Vita Barbić cruises into U-20 World Championship final, chasing her first world medal on Sunday
The two-time European champion threw 56.29 meters in qualifying and will be the main favorite for gold in Eugene.
The two-time European champion threw 56.29 meters in qualifying and will be the main favorite for gold in Eugene.
Croatian athlete Vita Barbić has secured her place in the final of the U-20 World Championships in Eugene in the javelin throw. She surpassed the qualifying standard of 52.50 meters in her second attempt with a throw of 56.29 meters, which was also the best result among all qualifiers.
The two-time European champion, who broke the 60-meter barrier for the first time in her career this season, enters the final with high ambitions. The final is scheduled for Sunday, August 9, 2026, at 10:46 PM Croatian time.
Barbić arrived in Eugene with the second-best season entry result (60.97 m). Only Egyptian Aseel Osama Abdel Hamid had a better entry mark, also registering 60.97 meters. The Egyptian secured her final spot in the first qualifying round with a throw of 55.89 meters.
Three other throwers also surpassed the standard on Friday: Taiwan's Yu-Chin Tai (53.91 m), Japan's Ayaka Suzuki (53.13 m), and American Emily Harbach (52.98 m). However, Barbić and Abdel Hamid stand out from the rest of the competition, and they are expected to battle for gold.
Alongside Barbić, Lina Filipović also competed in qualifying, but her only valid throw of 46.37 meters in the second round was only enough for 23rd place among 27 throwers.
Four other Croatian representatives competed on the third day of competition, but none advanced to the final. Jana Bujan finished 52nd in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 14.32 seconds. In the 200 meters, Nina Vrdoljak (24.21 s) was 57th, and Nevia Fotak (24.31 s) was 52nd among 75 athletes. In the men's 200 meters, Mihael Bartolinčić (21.23 s) finished 37th.
Vita Barbić already holds two European titles in younger categories, the U-18 and U-19. Two years ago at the U-20 World Championships in Peru, she finished fourth, and now in Eugene she is chasing her first world medal. Given her form in qualifying and her season's best of 60.97 meters, the Croatian thrower enters the final as one of the two main favorites.
