06.52, and Lukas Weisshaidinger, the 2011 European junior discus champion.

 By the time those involved in the top three divisions of the European Athletics Team Championships are heading for home on Monday morning, the action in the

All eyes on the team championships with a difference

European Athletics has awarded the 2015 European Athletics Team Championships 3rd League to Baku, Azerbaijan, as part of the inaugural European Games. 
The competition held from 21-22 June will take place at the brand new National Stadium which will offer both athletes and spectators world-class sporting facilities. 

<section>The European Athletics Team Championships Super, First and Second Leagues will be held simultaneously on 20-21 June 2014, a day prior to the Third League. 
Hosts Azerbaijan will face Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Bosnia & Herzegovina, FYR Macedonia, Georgia, Israel, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro and the Slovak Republic during the two-day event, where the top four finishing teams will earn a promotion to the following year's Second League. At the end of the competition the three leading teams will also be awarded European Games medals.
The European Athletics Team Championships has grown in popularity since it began in 2009, introducing a number of ground breaking initiatives including a revamp of traditional track and field regulations, and men and women competing as one team. 

</section>

  European Athletics has awarded the 2015 European Athletics Team Championships 3rd League to Baku, Azerbaijan, as part of the inaugural European

Baku to host 2015 Euro Team Champs 3rd League as part of European Games 

Such was the level of consistency over both days of the European Athletics Team Championships Third League in Tbilisi at the weekend, that the top eight positions at the end of Saturday remained the same by Sunday evening.
It meant promotion for Cyprus and Iceland and on that second day the winners had a series of fine triumphs in the field events.
In the men’s pole vault, Nikandros Stylianou cleared 5.45m to win by 40 centimetres from Israel’s Lev Skorish with Iceland’s Mark Johnson in third with 4.65m.
Cyprus also had victories in the women’s hammer throw and shot put. In the hammer, the top three nations were the same as the pole vault as Paraskevi Theodorou won with 59.49m from Israel’s Yevgeniya Zabolotniy’s 52.21m and Vigdis Jonsdottir, of Iceland, with 52.12m.
The shot put one-two also saw Cyprus finish ahead of Israel as Fiorentia Kappa won with 14.82m from Asdis Hjalmsdottir with 14.28m and in third, Moldova’s Dimitriana Surdu recorded 13.73m. But over two days where team points were a priority, there was little doubt about one of the stars of the show and that was Albania’s Luiza Gega.
Having improved her national 800m record on Saturday, she then produced an excellent run in the 1500m on Sunday which she won in 4:08.58. Her victory was the quickest across all four divisions, even though Sweden’s world champion Abeba Aregawi won the Super League in Braunschweig. Her time was 4:14.20 in comparison, with Gega now one of her main rivals for the European Athletics Championships in Zurich in August.
As in the 800m, Iceland’s Anita Hinriksdottir was second behind Gega, but by a long way as she finished in 4:18.49. And as Iceland secured their promotion, Hasdis Sigurdadottir had an afternoon to remember on Sunday as she recorded 6.41m for a national long jump record in beating Malta’s Rebecca Camilleri with 6.25m and Satenik Hovhannisyan, of Armenia, with 6.06m.
The men’s 200m almost saw a national record time by Malta’s Kevin Moore, the man who holds it, as he won in 21.06, missing his own mark by 0.02. FINAL STANDINGS 
1. Cyprus - 496 
2. Iceland - 488 
3. Israel - 471.5 
4. Moldova - 442 
5. Azerbaijan - 364 
6. Luxembourg - 357 
7. Georgia - 334.5 
8. Bosnia - 323 
9. Montenegro - 278 
10. Malta - 258 
11. Armenia - 249.5 
12. Albania - 164 
13. FYR Macedonia - 163.5 
14. AASSE - 150 
15. Andorra - 127

 Such was the level of consistency over both days of the European Athletics Team Championships Third League in Tbilisi at the weekend, that the top eight

