Welcome to the heart of Europe!
 Banská Bystrica is a city in Central Slovakia located on the Hron River in a long and wide valley encircled by the mountain chains of the Low Tatras, the Veľká Fatra, and the Kremnica Mountains. There are over 76,000 inhabitants living in this area and is home to a few thousand foreigners.
 Municipality of Banská Bystrica
 With 76,089 inhabitants, Banská Bystrica is the sixth most populous municipality in Slovakia.
 The City of Banská Bystrica has its own representative bodies – the Mayor and the City Parliament, as well as the advisory bodies of councils and committees.
 The Municipality Office consists of different departments dealing with various life situations:
 Department of Social Affairs – establishes centers of social services, including Section of long-term care services and Section of crisis intervention.
 Department of Education – establishes kindergartens and elementary schools.
 Registry Office – issues birth certificates, accepts applications for marriages, etc.
 Building Department – issues planning, zoning and construction permits.
 Department of Culture – establishes cultural institutions in the city and authorizes civic assemblies.
 For more information on the municipalities, its responsibilites and activities, please check: www.banskabystrica.sk

Welcome to the heart of Europe!
Banská Bystrica is a city in Central Slovakia located on the Hron River in a long and wide valley encircled by the mountain chains of the Low Tatras, the Veľká Fatra, and the Kremnica Mountains. There are over 76,000 inhabitants living in this area and is home to a few thousand foreigners.

Municipality of Banská Bystrica
With 76,089 inhabitants, Banská Bystrica is the sixth most populous municipality in Slovakia.
The City of Banská Bystrica has its own representative bodies – the Mayor and the City Parliament, as well as the advisory bodies of councils and committees.
The Municipality Office consists of different departments dealing with various life situations:

Department of Social Affairs – establishes centers of social services, including Section of long-term care services and Section of crisis intervention.
Department of Education – establishes kindergartens and elementary schools.
Registry Office – issues birth certificates, accepts applications for marriages, etc.
Building Department – issues planning, zoning and construction permits.
Department of Culture – establishes cultural institutions in the city and authorizes civic assemblies.

For more information on the municipalities, its responsibilites and activities, please check: www.banskabystrica.sk

Sometimes you catch a big one. It&rsquo;s not about luck, more about talent, skill and timing. In Savona, Italy, earlier this year, that&rsquo;s exactly what happened for Mattia Furlani, the 18-year-old sprinting down the runway, exploding off the board, and landing in the sand a whopping 8.44m away.
He bounced out of the pit with a mixture of shock and elation, his hands on his head as he waited for the distance to be confirmed. But athletes always know. When the distance flashed up, Furlani thumped his chest, pointed at the ground, as if announcing to the long jumping world: I have arrived.
The only annoyance? The jump was aided by a 2.2m/s wind, marginally over the limit for record purposes. Given slightly calmer conditions, Sergey Morgunov&rsquo;s world U20 record of 8.35m would surely have fallen. Not that it&rsquo;s a massive deal, given Furlani will still be U20 all of next year, with that mark, and so much more, firmly on his horizon.
[TWITTER ID="http://twitter.com/EuroAthletics/status/1661442907360952325"]
In the week ahead, though, he has a more pressing concern: winning long jump gold at the European Athletics U20 Championships in Jerusalem.
<h2>Rewind to Jerusalem 2022</h2>
Furlani has fond memories of the Givat Ram Stadium, having announced his talent to the world there at last year&rsquo;s European Athletics U18 Championships. He won gold in the high jump (2.15m) and long jump (8.04m), the latter an especially impressive mark given he only began training for that event a few months before.
&ldquo;That was one of the best events of my life so I want to return with much more experience,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;The last year was an amazing year.&rdquo;
There&rsquo;s an old joke that the best way to ensure sporting success is by choosing your parents wisely, and there&rsquo;s certainly truth in jest for Furlani, whose ability is a product of nature and nurture.
His father, Marcello, was a high jumper who cleared 2.27m back in 1985, while his mother, Khadidiatou Seck, is a sprinter of Senegalese origin. Mattia&rsquo;s older sister, Erika, is a 1.94m high jumper who won world U20 silver in 2013 and European U23 bronze in 2017, while his older brother Luca is a national-level sprinter and long jumper.
Mattia grew up in Marino, just outside Rome, and his first sporting love was basketball, which he played from the age of eight to 13. It&rsquo;s a sport that both first identified and developed his outstanding jumping ability, with Furlani clearing 2.10m at the age of just 15. These days, he studies at Istituto Professionale Socio Sanitario in Rieti, where those in charge know all about his gifts.
&ldquo;I have never seen a boy with this talent and such good feet,&rdquo; Alberto Milardi, technical director of Studentesca Rieti, told Corriere della Sera last year. &ldquo;We set no limits.&rdquo;
Mattia&rsquo;s chief coach is his mother, who is responsible for his overall physical conditioning, while his father offers specific technical advice.
&ldquo;We have very separate tasks and roles and coach him very harmoniously,&rdquo; Khadidiatou said at the World U20 Championships in Cali last year. &ldquo;He always finishes every session and sometimes even does more than what he&rsquo;s asked to do. he&rsquo;s a very coachable athlete, a very strong athlete mentally, extremely determined. He has his own targets and we try to help him reach them.&rdquo;
<h2>Putting the high jump to one side&nbsp;</h2>
Furlani was not at his best in Cali last year, clearing 2.05m in the high jump final to finish eighth and jumping 7.76m in the long jump final, finishing seventh. In the winter, he went back to work harder than ever, making the tough decision to leave the high jump behind &ndash; at least for now.
&ldquo;For now I want to only stay in long jump, the high jump is too complicated with technique, too different to the long jump, and for now I only specialise in one,&rdquo; says Furlani, who describes his overall approach as &ldquo;very different to last year.&rdquo;
In what way?
&ldquo;I do more training,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;But I want to respect my biological growth. With speed, I improved a lot. With nutrition, I improved. I (gained) one more kilogram of muscle. With time, I want to develop much (more) power and to jump far.&rdquo;
Furlani still has one year left at school before he&rsquo;ll come to a crossroads, and says he isn&rsquo;t sure which direction he&rsquo;ll take then.
What&rsquo;s certain is that he&rsquo;s on a great trajectory right now. In June, weeks after that breakthrough jump in Savona, he jumped a wind-legal 8.24m to take victory at the FBK Games in Hengelo, his first win at a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting, and unlikely to be his last.
A fortnight later, he was part of the Italian team that took first division glory at the European Athletics Team Championships in Silesia, cheered on by one of his idols, Gianmarco Tamberi. Furlani jumped 7.97m to finish second to Olympic champion Miltiadis Tentoglou of Greece. Rubbing shoulders with such giants of the sport was reminder of how far he&rsquo;s come in a short space of time.
&ldquo;One year ago, I can&rsquo;t imagine being here with the best jumper in the world,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;But I&rsquo;m here.&rdquo;
[TWITTER ID="http://twitter.com/EuroAthletics/status/1665431346485817344"]
Furlani says winning the European U20 long jump title is &ldquo;the objective of this year&rdquo; and that he has &ldquo;good memories&rdquo; of the stadium in Jerusalem. He plans to follow that up in Budapest with his debut at the World Athletics Championships.
&ldquo;But that&rsquo;s only (for) experience,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;My hope this year is Jerusalem, and I want to jump far.&rdquo;
<h2>Relax, jump and enjoy</h2>
Furlani is a long way clear of his nearest competitor based on season&rsquo;s bests, but he knows medals aren&rsquo;t handed out for such things. He has to show up, get it right, do what he does best. There may be pressure, but the Italian is not one to worry about these things, and nor is his mother. What does she say to him before he takes to the runway?
&ldquo;She only says, &lsquo;relax, jump, and enjoy,&rsquo;&rdquo; he says.
[INSTAGRAM ID="http://www.instagram.com/p/CuzBHbBobHU"]
As she put it in Cali last year: &ldquo;We are currently building his base for the future, brick by brick, and what he is creating at this very young age is the basis that will take him very, very far.&rdquo;
Week by week, jump by jump, her prediction is coming true.
Cathal Dennehy for European Athletics

