After a magical Opening Ceremony last night, the 16^th Summer European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) Banska Bystrica 2022 got off to a flying start yesterday with action in 7 of the 10 sports, and the first medals of the week awarded in swimming and athletics.

EOC President Spyros Capralos was in attendance, together with Ligue Européenne de Natation (LEN) President Antonio da Silva, at the Sports Park venue for the girls and boys 400m medley finals, which had the crowd on their feet cheering on the young stars. In the boys’ medley, Turkey’s Tolga Temiz took gold in a thrilling race, pipping Italy’s Filippo Bertoni by 0.03 of a second. Arne Schubert of Germany was in close pursuit, claiming bronze with a time of 3:53.21.

In the girls’ medley, Tamra Elekes of Hungary showed her exciting potential with an outstanding time of 4:52.69 to take gold. Her closest rivals were both just over two seconds behind her, with Martine Damborg of Denmark winning silver, and Noelle Benkler of Germany securing her country’s second bronze of the evening.

After awarding the first medals of the week, EOC President Spyros Capralos said, “It has been an exhilarating first day of sport here in Banska Bystrica, with our young athletes showcasing their potential for future stardom! The finals of the swimming this evening have set the benchmark in terms of excitement and I was delighted to award the three girls medallists at the excellent Sports Park venue. The organising committee is doing an outstanding job in giving athletes a first-class experience on and off the field of play, which will be invaluable as they progress in their careers. A great first day, and much more to come!”

After a busy day of track and field, action at the Sports Park culminated in the 5,000m boys race walk. The three medallists all secured personal bests, with Spain’s Daniel Monfort winning his country’s first gold of the week with an impressive time of 21:22.02. Germany’s Nick Joel Richardt was 40 seconds behind him with a time of 22:02.70, claiming silver by just 0.01 seconds, with Matteo Arisi from Italy winning bronze.

Swimming and athletics both had heats throughout the day, with more medal events set to take place tomorrow. Meanwhile, group stage action began in badminton, and the first round of boys, girls, and mixed doubles tennis commenced. Slovakia’s Renata Jamrichova was in dominant form in both her mixed doubles and singles matches, giving the host country medal hopes on the clay courts.

Basketball, handball, and volleyball group stage matches also got underway, with the finals set to take place on the final day of action on 30 July. Make sure to stay up to date with all the action via the EOC social channels, and via the livestream of events on the EOC Channel!