Mountain biking made its European Youth Olympic Festival debut in style on Day Three in Maribor.
Included in the games for the first time, the girls’ cross-country race at the Bike Park Pohorje ended in thrilling fashion as Anja Grossman (SUI) won the gold medal for Switzerland.
After four laps of the course, which has previously held World Cups and European Championships, Grossman finished just two seconds ahead of France’s Lise Revol (FRA) with a time of 48:46, while Slovenia’s Marusa Tereza Serkezi (SLO) came third in front of a large home crowd on the hill.
Wet weather the day before made for tricky conditions on the track and it was Czechia’s Krystof Bzanat (CZK) who finished first in the boys’ race, ahead of Elias Hueckmann (GER) and Valentin Hofer (AUT).
Italy remain top of the medal table in Slovenia as they won three gold medals, one in the girls’ team gymnastics competition and two in the swimming pool. Carlos D’Ambrosio (ITA) won the boys’ 100m freestyle and was then part of the Italian team who won the boys’ 4x100m freestyle relay.
Great Britain was victorious in the girls’ 4x100m freestyle relay, while there were gold medals for Tuncer Berk Erturk (TUR), Kay Lyn Loehr (SUI) and Robert Andrei Badea (ROU). Germany’s Helen Kevric (GER) took home the only other gold on offer in the gymnastics on Wednesday in the girls’ all round event.
Six sets of medals were on offer at the Poljane Athletics Stadium, where Yanis Vanlanduyt (FRA) won the 800m, just beating Slovenia’s Zan Ogrinc (SLO), who was only half a second away from winning the hosts’ first gold of the games.
Norway were the big winners at the track with Kristian Braathen Boerve (NOR) winning the boys’ 1500m and Helene Mariel Ramslien (NOR) the girls’ discus throw. Both 400m competitions came to a close with Anastazja Kus (POL) and Ondrej Loupal (CZE) winning gold, while Austria’s Magdalena Rauter (AUT) jumped highest in the girls’ pole vault.
A pair of successes for Azerbaijan headlined the second day of judo action. Vusala Hajiyeva (AZE) won the girls’ under 48kg and her victory was quickly followed by compatriot Khadizha Gadashova (AZE) in the under 52kg. The two boys’ gold medals went to Tudor Mosoi (ROU) and Mate Gvelesiani (GEO). During the medal ceremony, Gvelesiani showed wonderful respect to his opponent Croatia’s Luka Katic (CRO). Katic decided not to fight in the final due to a knee injury but was carried to the podium by Gvelesiani to collect his medal.
The skateboarding, a new sport at the EYOF, began on Wednesday, and after wet weather forced the 3×3 basketball inside on Tuesday, it was able to be played back outside in the Leon Štukelj Square. The Slovenia’s girls team won both their games and put on an impressive performance to win against Estonia in overtime under the watchful eye of President of Slovenia Nataša Pirc Musar having tied the game in the final seconds of fulltime.
Tennis continued with the quarter-final line-ups confirmed ahead of today’s action, while the volleyball and handball preliminary stages both drew to a close following three days of games with the semi-finals set to be played on Friday.