No limits set for precocious long jump star Furlani with Jerusalem approaching

A recurring theme throughout the Jerusalem 2022 European Athletics U18 Championships was the sheer number of champions and medal winners who hailed from famous athletics families.
Having a famous sporting parent or sibling often comes with the millstone of unwanted comparisons and the burden of additional pressure and attention but these young athletes shouldered any extra expectations to create their own piece of history in the Givat Ram Stadium.
One of the biggest stories of the championships was Serbia&rsquo;s Angelina Topic winning her first major title with gold in the high jump to follow in the footsteps of her father Dragutin, a six-time Olympian, who famously won the 1990 European title when he was only 19.
A teen prodigy in her own right, Topic was supported in Jerusalem not only by her father Dragutin but also her mother Biljana, the 2009 world bronze medallist in the triple jump. Angelina has already emerged from the shadows of her parents by matching the world U18 best of 1.96m but she still richly credited both of them for their advice and support.&nbsp;
[TWITTER ID="http://twitter.com/EuroAthletics/status/1544753803391541251"]
&ldquo;I have amazing friends, amazing people around, my parents are obviously there to support me, and to show me the way to go through all of this because, firstly, they were the ones who went through this type of life and they are always there for me - to explain some things to me or to make things easier. Before coming here, my mum gave me a smile and told me just to be myself,&rdquo; said Topic.&nbsp;
The men&rsquo;s high jump champion Mattia Furlani from Italy, who also won the long jump title with an incredible 8.04m in his first season in the event, also comes from a family where athletics runs in the blood.
His father Marcello has a lifetime best of 2.27m - and was a contemporary of Marco Tamberi in the 1980s - and his mother Kathy Seck was an international-level sprinter for Senegal. She also coaches both Mattia and his older sister Erika, herself a 1.94m high jumper and world U18 silver medallist.
&ldquo;In the end, the result came through, thanks to my coach who is also my mum - she is the one who helps me every day. Psychologically, it was challenging, and I made some significant errors. But there is always room for improvement,&rdquo; said Furlani.
Parviainen wins javelin gold&hellip;and not for the first time&nbsp;
Topi Parviainen also added another chapter to his rich family history in the javelin with the 15-year-old winning gold with a dizzying European U18 best of 84.52m with the 700 gram implement to win the title by more than 10 metres.
Parviainen&rsquo;s uncle Aki won the 1999 world title in the event and still holds the Finnish record with 93.09m and his father Mika was also an international-calibre thrower in his own right with a lifetime best of 80.82m which dates back to 1995.&nbsp;
Aki followed his precocious nephew&rsquo;s progress in Jerusalem closely. He was naturally impressed but also cautious about forecasting greatness at this very early stage of his nascent career.
&ldquo;In general, with a young athlete, you shouldn't make massive predictions, and javelin throwing is such a sport that you never know when the last throw will be,&rdquo; said Aki, whose career was cut short due to recurring knee injuries.
&ldquo;But of course he is a huge talent; he has the potential to be the best in the world one day. I don't see any obstacles.&rdquo;
[TWITTER ID="http://twitter.com/EuroAthletics/status/1544748705097605123"]
Two of Germany&rsquo;s gold medallists won titles in disciplines in which their fathers excelled.
In the 2000m steeplechase, Jolanda Kallabis surged away in the last 500 metres to win gold some 24 years after her father Damian was crowned senior champion in the 3000m steeplechase at the Budapest 1998 European Athletics Championships.
&ldquo;Before the race, my dad told me to do it like he did at the European Championships in 1998. I couldn't really hear him during the race, but I already talked to him and he said he was really, really proud, and that I did it perfectly,&rdquo; said Kallabis.
On the last day of the championships, Frederick Wiegel won the 10,000m race walk title. His father Ronald will be familiar to race walking aficionados for winning the inaugural 50km race walk title for East Germany in 1983.
Wiegel couldn't make the championships as he is currently overseeing the German race walking team's final preparations for the World Athletics Championships in Oregon but Frederick hopes he watched proceedings from afar.
"Yes, he motivates me, but I have my own opinion about the sport. He doesn't really control me. I think maybe he will be proud of me, and probably stayed up late to watch the race," he said.
Brudin follows in Melnik&rsquo;s footsteps&nbsp;
One of the most emotional winners was Mykhailo Brudin who won Ukraine&rsquo;s only gold medal in the discus with a championship record. 
Brudin&rsquo;s great-grandmother was the late Faina Melnik, the 1972 Olympic champion and the first woman to break the 70 metre-barrier in the discus.&nbsp;And while they never met, Brudin credits Melnik for falling in love with the event.
<img src="https://directus.european-athletics.com/assets/2886b8dd-fc9b-4d75-a215-df206e3bdcd3?width=4240&amp;height=2822" alt="Jerusalem 2022 European Athletics U18 Championships - Day 2" />
"One day my dad took out my grandmother's discus and offered me to throw it. At that time, I was still small and my dad's offer did not arouse much interest, but I still agreed and tried it. I tried it - and I really liked it. I'm fired up with this!&rdquo; said Brudin, whose first sport was wrestling.
After winning the gold medal in Jerusalem, Brudin brandished a photo of his grandmother to the photographers before sinking to his knees and kissing the photo which he brought with him for inspiration.
&ldquo;I am proud that I have such a grandmother, but I have never bragged about it. This is pride, memory. This is what pushes and motivates me to continue to work and reach such heights as Faina Melnik, but at the same time be myself,&rdquo; he said.