Cyprus triumph while Gega lands superb double for Albania

Cyprus take an eight-point lead into the second day of the European Athletics Team Championships Third League in Tbilisi on Sunday after impressing in the sprints on the opening day. 
They won both of the 100m sprints, with Panayotis Ioannou taking the men's in 10.69 in a race where he beat Georgia's Bachana Khorava in 10.75, while Cypriot teammate Ramona Papaioannou won the women's in 11.45 as she beat Luxembourg's Tiffany Tshilumba in 11.65.
Their women won the 4x100m in 45.11 while Amine Khadiri triumphed in the 1500m in 3:48.05 and Lada Androniki won the discus with a final round 54.18m ahead of Macedonia's Kristina Rakocevic with 47.22m.
As expected, there were fine performances by the leading women in the 800m, with another Albanian record time from Luiza Gega who won the first race in 2:01.31.
Next followed Iceland's teenage star Anita Hinriksdottir, who took the second heat in 2:02.70.
With Hinriksdottir's teammate Kristinn Torfason winning the long jump with 7.62m, Iceland find themselves pushing for promotion in second spot with Israel, who finished bottom of the Second League in Kaunas last year, in third as they chase an immediate return.
Israel's Donald Sanford won the 400m in 46.38 while Hanna Knyazeva finished first in the triple jump with 13.74m and there was an impressive performance from Moldovan record-holder Serghi Marghiev in the hammer as he won with 76.02m, the third best throw of the day from all four leagues of the European Athletics Team Championships.
HOW THEY STAND
1. Cyprus 257.5 
2. Iceland 251 
3. Israel 248.5 
4. Moldova 240 
5. Azerbaijan 197 
6. Luxembourg 196 
7. Georgia 166.5 
8. Bosnia 151 
9. Malta 143 
10. Montenegro 139 
11. Armenia 126 
12. AASSE 92 
13. FYR Macedonia 89.5 
14. Albania 77 
15. Andorra 58

 Cyprus take an eight-point lead into the second day of the European Athletics Team Championships Third League in Tbilisi on Sunday after impressing in the

Sprinters help send Cyprus to the top

Tbilisi is the venue for the Third League of the European Athletics Team Championships this weekend, and the event presents two superb head-to-heads in the women's middle-distances.
From Iceland, it could be another chapter in the remarkable story of Anita Hinriksdottir, but to achieve a double she will have to overcome the presence of Albania's Luiza Gega.
Hinriksdottir is only 18, having been named the female Rising Star at the European Athletics Athlete of the Year in 2013 after a summer where she won two gold medals.
In the space of a week, Hinriksdottir took the 800m titles at both the IAAF World Youth Championships in Donetsk and the European Athletics Junior Championships in Rieti.
Now she has a chance to showcase exactly how multi-talented she is when she runs in both the 800m and 1500m, and is part of the 4x400m relay squad.
It is the same treble that Gega, 25, is down for and the individual races are likely to be dominated by the pair of them.
In the 800m, there is not much to choose between the two.
Hinriksdottir's best time is 2:00.49 while Gega, who holds Albanian records for the 800m, 1500m, 3000m and 3000m steeplechase, has a quickest mark of 2:01.96.
The Icelandic athlete has such speed she normally dominates races and it will be interesting to see if she can do this with Gega in chase.
When it comes to the 1500m, on times alone it might be totally different as Gega has run 4:03.12 while Hinriksdottir has a best of 4:15.14.
A 12-second gap is some distance to bridge, but Hinriksdottir has developed such a knack for winning, it will be fascinating to see how close the race is.
Along with Albania and Iceland, the Third League is made up of the Athletic Association of Small States of Europe (Gibraltar, Liechtenstein, Monaco and San Marino), Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, Georgia, Israel, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova and Montenegro.

 Tbilisi is the venue for the Third League of the European Athletics Team Championships this weekend, and the event presents two superb head-to-heads in the

Hinriksdottir and Gega provide sub-plot to Third League

European Athletics has awarded the 2014 European Athletics Team Championships 3rd League to the Georgian capital city of Tbilisi.

The host was allocated during the European Athletics Convention in Tallinn in October 2013. 
The Third League will be held simultaneously with the European Athletics Team Championships Super League, First and Second League on 21-22 June 2014. 
Host nation Georgia will face Cyprus, Israel, Moldova, Iceland, Luxembourg, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Montenegro, Malta, Andorra, Albania as well as the Athletic Association of Small States of Europe. 
The top two finishing teams will earn a promotion to the following year's Second League.
The European Athletics Team Championships has grown in popularity since it began in 2009, introducing a number of ground breaking initiatives including a revamp of athletics regulations, and men and women competing as one team.
Team promotion and relegation through a European 'league table' system makes the weekend even more exciting.

