Rieti, Italy July 16–19, 2026
Source: https://www.european-athletics.com/home
The 2026 European Athletics U18 Championships are currently taking place! This biennial continental competition spotlights Europe’s finest young track and field athletes aged 15 to 17.
Here is everything you need to know about the ongoing event:
## Quick Facts
- Dates: July 16–19, 2026
- Host City: Rieti, Italy
- Venue: Stadio Raul Guidobaldi
- Edition: 5th edition
## Age Eligibility
To compete in this year’s championships, athletes must be born in 2009 or 2010 (turning 16 or 17 by December 31, 2026).
## Key Events & Highlights
The championships feature a full slate of track and field disciplines tailored for junior athletes, including:
- Sprints & Hurdles: 100m, 200m, 400m, and hurdles (including the 2000m steeplechase).
- Middle & Long Distance: 800m, 1500m, and 3000m events.
- Field Events: High jump, pole vault, long jump, triple jump, shot put, discus, hammer, and javelin.
- Multi-Events: Heptathlon for women and Decathlon for men.
- Relays: The exciting 100m-200m-3000m-400m medley relays.
Did You Know? The Stadio Raul Guidobaldi in Rieti is legendary in the athletics world, famously known for hosting the annual Rieti Meeting where multiple world records have been broken over the decades.
The 2026 European Athletics U18 Championships are currently underway in Rieti, Italy, at the Stadio Raul Guidobaldi.
The competition spans four action-packed days, structured into morning and evening sessions. Here is a day-by-day outline of the primary track and field events on the program:
## Day 1: Thursday, July 16
- Morning Session: * Heats & Qualifications: Women’s Hammer Throw, Women’s 2000m Steeplechase, Men’s High Jump, Men’s 800m, Women’s & Men’s 100m.
- Heptathlon: 100m Hurdles and High Jump.
- Evening Session:
- Heats & Qualifications: Women’s Discus, Men’s 400m, Men’s Pole Vault, Women’s 400m.
- Finals: Men’s 3000m.
## Day 2: Friday, July 17
- Morning Session: * Heats & Qualifications: Women’s Javelin, Men’s 2000m Steeplechase, Women’s 800m, Women’s Long Jump, Men’s & Women’s 400m Hurdles, Men’s & Women’s 200m.
- Heptathlon: Long Jump and Javelin.
- Evening Session:
- Semifinals: Men’s & Women’s 400m, 100m, and Men’s 800m.
- Finals: Women’s Hammer Throw, Women’s Shot Put, Men’s Hammer Throw, Heptathlon (800m final event), Women’s 100m, and Men’s 100m.
## Day 3: Saturday, July 18
- Morning Session:
- Heats & Qualifications: Women’s 100m Hurdles, Men’s 110m Hurdles, Men’s Shot Put, Men’s & Women’s 200m Semifinals.
- Decathlon: 100m, Long Jump, Shot Put.
- Finals: Men’s High Jump, Women’s Long Jump.
- Evening Session:
- Finals: Women’s 2000m Steeplechase, Men’s 400m, Women’s 400m, Men’s Discus, Women’s Triple Jump, Men’s 800m, Women’s 200m, and Men’s 200m.
## Day 4: Sunday, July 19
- Morning Session:
- Decathlon Events: 110m Hurdles, Discus, Pole Vault.
- Relays: Women’s & Men’s Medley Relay (100m-200m-300m-400m) Round 1.
- Semifinals: Women’s 100m Hurdles, Men’s 110m Hurdles.
- Finals: Women’s 5000m Race Walk, Men’s 2000m Steeplechase, Women’s 3000m, Men’s Triple Jump, Women’s Javelin.
- Evening Session:
- Decathlon Events: Javelin Throw and the final 1500m.
- Finals: Women’s High Jump, Women’s Pole Vault, Men’s & Women’s 400m Hurdles, Men’s 1500m, Women’s 800m, Men’s Shot Put, Men’s 110m Hurdles, Women’s 100m Hurdles, and the Medley Relay Finals.