Familiar names from a new generation triumph with gold in Jerusalem

The focus of attention in the women&rsquo;s high jump at the Jerusalem 2022 European Athletics U18 Championships will be on the up-and-coming Serbian star Angelina Topic.
Topic has a captivating backstory with both of her parents winning world and European medals in their careers but the 16-year-old is forging her own path.
In her last competition before the European Athletics U18 Championships, Topic equalled the world U18 best of 1.96m at the Serbian Championships - also an outright national record - but the Serbian is focusing firstly on capturing gold in the Givat Ram Stadium. Any prospective record attempt will come later.
&ldquo;Well, I think I&rsquo;m in great form right now. I think I know what I am capable of and of course I am going to give it my best in the competition. I think it&rsquo;s more important to focus on position than height so one of my biggest goals is to jump 1.90m and show what I&rsquo;m capable of,&rdquo; said Topic to the assorted press.
Compared to the vast majority of competitors, Topic already has a wealth of experience to draw on. She reached the final at the European Athletics U20 Championships in Tallinn last year a few days before her 16th birthday and she even had the chance to compete for Serbia in front of 7000 fans at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Belgrade this March.
And while she will &ldquo;probably compete&rdquo; against the senior on an even greater stage at the Munich 2022 European Athletics Championships as well, Topic still describes this upcoming competition, which could very possibly yield her first major title, as &ldquo;meaningful.&rdquo;
She said: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s obviously an amazing feeling being here. This competition is very meaningful to me personally and I am happy I have the chance to represent my country. It&rsquo;s really an honour to be here in Israel and stand with my Serbian team.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;
<img src="https://directus.european-athletics.com/assets/bbaff570-a013-4e85-9309-d25477dbbb97?width=4927&amp;height=3285" alt="Athletics European Championship U18 Jerusalem 2022 - Press Conference" />
Angelina will be accompanied in Jerusalem by her father and coach Dragutin, the 1990 European champion who scaled 2.37m in his career which spanned six Olympic Games.&nbsp;
But the sporting genes run through both sides of the family. Her mother Biljana won triple jump bronze at the 2009 World Athletics Championships, an event Angelina has also tried out this summer alongside the high jump.
&ldquo;I have competed in triple jump this year and actually I&rsquo;m really hoping to compete a bit more in the triple jump as well as in high jump. But for now I think the high jump is representing my future,&rdquo; said Topic.&nbsp;
One of the brightest Israeli prospects at the championships is pole vaulter Sivan Frumer who has improved her lifetime best to 3.90m this season.
<img src="https://directus.european-athletics.com/assets/b51df916-a03f-46e8-beb2-ae1ca9bee873?width=5568&amp;height=3712" alt="Athletics European Championship U18 Jerusalem 2022 - Press Conference" />
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s really exciting to be here. It&rsquo;s a big mission for me to represent Israel. I&rsquo;ve trained hard for the event and it&rsquo;s exciting because this is the first time a major event has been held in Israel.
&ldquo;I would really like to jump the best I can and give everything to the event. I hope to reach the final and vault as high as I possibly can,&rdquo; she said.
Arguably Israel&rsquo;s greatest athlete in history is Alexander Averbukh, the 2002 and 2006 European pole vault champion, and Frumer hopes that his impact could inspire her to another chapter in the history of Israeli athletics.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I appreciate his professionalism; I look up to him and he is an inspiration to me. Yes, I&rsquo;ve met him on quite a few occasions and you could maybe say we are also friends,&rdquo; she said.
The European Athletics U18 Championships will be streamed live through the European Athletics website from 8.05am local time (GMT+3) on Monday (4) morning.&nbsp;
&nbsp;

Rising Serbian star Topic poised “to show what I’m capable of” in Jerusalem

Jolanda Kallabis has been breaking all sorts of domestic records in recent years and now the up-and-coming German runner, who hails from Freiburg, is looking to make an impact internationally at the Jerusalem 2022 European Athletics U18 Championships from 4-7 July.
While most competitors will be new to this level of competition, Kallabis has some international experience to draw upon. At 16, Kallabis donned the German vest in the 1500m at the European Athletics U20 Championships in Tallinn last summer where she acquitted herself well, missing out on a place in the final by just one position.
But while Kallabis went to Tallinn mainly for the learning experience, the German will be heading to Jerusalem with clear ambitions: to win a medal.&nbsp;&nbsp;
&ldquo;The European U18 Championships were canceled last year. That's why I competed in the European U20 Championship. Since the competitors were three years older, I was eliminated in the 1500m heats. I want to go to the final this year. Internationally I'm well-placed, I want a medal,&rdquo; stated Kallabis.
Kallabis is ranked first in Europe at U18 level in the 1500m by more than three seconds with her recently set lifetime best of 4:14.08 but she will be focusing solely on her primary event - the 2000m steeplechase - in Jerusalem next week.&nbsp;
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Kallabis leads both the European and world U18 list in that event with 6:23.82 and if she was to prevail, she would emulate her father Damian who won the 3000m steeplechase title at the European Athletics Championships in 1998.
Kallabis combines her high school studies with five hours of running each week along with yoga sessions and strength and conditions training in the gym. Alongside her hard work, Kallabis also credits her sporting genes for her success on the track.
"We always ask ourselves that too. Somehow it's also because of my parents. They were both good runners. My father Damian was even a European champion. I grew up on the sports track, I've been doing athletics all my life. My mother Nina is my trainer, she knows me well, that fits perfectly," said Kallabis.
Kallabis&rsquo; range of talents is considerable. Not only does she lead the U18 list in the 1500m and 2000m steeplechase, she is even ranked fifth in the 400m hurdles and could have plausibly challenged for a medal in Jerusalem in that event.
But it was over 800 metres this winter where Kallabis made the domestic headlines. Three weeks before her 17th birthday, Kallabis smashed one of the longest standing and seemingly untouchable German records, clocking 2:04.57 to break the German indoor U18 record which had stood to East Germany&rsquo;s Hildegard Ullrich since 1976.
A few weeks later, Kallabis would go on to win the German indoor U20 title in the event, beating athletes up to three years her senior.
"In Erfurt I broke an indoor record in the 800m that was 46 years old. Then I became the German U20 champion in the 800m. The two are the strongest for me," said Kallabis on her proudest sporting achievements so far.
But even greater moments could follow in the days to come in the 2000m steeplechase in Jerusalem.&nbsp;
All four days of the European Athletics U18 Championships in Jerusalem will be streamed live through the European Athletics website from 4-7 July.

