Chisinau, Moldova, will host the next round of the Europe Triathlon Junior Cup, with more than 80 athletes heading to Moldova’s capital city in search of a place on the podium.
Junior Women
Twenty-nine athletes will line up for the Junior Women’s race, with Latvia’s Beate Jansone wearing bib number one. Jansone’s most recent medal came in June at the Baltic Championships in Aluksne, and she will be looking to add another podium finish to her season.
Starting just behind her in bib number two is Romania’s Raluca Vilcu, who was part of the gold-medal-winning Mixed Relay team in Izvorani last month. Vilcu also recorded a strong top-10 finish at the World Triathlon Development Cup Vlasina Lake.
Alice Ventre will also return to international racing after claiming bronze in the Junior Cup race in Izvorani. The Italian’s last race came in May in Carole, where she will be looking to build on her strong performances earlier in the season.
Andra Cinciulescu will get another opportunity to compete in a Junior Cup after making her debut in Izvorani last month. The Romanian, born in 2011, is one of five athletes from the 2011 age group competing in the Junior Women’s race. She will be joined by Lithuania’s Liepa Tamutyte, Türkiye’s Berra Çolak, Romania’s Madalina Giorcovici and Ukraine’s Dariia Zadera.
Vittoria Facco has also been away from racing since competing at her home event in Carole, where she finished inside the top 30. The Italian has already tasted Junior Cup success, claiming silver in Zagreb last August.
Junior Men
The Junior Men’s race will feature 55 athletes, with Ukraine’s Zakhar Tsivkovskyi starting with bib number one.
Tsivkovskyi has enjoyed a busy July, racing in both Banyoles and Elblag. He will be searching for his first medal of the season, with his best result so far coming at the Development Regional Cup Mamaia, where he finished eighth.
Lithuania’s Kristupas Jančius will start in bib number two after also racing in Elblag and Banyoles during July, including competing in the aquathlon in Banyoles.
Romania’s Rares Andrei Laiu will be another athlete to watch after being part of the gold-medal-winning Junior Mixed Relay team in Izvorani. The victory marked the first international medal of his career.
A large contingent of Israeli athletes will also make the trip to Chisinau, with 21 athletes set to take to the start line. The event provides an opportunity for the group to train and compete in a different location as they prepare for the final months of the season.
Five of the Israeli athletes were born in 2011, giving them the chance to gain valuable experience on the European stage, with some competing internationally for the first time.
Home hopes will rest on David Uja and Artur Banu, who will start with bib numbers 32 and 37 respectively.
Ukraine will also have a strong presence, with 11 athletes lining up in Moldova. Their start numbers range from two through to 60, highlighting the depth of the Ukrainian field and providing athletes across the age group with another opportunity to test themselves on the European stage.
With more than 80 athletes set to compete across the two races, Chisinau promises another competitive weekend of Junior Cup racing as the European season continues.
View full start lists here.
View live timings here.