Join the Excitement: Tentoglou and Baker Headline Belgrade Showdown | World Athletics Preview

The Belgrade Indoor Meeting kicks off on Wednesday, where some of athletics’ brightest stars will compete. Among them are Angelina Topic, Miltiadis Tentoglou from Greece, and Ronnie Baker from the USA. This event is part of the prestigious World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold.

Belgrade is known as a favorite spot for Tentoglou. He snagged his first world indoor long jump title there in 2022, and he also won the Belgrade Indoor Meeting that year. Since then, he has added another world indoor title, a world outdoor title, and even a second Olympic gold to his achievements. This year, he aims for more success, targeting two world titles—one indoors in Nanjing in March and another outdoors in Tokyo in September. Tentoglou is eager to start this journey strong on Wednesday.

In the long jump, Tentoglou will face tough competition, including Sweden’s Thobias Montler, who he beat in Belgrade during 2022. Also joining the lineup are Croatia’s Roko Farkas and Filip Pravdica, as well as Cuba’s Lester Lescay, who recently won in Astana.

Meanwhile, 19-year-old Angelina Topic, another rising star, will also be in action. She secured a victory in Belgrade last December and is looking to continue that momentum. Topic recently set a Serbian record of 1.98m at the Wanda Diamond League in Marrakech and matched it in Paris. Although she had to withdraw from the Olympic final due to injury, she quickly bounced back to win the world U20 title in Lima.

In addition to Topic, the women’s high jump will see competition from European indoor silver and bronze medallists Britt Weerman and Kateryna Tabashnyk, along with Michaela Hruba and Marija Vukovic.

In the men’s shot put, Poland’s Konrad Bukowiecki, USA’s Roger Steen, and local hero Asmir Kolasinac will compete. This meeting is particularly special for Kolasinac, a four-time Olympian, as it marks his farewell competition.

On the track, the men’s 60m promises excitement with USA’s Ronnie Baker leading the charge. Baker is one of the fastest 60m sprinters ever, with a personal best of 6.40 seconds. He won the overall men’s 60m title in the World Indoor Tour in 2020 and is set to face strong contenders like Italy’s Samuele Ceccarelli and Oman’s Ali Anwar Al-Balushi, along with Henrik Larsson, Jan Volko, and Demek Kemp.

The women’s 60m will showcase Italy’s Zaynab Dosso, a world indoor bronze medallist. She made headlines last February by setting a national record of 7.02 seconds in Torun before winning a bronze at the European Championships in Rome. She will compete against Switzerland’s Ajla Del Ponte and Australia’s Torrie Lewis, who is making her indoor debut after a successful outdoor season.

The women’s 60m hurdles will feature a talented group, including Poland’s Pia Skrzyszowska, Nadine Visser from the Netherlands, Finland’s Reetta Hurske, and Ireland’s Sarah Lavin. Additionally, South Africa’s Prudence Sekgodiso is set to lead the field in the 800m, while home favorite Elzan Bibic will race in the 1500m.