  European Athletics has awarded the 2014 European Athletics Team Championships 3rd League to the Georgian capital city of Tbilisi.  The host was allocated

Tbilisi to host 2014 Euro Team 3rd League

background 

Hosts Slovakia topped the European Athletics Team Championships 3rd League points table accumulating a mammoth total of 531.5, a massive 48 points ahead of second placers Latvia (484.5), as the two-day event concluded in Banska Bystrica on Sunday. 
Moldova settled for the third spot with 455.5 points, losing out on an opportunity to move to the 2nd league. The top two finishers in Banska Bystrica were promoted to the 2nd league for the next year’s edition of the European Athletics Team Championships. 
Iceland moved up a spot from their Saturday’s standing to finish fourth with 430.5. Luxembourg finished fifth with 396.5 points. 
Slovakian sprinters Roman Turcani 21.12 (+0.9) and Lenka Krsakova 24.03 (0.0) in the 200m proved too strong for their competitors as both fetched full marks for the hosts. The women’s 4x400m relay team proved equally tough for opponents winning the race in 3:38.95. Top hammer thrower Martina Hrasnova claimed a narrow win over Moldova’s Zalina Marghieva 71.49 to 71.36, while Jana Veldakova won the long jump for the host nation after bounding out to an impressive 6.41m (-0.8). 
Icelandic prodigy Anita Hinriksdottir registered another national junior mark winning the 1500m in 4:16.51, a day after setting a national record 2:01.17 in the 800m on Saturday. 
Multi-eventer Laura Ikauniece delighted the home crowd winning the 100m hurdles in 13.63 (+0.9). 
Click here for <a target='_blank' href='http://www.atletickevysledky.sk/online/index.html'>complete results. </a> FINAL STANDINGS European Athletics Team Championships 3rd League – Banska Bystrica 
1. Slovak Republic 531.5 (P) 
2. Latvia 484.5 (P) 
3. Moldova 455.5 
4. Iceland 430.5 
5. Luxembour 396.5 
6. Bosnia and Herzegovina 352 
7. Georgia 338 
8. Azerbaijan 312.5 
9. Armenia 301 
10. Montenegro 275 
11. Malta 243.5 
12. Macedonia 190.5 
13. Andora 149 
14. Athletic Association of Small States of Europe 130.5 
15. Albania 65.5 
- Note - (P) - Promoted

Hosts Slovakia prove unstoppable in Banska Bystrica

Hosts Slovakia emerged as clear leaders on day one of the European Athletics Team Championships 3rd League with 278.5 points in Banksa Bystrica on Saturday. 
The battle for the second promotion place from the 3rd League is interestingly poised with a solitary point separating Moldova 247.5 and Latvia 246.5. 
Luxembourg with 213.5 and Iceland 210 were placed fourth and fifth at the end of the day on Saturday. 
Georgia (173), Bosnia Herzegovina (172) and Azerbaijan (171) were all stacked close at sixth, seventh and eighth places. 
Arguably the best performance of the championships came from one of the youngest athletes at the event. 17-year-old Anita Hinriksdottir of Iceland stole the show winning the 800m in a national record time of 2:01.17. 
Her time is the best European youth mark of the year and second best in the world behind gifted American Mary Cain (1:59.51). The home team’s success on day one was studded with seven wins by their athletes, national 100m record holder Adam Zavacky won the men’s 100m in 10.52 (0.0) and then helped his team take full points in the 4x100m playing the anchor role to perfection steering his team from the third place to first. 
Dana Veldakova had no trouble in gathering full points for her team in the triple jump with a leap of 13.74. Lucia Slanickova’s 58.62 in the 400m hurdles was sufficient to keep rivals at bay. 
Moldovan athletes dominated the track events with Olesia Cojuhari winning the 400m in 52.65; Alexei Cravenco 400m hurdles in 50.82; Ion Siuris 1500m in 3:49.80 and Roman Prodius taking the 5000m in 14:31.51. 
Latvia managed only 3 wins on the day but the consistency of their athletes ensured that they finished the day on a strong note. 
Armenia finished the day at ninth place with 149points, while the 10-12 places were taken by Monte Negro at 138, Malta 133.5 and Macedonia 109.5. 
The bottom three teams were the Athletics Association of Small States of Europe (AASSE) 86, Andorra 63 and Albania 32. 
Click here for <a target='_blank' href='http://www.atletickevysledky.sk/online/index.html'>complete results.</a>

