More than 160 athletes will head to Zagreb for one of the most popular events on the Junior calendar, as racing returns to the Croatian capital for another weekend of Junior competition.
A change to last year’s format has brought increased interest in the event, with the super-sprint format seeing four semifinals for the junior men and two for the junior women. With more than 100 athletes entered in the junior men’s field, the racing promises to be fiercely contested, with athletes from a large number of nations represented across the semifinals.
Semifinal One
Romania’s Alexandru-Rares Popa will lead the athletes out in semifinal one, having claimed gold in the mixed relay in Izvorani. Popa is one of two Romanians in the field, with Rares Andrei Laiu starting in bib number four. Laiu was also part of the gold-medal-winning team in Izvorani.
Three athletes from the host nation will line up in the first semifinal. Vito Linarić will start in bib number three, with Patrik Dinjar in bib number five. Linarić, the youngest of the trio, is still searching for his first podium, but with a large field and home support behind him, he will have an opportunity to produce a strong result on home soil.
David Pakšec is the third Croatian in the semifinal and will start from bib number 14.
Hungary has a strong presence in Zagreb, with Sebestyén Pál Kendeh-Kirchknopf one of six Hungarian athletes competing in the event. He will start semifinal one having last raced in Jurmala, where he secured a top-20 finish.
Levente Szabó will be looking to build on a strong performance in Derry last week, where he finished inside the top ten in the junior race. András Deli starts just behind him in bib number seven, with Mihály Márton Szabó in bib number nine.
William Pridden rounds out the top ten starters in semifinal one. The Brit claimed bronze in Izvorani in July, securing the first international podium of his career.
Semifinal Two
Semifinal two features another strong cohort of Hungarian athletes alongside several home hopes.
Albania’s Thomas Greco has enjoyed an impressive start to his junior career this season, finishing inside the top ten in all three of his Junior Cup appearances so far.
Austria will be represented by Jakob Schwarhofer and David Winner. Schwarhofer raced in Derry last weekend, marking his return to competition after the Austrian Sprint Championships in June.
The large field also provides an opportunity for athletes to make their Junior Cup debuts. Belgium’s Lander Delbeke is among those making their first appearance in the competition.
Home athletes Juraj Janković, Neo Ćiković and Andrija Žic will be hoping to use the support of the Zagreb crowds to their advantage, with plenty of home support expected along the routes throughout the weekend.
Tian Denša returns to Zagreb after racing at the event last year and will be looking to improve on that performance. This will be his first Europe Junior Cup race of the 2026 season, although he enters the event with confidence after claiming silver at the Slovenian National Sprint Championships in August.
Fellow Slovenian Erik Hudovornik will start from bib number 29, with his most recent race coming in a weather-affected event in Moletai. He will be hoping to make the most of the semifinal-and-final format and earn the chance to race on both days.
North Macedonian Mario Brezovski arrives in Zagreb as the national champion after claiming the title two weeks ago. He will be hoping to carry that momentum into this weekend’s racing.
Semifinal Three
Ukraine’s Zakhar Tsivkovskyi will start semifinal three from bib number 55 after claiming bronze in Chisinau. Bulgarian Krasimir Georgiev starts immediately behind him in bib number 56.
Born in 2010, Georgiev will be making his first Junior Cup appearance in Zagreb, having made his international debut at the World Triathlon Development Cup in Vlasina Lake in July.
Croatia’s Konrad Kralj will also be looking to build on his recent performances after racing in Derry last weekend, continuing what has been a busy couple of weeks for the young athlete.
France will have three athletes on the start list, including Guillaume Bohnert, while Valentin Yvorra will line up in the fourth semifinal.
Britain’s Oliver Frary is another debutant this weekend, with the Brit joined by Germany’s Len Elsenbach, who will also make his first Junior Cup start. The pair will start from bibs 71 and 72 respectively.
Semifinal Four
Slovenia’s Maks Mori leads the athletes out in the fourth semifinal from bib number 80, with Mexico’s Pablo Joel Calderon Garcia starting immediately behind him in bib number 81.