## How to Watch
The championships are being streamed live via the official European Athletics website and their dedicated live platforms.
Starters for the 2026 European Athletics U18 Championships
With over 1,100 athletes competing in Rieti, several standout junior competitors entered the 2026 European Athletics U18 Championships holding the top Season’s Bests (SB) and European U18 leading marks.
Here are the headline athletes who arrived at the championships with the most dominant season metrics in their respective events:
## Sprints & Hurdles
- Dylan Telo (France) — Men’s 100m / 200m
- Season Best: 10.29s
- The Buzz: Telo leads the continental U18 entry list in the 100m and is the heavy gold-medal favorite in the straight sprint while doubling up for a 200m medal push.
- Carolina-Andreea Pungă (Romania) — Women’s 100m
- Season Best: 11.36s
- The Buzz: Pungă sits right at the top of the women’s 100m seasonal ranks, setting up a massive showdown with Italian home-favorite Kelly Doualla.
- Alessia Succo (Italy) — Women’s 100m Hurdles
- Season Best / European U18 Best: 12.86s
- The Buzz: Running on home soil, Succo shares the co-holding European U18 record in this event and comes into the tournament as the hurdles athlete to beat.
- Linda Botková (Czechia) — Women’s 400m Hurdles
- Season Best Accent: Clocked a blistering 39.35s in the 300m hurdles right before the tournament.
- The Buzz: The 16-year-old is heavily tipped to keep the U18 European crown in Czech hands following their 2024 victory.
## Field & Middle Distance
- Jere Murto (Finland) — Men’s Javelin Throw
- Season Best: 80.24m (with the 700g youth javelin)
- The Buzz: Murto is a spectacular multi-discipline thrower (boasting a 56.16m Discus and 71.00m Hammer PB), but he is the undisputed European U18 leader in the Javelin, which he is concentrating on here.
- Tito Odunaike (Great Britain) — Men’s Triple Jump
- Season Best: 16.19m
- The Buzz: Odunaike is so advanced for his age that he has already claimed a British senior indoor national title. He leads the U18 field by a comfortable margin.
- Živa Remic (Slovenia) — Women’s 800m
- Season Best advantage: Nearly 5 full seconds ahead of the nearest competitor on paper.
- The Buzz: Remic dominates the mid-distance entry list and looks poised to control the pace from the heats all the way to the final.
## Distance & Multi-Events
- Federico Giardiello (Italy) — Men’s 1500m
- Season Best: 3:45.73
- The Buzz: Giardiello leads the entries for the metric mile, carrying tremendous pressure and excitement from the home Italian crowd at the Stadio Raul Guidobaldi.
The Fédération Luxembourgeoise d’Athlétisme (FLA) has officially selected two athletes to represent Luxembourg at the 2026 European Athletics U18 Championships in Rieti, Italy.
Both competitors are featuring in the hurdles events:
## Team Luxembourg Startlist
| Athlete | Event | Club (Luxembourg) |
| Daniel Straub | Men’s 110m Hurdles | CSL (Cercle d’Athlétisme Sparta Belvaux / Luxembourg) |
| Oscar Husting | Men’s 400m Hurdles | FOLA (Cercle Athlétique Fola Esch) |
Results Team Luxembourg European Athletics U18 Championships
| # | Heat (Res.) | Name / Nat. / Birth | Mark | Wind |
| 37 | 1 (8) | Daniel Straub LUX DOB : 2009-03-20 | 14.38 | +0.1 m/s |
| 31 | 5 (7) | Oscar Husting LUX DOB : 2009 | 55.32 (PB) |
## When to Watch Them (Schedule)
- Daniel Straub (110m Hurdles): The heats are scheduled for the morning session of Saturday, July 18, with the semifinals and finals taking place on Sunday, July 19.
- Oscar Husting (400m Hurdles): The opening qualification rounds take place during the morning session of Friday, July 17, leading into the final rounds on Sunday, July 19.
You can follow their live heat assignments, start times, and live-streamed races directly through the official European Athletics Live Platform or the FLA website.