Slovakia in commanding position in Banska Bystrica 

Slovakia will hope that home advantage counts as they look for immediate promotion back into the European Athletics Team Championships 2nd League. 
The 3rd League match is being staged in Banská Bystrica this weekend and the Slovaks will start as favourites with Latvia to go up. Both teams were relegated two years ago in Novi Sad in a division of eight teams. 
This time it is 15 with opposition from the Athletic Association of Small States of Europe, Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova and Montenegro. 
Slovakia have plenty of depth in their events, with hammer thrower Marcel Lomnicky a strong candidate for maximum points. His season's best of 78.15m has put him ninth on the European Athletics rankings, less than three centimetres behind Hungary's Olympic and European champion Krisztian Pars who is top with 81.02m. 
Lomnicky will have good support in the team from the Veldakova twins as Dana has cleared 14.31m in the triple jump, the seventh best in Europe this year, and Jana has leaped 6.69m in the long jump, the 12th best. 
It will be a busy weekend for Latvia's Laura Ikauniece, the bronze medallist in the heptathlon at the European Athletics Championships in Helsinki 12 months ago, as she runs both the 100m and 100m hurdles. 
Moldova, Iceland, Bosnia and Azerbaijan should provide the toughest challenge to Slovakia and Latvia.

 Slovakia will hope that home advantage counts as they look for immediate promotion back into the European Athletics Team Championships 2nd League.  The 3rd

Banská Bystrica preview: Sister act could count for Slovakia

The final entries for European Athletics Team Championships 3rd League have now been published.


Click on the final entries link located in the Related Documents tab.

  The final entries for European Athletics Team Championships 3rd League have now been published.   Click on the final entries link located in the Related

Final entries for Banska Bystrica 2013 Third League confirmed

Israel consolidated their first day lead to top the 2011 European Team Championships Third League with 490 points in the Icelandic capital of Reykjavik on Sunday.
They will be joined in the Second League in two years time by Cyprus, who had a strong second day to overtake Moldova.
Cyprus ended the weekend with a total of 469 points, 29 ahead of their principal rivals for promotion, while hosts Iceland were a distant fourth with 411 points.
Israeli high jumper Danielle Frenkel, a 2010 European Athletics Championships finalist, had to deal with very windy conditions but cleared every height up to and including 1.84m with her first attempt before failing at a season’s best of 1.90m.
Likewise, her compatriot Yevgeniy Olkhovskiy has vaulted 5.47m indoors but found 5.05m on this occasion was enough to win and keep his country’s momentum going.
Israel's Olga Lenskiy won the 200m in a wind-assisted 24.26. She had finished second in the 100m.
Olga's mother, Israel’s evergreen 100m hurdler Irina Lensky – who turned 40 last Sunday and who is now gunning for the world veteran’s best of 13.20 - ran with Olga in the 4x100m.
Cyprus had three victories on the second day - the best arguably being Apostolos Parellis' win in the discus with 58.27m – but consistently high finishes meant they overtook Moldova despite the latter having some of the best individual performers.
Perhaps the best mark of the weekend came from Marina Marghieva in the women’s hammer.
As the only thrower in the field to have gone over only 70 metres, the Moldovan was expected to win easily and did so by nearly seven metres when she threw 67.41m in the third round.
The 2010 European Athletics Championships 3000m bronze medallist Ion Luchianov won his specialist event in 8:54.70; running well within himself after also taking the 1500m on Saturday.
Azerbaijan’s Ruslan Abbasov made it a sprint double following his 100m success on Saturday when he clocked 20.99 for the 200m although, unfortunately, there was no wind-reading.

 Israel consolidated their first day lead to top the 2011 European Team  Championships Third League with 490 points in the Icelandic capital of  Reykjavik on