Mori claimed gold at the Slovenian National Championships in August. The 2009-born athlete will be making his first Junior Cup appearance since Tiszaujvaros and will be looking to return to the competition with another strong performance.
For Croatia’s Jan Štefanac, Zagreb will be a familiar setting, with this weekend marking his fourth appearance at the event. Štefanac finished 20th last year and will be hoping that the change in format can help him progress into the finals and challenge among the leading athletes.
Hungary’s Csaba Izsák is one of the youngest athletes in the fourth semifinal. The 2010-born athlete will be joined by two other athletes from the same birth year: Belgium’s Pieterjan Cornelis and fellow Hungarian Barnabás Sobel.
With the super-sprint format adding another layer of intensity to the weekend, athletes will have little room for error in the semifinals. For those looking to progress, every position will count as the field battles for a place in the finals and another opportunity to race in Zagreb.
Junior Women’s Semi Final One
Serbians Maša Marković and Petra Vasilić lead out the first semifinal, with Marković returning to racing for the first time since claiming bronze at Vlasina Lake in July.
Léa Reviglio has enjoyed a strong season so far and will look to add to her medal tally this weekend after taking bronze in Wels and silver in Carole. The French athlete was also part of the bronze medal-winning team in the Mixed Junior Relay Championships in Elblag.
Leading out the first of the home athletes is Korina Juranić, who hasn’t raced since June but will hope the support of the home crowd can help her produce a strong performance on home soil.
Austria start with bibs eight, nine and ten. Verena Zehentmayr wears bib eight after claiming bronze in Tabor in July. Just behind her is Luisa Rohe, who finished fifth in Tabor and will look to continue her progress after improving on each of her results this season. Alessia De Haan returns to racing for the first time since Holten in July, but with a strong performance in Carole’s semifinal format back in May, she will be familiar with what awaits her this weekend.
Petra Bán will race in Zagreb looking to replicate the gold medal she claimed in Tabor. The Hungarian leads a strong contingent, with six other Hungarian athletes also on the start list this weekend.
Anja Bezlaj’s most recent medal came in Banyoles, where she claimed bronze in the Aquathlon Championships in July. She hasn’t raced since the Sprint Championships in Elblag. The Slovenian starts with bib six, just behind fellow Slovenian Lina Kreft. While Kreft has yet to race in a Europe Triathlon Cup event, she comes into the weekend as the reigning Slovenian National Champion.
Julija Brecelj is the youngest athlete on the start line, with the Slovenian, born in 2011, making her international debut in Zagreb. Lilou Jaquerod is another debutant this weekend, with the French athlete looking to make her mark on the European stage.
Semifinal Two
Mürya Karayel of Türkiye leads out the second group of athletes, having been part of the bronze medal-winning team in Izvorani. The Turkish athlete is the only representative from her country in the Junior Women’s race this weekend and will hope the semifinal-final format works in her favour.
Fresh from winning last week’s Junior race in Derry, Korinna Katona will be looking to build on a strong finish in Ireland. The Hungarian’s victory added to an impressive season that has already included several top-ten finishes on the Junior Cup calendar.
Hungary again have a strong presence in the second semifinal, with seven athletes on the start list. Among them is Zóra Filep, who raced in Jūrmala two weeks ago and narrowly missed out on the podium after finishing fourth.
Austria have four athletes racing, including Bettina Ecker, who starts in bib 43, and Marlies Cahunek in bib 44. Ecker finished just outside the top ten in her most recent race in Tabor and will be looking to add another podium to her tally as she continues her search for a first Junior Cup victory.
Bette Schwarz makes her Europe Triathlon Junior Cup debut this weekend. Her only previous international-level race came at last year’s German National Championships, where she finished inside the top 20. She is the only German athlete in the second semifinal but will hope to join fellow Germans Rebecca Adam and Lene Marlin Löwe in Sunday’s final.
Dariia Zadera is wasting no time getting into the Junior Cup action. Her first race came in Chisinau earlier in August, and she returns to the Junior Cup calendar this weekend in Zagreb, looking to build on that experience.
Semifinal live timings can be found here.
Final live timing can be found here.
Full start lists can be found here
Photo: Lea Subotić