Kallabis looking to follow in her father’s footsteps with steeplechase gold in Jerusalem

<h2>European Athletics U18 Championships</h2>This is a biennial outdoor athletics competition for European athletes under the age of 18 in the year of competition.It was created to promote higher-level competition among the more talented members of this age group in Europe and provide a stepping stone to the U20 age group.The third edition of the championships in Jerusalem, Israel were highlighted by 15-year-old Topi Parviainen from Finland setting a European U18 best of 84.52m in the javelin, Mattia Furlani winning gold medals in both the long jump and high jump and Serbia's Angelina Topic clearing 1.92m in the high jump.Once again, Great Britain topped the medal table in Jerusalem with eight gold medals, all of which came in women's events. Standout highlights included Mia McIntosh winning the 100m hurdles in a championship record of 13.05 and Faith Akinbileje winning gold in the 200m and helping the Brits to the medley relay title.The fourth edition of the European Athletics U18 Championships will be held in Banska Bystrica, Slovakia from 18-21 July 2024.Welcome to the heart of Europe!
 Banská Bystrica is a city in Central Slovakia located on the Hron River in a long and wide valley encircled by the mountain chains of the Low Tatras, the Veľká Fatra, and the Kremnica Mountains. There are over 76,000 inhabitants living in this area and is home to a few thousand foreigners.
 Municipality of Banská Bystrica
 With 76,089 inhabitants, Banská Bystrica is the sixth most populous municipality in Slovakia.
 The City of Banská Bystrica has its own representative bodies – the Mayor and the City Parliament, as well as the advisory bodies of councils and committees.
 The Municipality Office consists of different departments dealing with various life situations:
 Department of Social Affairs – establishes centers of social services, including Section of long-term care services and Section of crisis intervention.
 Department of Education – establishes kindergartens and elementary schools.
 Registry Office – issues birth certificates, accepts applications for marriages, etc.
 Building Department – issues planning, zoning and construction permits.
 Department of Culture – establishes cultural institutions in the city and authorizes civic assemblies.
 For more information on the municipalities, its responsibilites and activities, please check: www.banskabystrica.sk

Great Britain will be sending a team of 57 athletes to the Jerusalem 2023 European Athletics U20 Championships from 7-10 August.
The Brits won eight gold medals to top the medal table when Jerusalem staged the European Athletics U18 Championships last summer and their team is headlined by four individual gold medallists from those championships.
Nia Wedderburn-Goodison and Faith Akinbileje won the 100m and 200m titles last summer and will be looking to repeat at U20 level next month.&nbsp;
Both athletes are also part of a strong 4x100m team which also features Success Eduan and Joy Eze who were also part of Great Britain&rsquo;s gold medal-winning team at the 2021 European Athletics U20 Championships in Tallinn.
Other European U18 champions named on the British team for Jerusalem include Mia McIntosh in the 100m hurdles - she is also part of the relay pool in the 4x100m - and Cleo Agyepong in the shot put.
<img src="https://european-athletics.directus.app/assets/110399d2-3f61-4e34-8c7d-3aae84c0a0fa?width=4145&amp;height=2763" alt="Getty Images 1241723386">
Also watch out for Great Britain&rsquo;s latest rising prospect in the middle distances Abigail Ives who has already clocked 1:59.92 for 800m.
The European Athletics U20 Championships will be streamed in its entirety through the European Athletics website on the All-Athletics platform.&nbsp;
The full British team can be found <a href="https://www.britishathletics.org.uk/news-and-features/final-selections-confirmed-for-the-european-u20-championships/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.&nbsp;

European U18 champions headline Great Britain’s U20 team for Jerusalem

<a href="https://www.conica.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CONICA</a>, the preferred supplier for European Athletics, continues to provide surfaces for some of Europe&rsquo;s most iconic stadiums, with the latest one being the Raul Guidobaldi Stadium in Rieti, Italy which will have a new CONICA track installed later this year.
The new surface will be a CONIPUR Vmax track, the same track system that is installed at the Letzigrund Stadium in Z&uuml;rich and at the Stade Louis-II in Monaco, both stops on the Diamond League circuit with the former also being the venue for the 2014 European Athletics Championships.
Rieti has always been a mecca for athletics, with the prestigious annual meeting that ran from 1971-2015 seeing some truly memorable moments over the years including eight official world records.
The Raul Guidobaldi Stadium - which was also the venue for the 2013 European Athletics U20 Championships - was set to host the 2020 European Athletics U18 Championships, which was sadly cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic.
However, it will host the European Athletics U18 Championships in 2026 as well as the 2023 DNA U20 Clubs competition this year on 16-17 September.
When the European Athletics Council made the decision to give Rieti the 2026 European Athletics U20 Championships in November 2021, one of the key factors was the continued enthusiasm of the Rieti LOC to host the championships once the pandemic had subsided.
As part of the LOC and FIDAL&rsquo;s commitment to the event, they have promised European Athletics that there will be an extensive promotional and marketing effort to highlight the championships, which will bring Europe's top teenage talent to the heart of Italy.

New CONICA track set for Rieti’s iconic stadium in 2023

Recently crowned European U18 champions Jolanda Kallabis from Germany and Niels Laros from the Netherlands were in record-breaking form this weekend.
On Friday (9) evening in Trier, Kallabis clocked 6:07.72 in the 2000m steeplechase to shatter not only the European U18 best of 6:19.23 set by Hungary&rsquo;s Greta Varga in 2020 but also improve the world U18 best of 6:11.83 held by Ethiopia&rsquo;s Korahubish Itaa in 2009.
And from a European standpoint, only four European seniors have run faster in history: Gesa Felicitas Krause (5:52.80), Marusa Mismas-Zrimsek (5:56.28), Luiza Gega (6:00.07) and Wioletta Frankiewicz (6:03.37).
Her performance was made all the more impressive as Kallabis - whose father Damian won the European 3000m steeplechase title in Budapest 1998 - didn&rsquo;t have the luxury of pacemakers and she also stumbled at the final water jump. "The race went perfectly except for a little swim in the last water jump," Kallabis wrote on Instagram.&nbsp; &nbsp;
[INSTAGRAM ID="http://www.instagram.com/p/CiUlFQlMCDC"]
But despite the abundant early promise Kallabis has shown in the steeplechase, she looks set to drop down in distance as she graduates into the U20 ranks in 2023.
&ldquo;I would have to run too many kilometers in training for that,&rdquo; said Kallabis on the prospect of the 3000m steeplechase. "I'm concentrating on the 800 meters now."
Kallabis has a lifetime best of 2:04.65 for the 800m and she leads the European U18 list in the 1500m with 4:14.08. Her range of talents also extends to the 400m hurdles having clocked 59.71.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Laros shatters long-standing European U18 best in the 3000m
The multi-talented Niels Laros rewrote the record books again in Zagreb, Croatia on Sunday (11) evening at the Boris Hanzekovic Memorial.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Having broken Jakob Ingebrigtsen&rsquo;s European U18 1500m best with 3:39.46 in Luzern less than a fortnight ago, the tall Dutchman took a significant chunk off the long-standing European U18 best in the 3000m.
Still only 17, the European U18 1500/3000m champion broke the eight minute-barrier for the first time in his nascent career with a sparkling 7:48.25 clocking.&nbsp;&nbsp;
[INSTAGRAM ID="http://www.instagram.com/p/CiX9GIzMESI"]
Laros became just the second European U18 in history to break the eight minute-barrier in the 3000m and his time smashed the previous U18 best of 7:56.4 set by East Germany&rsquo;s Hansjorg Kunze all the way back in 1976.&nbsp;
Laros also moves to second on the European U20 all-time list and has two full seasons to challenge the legendary U20 record of 7:43.2 set by Finland's Ari Paunonen in 1977.&nbsp;

