Croatia’s reigning Olympic champions Sandra Perkovic and Sara Kolak will compete on home soil at the European Athletics Team Championships Second League in Varazdin on 10-11 August. Final entries can be found here.
On the comeback from surgery, Kolak will be targeting for her second successive victory in the javelin while Perkovic will be competing at the European Athletics Team Championships for the first time since 2014 when she won the discus and finished third in the shot put.
Croatia finished seventh in the Second League in Tel Aviv two years ago but they have been up to the First League in the past, gaining promotion in 2010 when Perkovic won both the shot put and discus as a teenager.
The Bulgarians were among three teams to be relegated from the Second League in Vaasa, Finland in 2017 but Ivet Lalova-Collio will be on team duties once more in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m. With nine victories from the European Athletics Team Championships since 2009, Lalova-Collio is the most successful athlete in competition history.
European 10,000m champion Lonah Chemtai Salpeter will be attempting a 3000/5000m double for Israel although she will face strong opposition in the 3000m from Denmark’s double European U23 champion Anna Emilie Moller who has entered both the 1500m and 3000m. In-form Slovenian Marusa Mismas will also be contesting the 5000m and 3000m steeplechase.
Other standout athletes in action include world leader Magnus Kirt from Estonia in the javelin, European bronze medallist Lukas Weisshaidinger from Austria in the discus, Olympic silver medallist Sara Slott Petersen from Denmark in the 400m hurdles, Olympic silver medallist Mirela Demireva from Bulgaria in the high jump and Cyprus’ European indoor champion Milan Trajkovic in the 110m hurdles.