A total of 141 athletes from 10 countries competed at the Balkan Cross Country Championships, held in the town of Koynare, near Pleven, Bulgaria. As the top finisher in the standings in the last three championships, Turkey once again claimed first place overall this year.
The largely flat Koynare course presented several challenging obstacles, including an artificial mound, a log barrier and muddy pools. Bulgaria secured the gold medal in the men’s race. Ivo Balabanov, who ended his country’s 34-year wait for a championship victory in 2023, brought Bulgaria its second title. The 29-year-old completed the 10-kilometre course eleven seconds ahead of Turkish runner Ömer Amaçtan. Balabanov pulled away from Amaçtan during the final lap, securing Bulgaria’s 40th gold medal in the history of the championships.
In the elite women’s 8-kilometre race, Ukrainian Ivanna Chereshnyovska, making her debut at the championships, claimed the gold medal. The 25-year-old began building her lead from the third lap and won by 22 seconds, crossing the finish line in 29 minutes and 49 seconds.
Devora Avramova, who had hoped to secure Bulgaria’s first women’s victory in 52 years at the home championships, once again had to settle for second place. After finishing as Balkan runner-up twice, Avramova claimed silver for the third time. Turkey's Sümeyye Erol, the two-time defending champion, started strongly but couldn't match Chereshnyovska’s pace in the closing stages. She finished third, half a minute behind the winner. With three athletes finishing in the top six, Turkey secured the elite women’s team title for the fourth consecutive year.
In the men’s U23 race, Serbia’s Nikola Mijailovic beat a strong Turkish field to win. Mijailovic, who delivered one of Serbia’s two individual titles across the six categories, defeated Turkey’s Ali Tunç, who had won the U20 title for the previous three years before moving up to the U23 category this season.
The women’s U23 gold medal went to Romania’s Mihaela Blaga, who crossed the finish line in 22:41. Having previously won bronze in the junior category at the Balkan Cross three years ago, Blaga now reached the top of the podium.
Turkish dominance in recent years continued in the U20 women’s category. Elif Naz Köseoğlu won the individual race, while two other 16-year-old Turkish athletes, Ayten Yobaş and Elif Çelik, completed an all-Turkish podium. Türkiye also claimed the team trophy in this age group for the eighth time in the last nine championships since 2015.
Serbia’s Aldin Catovic finally reached the top of the podium on his fourth attempt in the men’s U20 race. Competing in the junior category for the final time, Catovic had previously lost to Ali Tunç three times. This year, however, he secured a convincing victory, finishing 24 seconds ahead of runner-up Tudor Margasoui of Romania to claim his first Balkan Cross Country title.