Super-talents Kallabis and Laros smash world and European U18 bests

Ophelia Pye won Great Britain&rsquo;s seventh gold medal of the championships in the women&rsquo;s 400m hurdles final, the first track final of the last day.
Pye clattered into the penultimate barrier and she temporarily lost her balance but the 17-year-old took the crucial final hurdle much better to push past her teammate Stephanie Okoro and Belgium&rsquo;s Zoe Laureys for the title in a championship record of 58.09.
&ldquo;It was really tough, I'm not going to lie,&rdquo; said Pye, who is coached by 1968 Olympic champion in the event David Hemery.
Pye was certainly one of the most unexpected gold medalists of the championships. She wasn&rsquo;t ranked inside the top-10 on paper prior to Jerusalem nor had she ever broken the one minute-barrier in the event prior to last month.
&ldquo;That last hurdle, I wasn't sure if I was going to fall over - I just about managed to hang in there. I just really, really wanted this - honestly. I had no hopes for the podium, and just wanted to make it to the finals - that was my goal coming here,&rdquo; she said.
And an eighth gold medal for the Brits - and a seventh on the track - came in the medley relay (100m, 200m, 300m, 400m). A British team which included individual 200m winner Faith Akinbileje and anchored by Etty Sisson overcame a staunch challenge from reigning champions Italy to win gold in a European U18 best of 2:07.18.
Italy also ran faster than their previous European record with 2:07.35 while individual 400m silver medallist Lurdes Gloria Manuel ran a storming anchor leg to win bronze for Czech Republic in 2:07.53.
The Brits swept up the women&rsquo;s track events at these championships, winning seven of the eight events at 1500m and below, including both relays. The sole non-track gold medal came courtesy of Cleo Agyepong in the shot put.
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Aurstad storms to world U18 lead in the 400m hurdles&nbsp;
The way Bastian Elnan Aurstad attacked and ultimately won the men&rsquo;s 400m hurdles was redolent of the way his fellow Norwegian Karsten Warholm likes to race.
Aurstad attacked the first 300 metres in scintillating fashion and even though he came under some pressure in the home straight, Aurstad&rsquo;s technique held up over the gruelling ninth and tenth hurdles.
Aurstad, who cites Warholm as his idol, was rewarded with a world U20 leading time of 50.89 and what could be his first of many titles.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Of course in a few years time, I would like to get a gold medal at senior level, but I just take it year after year. Motivational wise, I look into the future but I don't compare myself to Karsten,&rdquo; said Aurstad who was also credited with a 45.78 anchor leg in the men's medley relay to take Norway up into silver.
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The Irish had a torturous journey to reach Jerusalem due to travel delays but Fintan Dewhirst ensured the Emerald Isle would not be leaving the Givat Ram Stadium empty handed by winning their first medal of the championships with silver in a lifetime best of 51.65.
A second gold medal for Norway came shortly afterwards from a slightly less expected source. In a slow and tactical race which saw the pack jostle through the bell in 67.69, Malin Hoelsveen kicked away in the home straight for victory in 2:09.29.
The decibel levels reached their highest at the championships for the highly anticipated men&rsquo;s 800m final featuring Noam Mamu, Israel&rsquo;s biggest prospect for a medal at these championships.
In a similarly physical and tactical encounter to the women&rsquo;s final, Mamu extricated himself from heavy traffic to set off in pursuit of Jakub Dudycha who made a decisive break with 200 metres.&nbsp;
Dudycha duly kicked to victory in 1:51.35 while Mamu, who was roared to the rafters at the Givat Ram Stadium, held off a late charge from Italy&rsquo;s Davide De Rose to ensure silver - 1:51.35 to 1:51.79 - Israel&rsquo;s first medal of not only the championships but in the nascent history of these championships.&nbsp;
In the decathlon, Amadeus Graber trailed France&rsquo;s Alexander Montagne heading into the 1500m but the German defied an ankle injury he sustained in the javelin to move into gold medal position and set a championship record score of 7626 points.
Graber was never lower than fourth throughout the entire competition but he only moved into gold medal position for the first time courtesy of a battling 4:32.21 performance - the offending ankle heavily bandaged - in the 1500m.
In a super tight finish which saw the three medallists separated by only 35 points, Sweden&rsquo;s Leo Goransson pipped Montagne for silver - 7609 to 7591 points - in a high quality competition which saw the first 10 athletes all set lifetime best totals.
Full results <a title="" href="https://jerusalem22results.european-athletics.com/en/results/athletics/daily-schedule.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.
More to follow...

Eight gold medals put Great Britain top of the medal table in Jerusalem

Mattia Furlani won his second gold medal of the Jerusalem 2022 European Athletics U18 Championships on Thursday (7) morning with another virtuoso performance in the high jump final.
Two days after winning the long jump title with a championship record of 8.04m, Furlani reverted his attention back to what is - for now at least - his primary event and the prospect of a second title.
Furlani briefly dropped out of medal contention after recording two failures at 2.13m but the precocious 17-year-old Italian roused himself again and put himself back in the title hunt with a clutch third-time clearance.
Furlani admitted he was jumping on fatigued legs after a grueling competitive schedule in hot and humid conditions in Jerusalem but the Rieti-based athlete kept something in reserve and scaled 2.15m on his second attempt - a height which proved beyond his rivals.
Furlani raised the bar to a prospective championship record of 2.20m but the Italian ran through on his first attempt before drawing his championships to a close with two gold medals and a championship record in the long jump for posterity.
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&ldquo;The emotions were high today. Yesterday, it was emotional enough, so I have no words for what I have done today and over the last two days. I just wanted to stay focused and achieve my goals,&rdquo; said Furlani.
Mattia&rsquo;s older sister Erika is also an Italian international high jumper and he is coached by his mother who he richly credited for guiding him to his success at this championships.
&ldquo;The competition was tough today, especially when it came to how my muscles were reacting. In the end, the result came through, thanks to my coach who is also my mum - she is the one who helps me every day. Psychologically, it was challenging, and I made some significant errors. But there is always room for improvement,&rdquo; said Furlani.
Cyprus&rsquo; brilliant championships continued as Michalis Christofi added a silver medal to their coffers. He started the day with a lifetime best of 2.06m but the 16-year-old revised that mark on no fewer than three occasions and even briefly took the lead by clearing 2.13m on his second attempt.
Poland&rsquo;s Jakub Walecki also came away with a silver medal after registering an identical scorecard to Christofi.
Gold for Hossain with a championship record
A brilliant championship for 15-year-old athletes hailing from Nordic countries continued in the women&rsquo;s long jump final.
One night after Topi Parviainen broke the European U18 best in the javelin, Sweden&rsquo;s Ayla Hallberg Hossain won the long jump title with a championship record.
One of the youngest athletes competing at the championships by virtue of a December 2006 birthdate, the highly-vaunted Hossain leapt out to a championship record of 6.39m in the second round to clinch the title.&nbsp;
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Hossain becomes the second successive Swedish winner of this title after Tilde Johansson won at the last edition in Gyor, Hungary in 2018.
European U18 leader Brina Likar took full advantage of the 2.0 m/s tailwind in the fifth round to leap 6.30m to move into silver medal position while Bulgaria&rsquo;s Plamena Chakarova set a lifetime best of 6.24m to win bronze.
In the 10,000m race walk, Germany&rsquo;s Frederick Wiegel held off some late pressure from Italy&rsquo;s Giueseppe Disabato to win the title in a championship record of 44:01.60.
The winner is one of many athletes at the championships to hail from a famous sporting family. His father ad coach Ronald Wiegel is one of the greatest 50km race walkers of all-time, winning the inaugural world title for East Germany in 1983 as well as three Olympic medals.
"My dad is also my coach, currently in the United States. Yes, he motivates me, but I have my own opinion about the sport. He doesn't really control me. I think maybe he will be proud of me, and probably stayed up late to watch the race," said the winner.
Spain's Sofia Santacreu won the women's 5000m race walk title in 22:46.32.
Full results <a title="" href="https://jerusalem22results.european-athletics.com/en/results/athletics/daily-schedule.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.&nbsp;

