Italy and Latvia claimed gold at the Junior Cup in Moldova, hosted in the capital, Chisinau.

Junior Women

Having won the Baltic Championships last month, Beate Jansone was keen to return to the top step of the podium. The Latvian started strongly, posting the fastest swim and quickest transition of the day to put herself in an excellent position heading onto the bike.

Jansone continued to extend her advantage on two wheels, recording the fastest bike split of the junior women’s race. Although she posted only the eighth-fastest run split, the strength of her swim and bike performances proved decisive as she crossed the finish line 18 seconds ahead of Italy’s Vittoria Facco.

Facco closed the gap during the run with the third-fastest split of the day, but the advantage Jansone had built earlier in the race was enough to secure the Latvian the gold medal in Chisinau.

The battle for the final podium places was much closer. Facco managed to hold off Estonia’s Evamaria Albert, who applied significant pressure during the run and crossed the line just two seconds behind the Italian.

Albert’s second-fastest run of the day saw her climb from seventh place out of T2 into the medal positions. Her strong finish earned the Estonian the bronze medal.

Junior Men

There was a second Italian on the podium in the junior races, with Giacomo Giorgini claiming gold in the Junior Men’s event.

Consistency proved key for Giorgini, who recorded the fastest transitions of the race and the second-fastest run split to secure his first podium of 2026. He moved into the lead during the bike and then kept the chasing pack at bay.

Israel’s Lior Hendroker produced the fastest run split of the day to put pressure on Giorgini during the final discipline. However, the gap created by the Italian’s efficient transitions and strong bike performance proved enough to keep him ahead and secure the victory.

The battle for second place was close, with Hendroker holding off Ukraine’s Zakhar Tsivkovskyi to claim silver. Tsivkovskyi also produced an impressive performance, recording the third-fastest run split of the day.

For Tsivkovskyi, the bronze medal marks his first podium on the European stage and provides a significant boost for the young Ukrainian, who was the youngest athlete on the podium.

Full results can be found here.