Israel and Cyprus promoted from Third League in Reykjavik

As the European Team Championships Third League in Marsa, Malta, reached its exciting conclusion, Denmark managed to hold on to their first-day lead over Bulgaria. With the final margin virtually unchanged, bragging rights were still up for grabs as the 4x400 relay teams lined up for the final runs of the day. Denmark kept their cool and scored crucial points in the clutch to ward off Bulgaria's challenge. 
Both teams were promoted to the Second League for 2011. 
The women's 100m hurdles was interesting because the top two ran in separate heats. Dimitra Arachoviti came out on top with an impressive 13.63 in the second heat. Denmark's Anne Moller was primarily running against the clock in her weaker first heat. She clocked a respectable 13.93, good enough to wedge herself into second place, ahead of Bulgaria's Kristina Damyanova. 
Going into the second day of the meet, everyone was looking for Ivet Lalova and Eleni Artymata to reprise their duel, this time over the 200m event. Lalova had an edge in the women's 100m dash on the first day, but Artymata had enough of an advantage over the longer distance to secure the win. However, she wasn't completely happy with her run.  “I was hoping for a better time. I don't know if it was the wind or the heat, but it didn't happen. Still, it was a positive result, I'm OK with the win”. 
Lalova wasn't too distraught after her loss to Artymata. “To be honest, it's my second competition this season, and my goal is the European Athletics Championships. I'm still not in my top shape, but I enjoyed this weekend. I enjoyed running with Eleni, because she's a finalist from Berlin last year. I was expecting a tough time in this race … and that's obvious because I died at the end. But the 100m is my event, and I really hope to be in top shape next month.” 
One of the surprises of the European Team Championships Third League was Albanian Luiza Gega's victory in the 1500m, after her success in the 800m on Saturday. The diminutive Albanian managed to out-pace taller opposition in the final phases of both races to secure an unprecedented double win, and became a crowd favourite in the process. After the race she was clearly elated. “Yesterday I was feeling very confident, but today it was a great surprise! It's the first time I've won this race at this meet, so I'm very happy with my result.” 
Bosnia and Herzigovina's Nedim &#132;&#140;ović ran a national-record 21.06s in the men's 200m on his way to a good win over Bulgaria's Yordan Ilinov. Given his form so early in his season, he seems set to better that mark in the near future. 
The tightest contest of the meet was in the women's High Jump, where Bulgarian Venelina Veneva edged out Montenegro's Marija Vukovic. Both cleared 1.89m, but Veneva managed it first time, giving her the narrowest of victories. 
Going into the men's 4x400m relay, the top spot was still up for grabs. The women's 4x400m had seen Bulgaria's women finish first, ahead of Denmark. This really turned on the pressure on Denmark as the point differential was extremely tight. Luckily for Denmark, Jacob Riis, Andreas Bube, Daniel Christensen and Nicklas Hyde ran four very assured legs and won by a comfortable margin. 
Bulgaria's relay team rallied late and managed to overtake Azerbaijan for second. It wasn't enough to deny the Danes, who closed the day as they had started it, at the top of the standings.  <hr id='system-readmore'>

  As the European Team Championships&Acirc;&nbsp;Third&Acirc;&nbsp;League in Marsa, Malta, reached its&Acirc;&nbsp;exciting&Acirc;&nbsp;conclusion, Denmark

Denmark, Bulgaria promoted to ETCH Second League

<table cellspacing='2' cellpadding='0' border='0' align='right' class='picture'><tbody><tr><td valign='top' align='left'><img width='266' height='400' align='top' title='6341422.jpg' alt='6341422.jpg' src='https://directus.european-athletics.com/public/uploads/european-athletics/originals/2cb6aee3-8990-4dd6-8170-22cdef36d77b.jpeg' style='width: 266px; height: 400px; vertical-align: top;'></td>
 </tr><tr><td valign='top' align='left'>Reigning European champion Alex Averbukh of 
 Israel won the Pole Vault title with a clearance of 
 5.40m at the European Team Championships Third 
 League in Sarajevo on Sunday.  </td>
 </tr></tbody></table>First-day leaders Israel maintained their position at the top of the table to earn qualification to the European Team Championships Second League on the final day of the European Team Championships Third League in Sarajevo on Sunday. 
At the end of 40 events, Israel garnered a mammoth 401.5 points to finish ahead of Moldova, who overtook Denmark to finish second with 393.5 points. 
Reigning European Pole Vault champion Alex Averbukh of Israel was at his best, winning the men's title with a clearance of 5.40. 
Mayann Foreman captured the women's High Jump with a leap of 1.83 to add 13 more points to Israel's tally. 
Denmark who finished Day One in second position squandered their lead today to pave the way for a Moldovan march to the Second League. 
Azerbaijan runners maintained their supremacy in the middle distance running, winning both the women's 1500m and 5000m. While Mare Ibrahimovic (16:02.58) grabbed top spot in the women's 5000m ahead of Denmark's Stig Moeller (16:16.81), Gezashing Safarova claimed top place in 1500m by clocking 4:26.14. 
Hayle Ibrahimovic captured the men's 3000m with a personal best of 8:08.13, while Dane Toft Munkholm finished second with 8:22.97. 
Denmark bagged both the men's and women's 4X400m relays but that was clearly not enough on a day when Moldova was in inspired form. Israel and Azerbaijan finished second and third in the men's relay while these positions went to Luxemburg and Moldova in the women's race. 
Andorra and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia finished at the bottom of the table with 123 and 116.5 points respectively. <a class='jce_file' title='Click here for complete results' target='_blank' href='http://www.etcsarajevo2009.com.ba/results/schedule.html'>Click here for complete results.</a>

           Reigning European champion Alex Averbukh of              Israel won the Pole Vault title with a clearance of              5.40m at the European Team

Israel and Moldova make leap in Sarajevo to 2nd League

European Cup First and Second League 2008

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