After long jump championship record, Furlani glides to high jump gold in Jerusalem

Another chapter in the success story of Finnish javelin throwing was written on the third evening session of the Jerusalem 2022 European Athletics U18 Championships on Wednesday (6).
It took Topi Parviainen five rounds to produce his best throwing but after moving into gold medal position in round five with 75.98m, the precocious 15-year-old produced a howitzer of a throw with his sixth attempt.&nbsp;
The javelin sailed through the darkening night sky as straight as an arrow before piercing the turf far in excess of the 80 metre-line. The throw was measured at a whopping 84.52m which also surpassed the European U18 best of 83.94m set by the soon-to-be world decathlon champion Niklas Kaul from Germany in 2015.
At 15, Parviainen was by far the youngest athlete in the men&rsquo;s javelin final - and one of the youngest athletes at the championships - but the Finn proved this was far from a handicap as he won the gold medal in Jerusalem by a winning margin of more than 10 metres from Hungary&rsquo;s Mate Horvath (73.72m) and previous European U18 leader Ryan Jansen from the Netherlands (72.10m).&nbsp;
The javelin is almost a sporting institution in Finland and the name Parviainen will be familiar to followers of the event as his uncle Aki won the 2001 world title and still holds the Finnish record in the event with 93.09m.&nbsp;
&ldquo;At some point during the competition, I did feel I might not win because I did a really bad second throw. When I was getting ready for my last throw, it felt great to have everyone cheering, including my opponents. There is a very good atmosphere amongst all of us,&rdquo; said Parviainen who became the youngest gold medallist at the championships so far.
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Serbia&rsquo;s Angelina Topic also comes from a famous sporting family and she followed in her father&rsquo;s footsteps by winning European U18 gold in the high jump some 32 years after Dragutin won European senior gold in 1990.
Topic was the outstanding favourite for the title having recently equalled the world U18 best at 1.96m but the Serbian trailed her German rival Johanna Goring who cleared every height up until 1.88m on her first attempt.
Topic carried over failures at 1.82m and 1.86m but the 16-year-old was in a much more parsimonious mood at the higher heights, clearing both 1.90m and 1.92m on her first attempts to seal the title before attempting an outright world U18 best of 1.97m.&nbsp;
&ldquo;This means so much to me, because I trained so hard for this moment. The competition was great - all the other girls are amazing athletes, amazing people. Actually, I am so glad this is finally over, so I don't have to stay up at night thinking about it,&rdquo; said Topic.
Topic will be seeking to add to her tally in less than one month from now at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Cali, Colombia before a potential appearance on the senior stage at the Munich 2022 European Athletics Championships.
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Topic was accompanied in Jerusalem not only by her father and coach Dragutin but also her mother Biljana, the 2009 world triple jump bronze medallist. Topic credits the support of her parents for her sporting success.
&ldquo;I have amazing friends, amazing people around, my parents are obviously there to support me, and to show me the way to go through all of this because, firstly, they were the ones who went through this type of life and they are always there for me - to explain some things to me or to make things easier.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Before coming here, my mum gave me a smile and told me just to be myself. I love to stand for every anthem, and I was waiting all my life to listen to my own,&rdquo; she said.
Full results <a title="" href="https://jerusalem22results.european-athletics.com/en/results/athletics/daily-schedule.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.

Parviainen, 15, smashes European U18 javelin best in Jerusalem with 84.52m

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European Athletics U18 Championships

Pre-race favourite Jolanda Kallabis pulled away in the closing stages in devastating fashion to secure an impressive victory in the 2000m steeplechase in a championship record of 6:20.22.
In the first track final of the third day of the Jerusalem 2022 European Athletics U18 Championships, the tall German made a decisive break with 500 metres remaining and in the space of just over a lap, Kallabis eked out a winning margin of almost eight seconds on her nearest rival.
Defying the sweltering conditions, Kallabis just missed the European U18 best of 6:19.23 but the 17-year-old shattered the championship record of 6:34.52 which dates back to the first edition which was held in Tbilisi, Georgia in 2016.
With Kallabis forging a solo and destructive path to victory, the race for silver was won by her German teammate Adia Budde (6:28.09) who got the better of Denmark&rsquo;s European U20 3000m silver medallist Sofia Th&oslash;gersen in 6:29.68. All three medallists were inside the previous championship record.
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Like Th&oslash;gersen, Kallabis also competed at U20 level in Tallinn last summer - albeit on the flat in the 1500m - and she credits that experience for being invaluable in the context of these championships.
&ldquo;Competing in Tallinn last year was perfect, because I was much more relaxed here than back then - I already knew what the atmosphere was going to be like, how the call room and everything else works, so I am glad that I went to Tallinn last year,&rdquo; said Kallabis. &nbsp;
Kallabis comes from an athletics family. Her mother is her coach and her father Damian will be a recognisable name to athletics aficionados as he won the 3000m steeplechase title at the Budapest 1998 European Athletics Championships.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Before the race, my dad told me to do it like he did at the European Championships in 1998. I couldn't really hear him during the race, but I already talked to him and he said he was really, really proud, and that I did it perfectly,&rdquo; she said.
In the men's shot put final, Türkiye's Ali Peker only produced one valid throw but that mark of 21.03m yielded the title by almost one metre from Germany's Georg Harpf (20.16m) and Finland's Aatu Kangasniemi (19.48m).
"I threw 21.03 metres which is lower than my personal best - 21.73m - I still think it is a good throw and I am happy anyway. I only had a valid throw, which was a good one, but the fact I had so many fouls is bad. I don't know why it happened because I wasn't feeling nervous at all - but my last throw was actually really bad," he said.
Full results <a title="" href="https://jerusalem22results.european-athletics.com/en/results/athletics/daily-schedule.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.
&nbsp;

