Double Gold for Greece, Senior Glory for Croatia at 2026 Balkan Jumping Championships

The 2026 Balkan Jumping Championships came to a successful conclusion on Sunday 13 September at Ippos Club in Thessaloniki, Greece, bringing together around 200 riders and horses from nine Balkan nations for four days of competition across the Children, Juniors, Young Riders, Seniors and Ladies categories.

Hosted for the first time at Ippos Club by the Hellenic Equestrian Federation, together with the Ippos Club, the Championships returned to Greece after three years and provided a week of high-level competition, athlete development and opportunities to strengthen equestrian sport across the region. Thessaloniki has a long history with the Balkan Championships, having previously hosted the event in 1993 and 2002.

With individual and team titles at stake, riders competed over four rounds before the individual champions were decided on the final day. The Championships also featured a Pony competition alongside the main programme. The competition was conducted under FEI rules, with riders and horses competing across heights ranging from 115cm in the Children’s category to 145cm for the Seniors’ final.
 

Greece Leads the Way in the Team Competitions
The host nation enjoyed a particularly successful Championship, securing gold medals in both the Ladies and Children’s Team Competitions.

Greece opened its team medal count with victory in the Ladies’ Team Competition. Katerina Doubodel and Cash de la Hart, Demi Inglesi and Dinka de Chalusse, Marianna Marinopoulou and Copper de Caryan, and Argyro Papageorgiou and Harmony completed the two rounds on a total of 16 penalties to take gold. Türkiye claimed silver, with Bulgaria taking bronze.

Greece then added a second team gold in the Children’s Competition. Myrto Spentzou and Rebel, Elisavet Anastasiadou and Spider 28, Antonis Giatzoglou and Hellia du Ruisseau, and Alia Kourkoumeli and Helia de Latour produced two excellent rounds without a single penalty point. Romania finished second on two penalties, while Türkiye took bronze on 12.

Romania claimed the Juniors’ Team Championship with a perfect score of zero penalties. Türkiye finished second on eight penalties, while Bulgaria took bronze with 12 penalties.

Türkiye secured the Young Riders’ Team title after finishing the two rounds on 16 penalties. Romania took silver, while Greece claimed bronze.

In the Seniors’ Team Competition, Croatia took gold with just four penalties over the two rounds. The Croatian team included three U25 riders - Lea Djelmic with Flyer, Josipa Koletic with Quomedie Fetiche Z and Lucija Arleta Šestan with A Caranka W Z, alongside Andrija Hrgovic and Rasall van de Blinkhoeve. Romania finished second and Türkiye third.

Individual Titles Decided in Thrilling Finals
The final day saw five individual champions crowned, with closely fought competitions culminating in jump-offs for the Ladies’ and Children’s titles.

In the Ladies’ Individual Competition, Greece secured a one-two finish. Demi Inglesi and Dinka de Chalusse claimed the gold medal after a three-way jump-off, with all three finalists carrying penalties from the three days of competition. Inglesi finished on four penalties in the jump-off and recorded the fastest time of 36.76 seconds. Katerina Doubodel and Cash de la Hart also finished on four penalties, taking silver in 41.12 seconds, while Türkiye’s Zeynep Aba and Gigi took bronze with eight.

Greece also took gold in the Children’s competition, with Myrto Spentzou and Rebel the only combination to complete the four rounds and jump-off on zero penalties. Romania’s Emma Alexandra Baltac and Chairsil took silver on four penalties in the jump-off, while Türkiye’s Moustafa Ali Altay and Fieldmaster finished third on eight.

The Young Riders’ title went to Romania’s Octavia Illisoi and Melrin van t Heike, who finished on 2.2 penalties. Türkiye’s Duru Ayan and Izabelle took silver with 13 penalties, while Bulgaria’s Ivana Angelova and Intro-K Van'T Kattenheye Z claimed bronze on 16.

In the Seniors’ Individual Competition, Croatia’s Josipa Koletic and Quomedie Fetiche Z were crowned Balkan Champions on 4.4 penalties. Constantin Cojocariu and Caroly took silver on five penalties, with Croatia’s Andrija Hrgovic and Rasall van de Blinkhoeve also finishing on five to claim bronze. Greece’s Panagiotis Tsaktiris and Orienta finished fourth on 7.3 penalties, before going on to claim victory in the day’s Grand Prix with the fastest clear round in the jump-off.

For Koletic, the victory was particularly meaningful after starting the final competition in third position.

“To be honest, I didn’t expect it, as I started the final competition in third place. But I am extremely happy with the result, and it feels like a dream of mine has come true. I think these days at Ippos Club have been a great success for us, especially after winning both gold medals.”

The Croatian rider had already contributed to her country's Senior Team gold before adding the individual title, making it a particularly successful Championship for both Koletic and the Croatian team.

The Juniors’ Individual Competition was won by Türkiye’s Ada Serif Sandalli and Conbaro, ahead of Romania’s Horia Butuza and Kannada du Chateau and Bulgaria’s Daria Cholakova and Don Fettie.

Strong performances across the region
The results highlighted the depth of talent across the region, with individual medals shared among several nations and four different countries taking team gold across the five categories. Croatia’s Senior team victory was particularly notable, with three of its four riders aged under 25, while Greece combined its team success with individual gold in both the Ladies’ and Children’s categories.

The Championship also provided valuable international experience for younger athletes competing alongside established riders, underlining the role of the Balkan Championships as an important development platform for the region.

The event was attended by representatives from the sporting and local authorities, including Konstantinos Gkioulekas, Minister of Macedonia and Thrace, and Kyriaki Giannakidou, Deputy Mayor of Thessaloniki, who presented prizes and medals during the final day.

Looking Ahead to 2027
The 2026 Balkan Jumping Championships also provided an opportunity for the Balkan Equestrian Council to look ahead to the future development of equestrian sport across the region.

During the annual BEC meeting held at Ippos Club, representatives of the Balkan Equestrian Federations confirmed the hosts for the 2027 Balkan Championships. Romania will host the 2027 Balkan Jumping Championships, while Croatia will host Dressage, Greece Endurance and Romania Driving. The venue and dates for the 2027 Jumping Championships will be announced in due course.

As the Balkan flag was handed over from Greece to Romania, the 2026 Championships closed with a strong demonstration of the competition, collaboration and developing talent that continue to make the Balkan Championships an important part of the European equestrian calendar.

Full results from the 2026 Balkan Jumping Championships are available here.

About the Balkan Championships
With more than 60 years of tradition, the Balkan Equestrian Championships represent the premier competitive platform for equestrian sport across 12 nations in Southeast Europe. Organised under the umbrella of the European Equestrian Federation, the championships cover multiple disciplines—including jumping, dressage, endurance, and driving—and provide a vital pathway for athletes progressing to international competition.