Dominant Kallabis shatters championship record for 2000m steeplechase gold

A slew of championship records fell on the second evening session at the Jerusalem 2022 European Athletics U18 Championships in the Givat Ram Stadium on Tuesday (5).
The track session included three successive championship record performances on the track which began with Great Britain&rsquo;s Mia McIntosh winning the 100m hurdles title, one of three gold medals for the Brits on day two.
McIntosh was the fastest in the heats and semifinals and the 17-year-old, who has been testing herself against the seniors this summer, made light work of the U18 76.2 centimetre barriers and her reward was a championship record of 13.05 - only 0.07 shy of the European U18 best held by world indoor champion Cyrena Samba-Mayela from France.
&ldquo;At the start of my semi, I felt very fatigued, but I didn't do too much between the rounds, and did a quick warm up, that was it. I've been racing some seniors this year, and it has been incredible to see what they can do and how they do it. I can't wait to be in the mix of them all,&rdquo; she said.
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After gold for Mia, there was gold for Nia as her near namesake Nia Wedderburn-Goodison won the 100m title in a championship record of 11.33. Wedderburn-Goodison ran even faster in the semifinal but her time of 11.31 was marginally wind-aided.
There was also a rare men&rsquo;s sprinting gold medal for Poland at 16-year-old Marek Zakrzewski emerged into the fray with three exceptional performances - all of which were faster than the previous championship record of 10.43.
After a statement albeit wind-aided 10.29 clocking in the heat, Zakrzewski secured the championship record in wind legal conditions with 10.33 in his semifinal before running even faster in the final, stopping the clock at 10.32 to hold off the mercurial Swede Isak Hughes in the adjacent lane in 10.36.
Furlani amazes with 8.04m long jump
But perhaps the most exceptional performance of the day came from Italy&rsquo;s super talented prospect Mattia Furlani. The 17-year-old has impressed in recent seasons with his high jump prowess but Furlani is making extraordinary - if not unprecedented progress - in the long jump.
In only his third serious outdoor competition in the event - and only his second if you exclude qualifying - Furlani soared over the eight metre-line with his very first attempt with 8.04m to shatter the championship record and become the first European U18 in history to break this barrier outdoors.
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Furlani couldn&rsquo;t quite recapture this magic with his subsequent jumps but nor did he need to. The Italian passed his fifth and sixth round attempts in order to preserve some energy for the high jump final having also qualified for that event this evening.
&ldquo;To be honest, I didn't expect something like this at my first attempt, especially after having gone through the qualification in the high jump just before. The goal here is to give it my all in both events, and whatever happens, I will be pleased with it,&rdquo; he said.
&ldquo;All I can think right now is that I want to cry, because I am so proud of myself.&rdquo;
In the discus, Ukraine&rsquo;s Mykhailo Brudin had already wrapped up the gold medal before he stepped into the discus circle for the final time.&nbsp;
With his sixth round attempt, Brudin went even further and broke the championship record with 64.51m. The 17-year-old, who has been based in Spain after being displaced by the Russian invasion in February, dedicated his victory to his grandmother Faina Melnik, the 1972 Olympic champion who died in 2016.
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Jana Koscak was crowned heptathlon champion and the Croatian moved to fifth on the European U18 all-time list with a score of 6106 points despite nursing an elbow injury which limited her to just one throw in the javelin, arguably her best event.
But despite being some 10 metres down on her lifetime best with her throw of 40.58m, Koscak still won by more than 300 points from Hungary's Sarolta Kriszt (5794 points) and Germany's Pia Messing (5690 points).
"My favourite event has always been the High Jump, and probaly the Javelin. I am a little disappointed I could only do one throw due to hurting the ligaments in my elbow - my personal best in the Javelin is 11 metres further than what I threw today, so of course I am disappointed. It is still a great feeling overall," said Koscak who led proceedings from the very first event.&nbsp;
Valentina Savva from Cyprus won the first gold medal of the championships in the hammer with 70.28m.
And the Cypriot success didn&rsquo;t stop there as Emilia Kolokotroni won bronze with 65.35m. There could even be even more medalware to celebrate tomorrow with Iosif Kesidis the outstanding favourite in the men&rsquo;s final.
"I started in athletics in the long jump, but one day a coach saw me and suggested I should try the Hammer instead because of the way I am built. I love it so much, it's part of my life now," said Savva.
Full results <a title="" href="https://jerusalem22results.european-athletics.com/en/results/athletics/daily-schedule-date=2022-07-05.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.

Championship records tumble on the second day in Jerusalem

The men&rsquo;s long jump qualifying was one of the liveliest and most dramatic events of the evening which was bookended by championship record-breaking performances.
With his first attempt, France&rsquo;s Thomas Martinez booked his place in the final by eclipsing the previous championship record by one centimetre with 7.61m.&nbsp;
But his record was to last a little more than half-an-hour. Mattia Furlani&rsquo;s hopes of winning two gold medals looked in a vulnerable state after the 17-year-old began his campaign with two no jumps but the precocious Italian made no such mistake on his last attempt.&nbsp;
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Competing in just his second ever outdoor long jump competition, Furlani relied on all of his raw talent and athletic ability, improving the championship record for the second time with 7.62m.
Furlani made a stir domestically by recently smashing Andrew Howe&rsquo;s Italian U18 record with 7.87m in his first serious outdoor competition in the discipline. He is primarily a high jumper and has also entered this event in Jerusalem.
&ldquo;I was a little worried at the start, the wind was very strong but I needed to do a jump that made me feel more secure. At the end of the day, I wanted to do a jump that put me in a better position. However, the most important thing was to qualify for the final, and now I need to stay focused so I can bring home the best possible result,&rdquo; said Furlani.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Tomorrow morning, I will be taking part in the high jump qualification, and that should be a good experience. I&rsquo;m already thinking ahead for the future.&rdquo;
Breakthrough performances from Reparaz and Zakrzewski&nbsp;in the 100m heats
Spain&rsquo;s Ainhoa Reparaz was only ranked 17th ahead of the championships based on season&rsquo;s best performances but the 16-year-old put herself in the medal discussion in the 100 metres in a little under 12 seconds.&nbsp;
Reparaz shattered her lifetime best to pieces in the fifth and final heat of the 100m and she even took ownership of the championship record with her 11.53 performance.&nbsp;
I wasn't expecting this at all, no way. I am speechless, but extremely happy about this. I'm not going to change my plans after this - I need to remain calm as ever,&rdquo; she said.
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Great Britain&rsquo;s Lia Weddeburn-Goodison was credited with a faster time in the 100m heats but her 11.48 was accompanied by an illegal following wind of 3.1 m/s. Her compatriot Renee Regis - the daughter of former British internationals John Regis and Jennifer Stoute - also progressed as a heat winner in 11.66.
Another breakthrough performance of the session came in the men&rsquo;s 100m heats courtesy of the 16-year-old Pole Marek Zakrzewski.
Drawn in the second lane, Zakrzewski could have afforded to ease down but he ran through the line and his reward was a super-fast 10.29 clocking - the fastest of the day by more than one-tenth from the showboating Swede Isak Hughes in 10.44.
Zakrzewski&rsquo;s time was marginally wind-assisted at 2.2 m/s but in calmer conditions, the Pole will surely challenge the championship record of 10.43 set by Germany&rsquo;s Milo Skupin-Alfa in 2016 and maybe even the European U18 best of 10.27 held by France&rsquo;s Jeff Erius.
There was another fast albeit wind-aided performance in the 110m hurdles heats. Finland&rsquo;s Rasmus Vehmaa showed some exceptionally slick hurdling and led the heat qualifiers by more than two-tenths with his winning time of 13.18.
His time was 0.01 faster than the championship record but the wind was above the legal limit at 3.7 m/s.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Koscak in command after four events in the heptathlon
Jana Koscak leads the heptathlon overnight and the Croatian has a comfortable cushion of over 300 points over her nearest competitor.
Her standout performance was the high jump in which she cleared 1.87m, adding a whopping eleven centimetres to her previous lifetime best, and she put together two more solid events this evening to consolidate her lead.
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After her record-breaking 1.87m, Koscak threw 13.97m in the shot put and concluded her day with 25.50 in the 200m. This took her day one total up to 3730 points with a clear lead on Hungary&rsquo;s Sarolta Kriszt (3399 points) and Germany&rsquo;s Pia Messing (3351 points).
&ldquo;The highlight today has definitely been the high jump. I jumped 1.87m and that is my personal best - a huge personal best for me compared to the previous one. On the other hand, I am a little disappointed with the 200. Tomorrow it is Javelin time, and I love the Javelin, so I hope I get some more points then,&rdquo; said Kocsak.
Full results <a title="" href="https://jerusalem22results.european-athletics.com/en/results/athletics/daily-schedule.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.&nbsp;

Furlani’s double bid starts with a championship record in long jump qualifying

Denmark&rsquo;s Sofia Th&oslash;gersen hadn&rsquo;t contested a race over the barriers this season prior to Jerusalem but the 16-year-old sauntered into the 2000m steeplechase final on the first morning session of the Jerusalem 2022 European Athletics U18 Championships on Monday (4).
The silver medallist in the 3000m flat at the Tallinn 2021 European Athletics U20 Championships last summer when she was the youngest athlete in the race, Th&oslash;gersen eased to victory in the first heat in 6:45.31 ahead of European U18 leader Jolanda Kallabis from Germany in 6:48.67.
But even though Th&oslash;gersen qualified fastest and can already boast a European medal on her r&eacute;sum&eacute;, the Dane is by no means resting on her laurels.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I do not feel extra confidence having won a medal in Tallinn last year. In fact, I feel a little pressure,&rdquo; said Th&oslash;gersen who has been dealing with a back injury this year. &ldquo;I am really looking forward to the finals, and I hope I have saved enough energy for it.&rdquo;
From the second heat, Kallabis&rsquo; German compatriot Adia Budde chose to run from the front and she led the automatic qualifiers in 6:48.71 by a comfortable margin from Spain&rsquo;s Xela Martinez in 6:54.36.
Other track highlights included Spain&rsquo;s David Garcia qualifying fastest for the men&rsquo;s 400m final with 47.66. And there will be home representation in the men&rsquo;s 800m final with Israel&rsquo;s Noam Mamu qualifying automatically from the second heat in 1:53.48 behind France&rsquo;s Cyann Galtier-Villa in 1:52.91.
Topic and Savva in command on the in-field&nbsp;
Fresh from equalling the world U18 best in the high jump with 1.96m, Angelina Topic found a height almost 20 centimetres lower than her recently-set record to qualify for the final.
The Serbian didn&rsquo;t record a single failure in qualifying, nor did fellow medal contenders Germany&rsquo;s Johanna Goring and Merel Maes from Belgium. Estonia&rsquo;s Karmen Bruus also progressed but the 1.91m performer needed a full complement of attempts at her opening height of 1.71m.
Topic begins as the outstanding favourite after clearing 1.96m last weekend but the 16-year-old is aware she will face strong opposition for the title.&nbsp;
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&ldquo;Let's see how I feel on Wednesday,&rdquo; said Topic. &ldquo;Also, the other competitors are in great shape, so we will see. The environment here is great. Lots of people have come out to watch and cheer - I really love it!&rdquo;&nbsp;
In the hammer, pre-event favourite Valentina Savva from Cyprus sailed through to the final with her first throw which was measured at 68.48m - comfortably in excess of the automatic qualifying mark of 65.00m.
&ldquo;It was always my plan to come here and get a big Q straight away. I wanted to do one throw and be in the final. It was an easy round, and my goal is to take the win home,&rdquo; she said.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I have always been this determined, I know what I want, and that is to win.&rdquo;
Koscak breaks her high jump lifetime best&hellip;four times!
The highest jump of the morning session didn&rsquo;t come in the women&rsquo;s high jump qualifying but in the heptathlon.
Jana Koscak was already leading proceedings after a 13.64 100m hurdles but the Croatian is nearly 300 points in the lead after a dream showing in the high jump.
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Koscak started the day with a lifetime best of 1.76m but she produced first-time clearance after first-time clearance in quickfire succession: 1.78m, 1.81m, 1.84m and then 1.87m to add a dizzying eleven centimetres to her lifetime best.
Koscak leads proceedings with 2097 points after two events ahead of Germany's Pia Messing (1813 points) and Hungary's Sarolta Kriszt (1783 points).
Full results <a title="" href="https://jerusalem22results.european-athletics.com/en/results/athletics/daily-schedule.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.

Thøgersen lays down a marker in the 2000m steeplechase heats in Jerusalem

Watch out for Mattia Furlani at the European Athletics U18 Championships in Jerusalem, Israel which begin in exactly two weeks today on 4 July.
The 17-year-old achieved an incredible and unusual double at the Italian U18 Championships in Milan at the weekend and looks poised to be one of the prospective stars of the third edition of the European U18 Championships next month.&nbsp;
Furlani is primarily known as a high jumper but he flew out to an incredible 7.87m (+1.2) in the long jump on the first day which shattered the previous Italian U18 record of 7.61m set by Andrew Howe who would go on to win the European senior title in 2006 and silver at the 2007 World Championships.
[TWITTER ID="http://twitter.com/EuroAthletics/status/1538226826178330627"]
This was Furlani&rsquo;s first ever outdoor long jump competition at this age-group but the precocious youngster is now sixth on the European all-time U18 list which is headed by Jonathan Moore&rsquo;s 7.98m. He is also only four centimetres behind the current European record-holder Robert Emmiyan.
And he wasn&rsquo;t done for the weekend. On the following day, Furlani reverted back to his primary event and he cleared another European U18 leading mark of 2.16m in the high jump before taking three attempts at a would-be lifetime best of 2.20m.
[INSTAGRAM ID="http://www.instagram.com/p/Ce-9HZGAiXT"]
Athletics is very much a family affair for Furlani. He is the younger brother of long-time international high jumper Erika and he is coached by his mother Khaty Seck and father Marcello in Rieti.&nbsp;
And Furlani&rsquo;s talents extend beyond the horizontal and vertical jumps as well. He is currently the equal sixth fastest sprinter in Europe at his age-group with a lifetime best of 10.64 in the 100m.

Furlani achieves incredible jumping double at the Italian U18 Championships

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European Athletics U18 Championships News

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