Croatia’s Sara Kolak has won the gold medal in the women’s javelin throw at the 2026 European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, while Serbia’s Adriana Vilagoš claimed bronze, giving the region two places on the podium in one of the highlights of the final day of competition.
For Sara Kolak, the victory represents a remarkable return to the top of the European podium. Born in Ludbreg in 1995, the 31-year-old Croatian is already an Olympic champion, having famously won javelin gold at the Rio 2016 Olympics with a national-record throw of 66.18m. She also holds Croatia’s national record at 68.43m, set in 2017.
Her Birmingham triumph comes almost exactly a decade after her breakthrough Olympic victory and adds a European title to a career that has been interrupted by significant injuries. Kolak underwent elbow surgery following the 2017 World Championships and spent considerable time recovering before returning to the international stage. She later finished fourth at the 2024 Paris Olympics, showing that she remained capable of competing at the highest level.
For Adriana Vilagoš the bronze is another major step in what has already been an extraordinary career at just 22 years old. Born in Vrbas, Vilagoš has established herself as one of the world’s leading young javelin throwers. She is a two-time European Championships silver medallist, a two-time world U20 champion and the reigning European U23 champion. Her personal best of 67.22m, set in Split in 2025, is also the Serbian national record.
Vilagoš first made a name for herself internationally as a teenager. In 2021, she became world U20 champion, before successfully defending the title in 2022. She also won European U20 gold in 2023 and European U23 gold in 2025, while her two senior European silver medals came in 2022 and 2024.
The Birmingham podium therefore brought together two generations of exceptional Balkan javelin talent: an Olympic champion from Croatia who has returned to the top after a decade, and one of Serbia’s brightest young stars who is steadily turning her junior dominance into senior success. It is also another reminder of the strength of athletics in the region. Croatia and Serbia have repeatedly produced world-class athletes despite their relatively small populations, and seeing their athletes share a European podium is a particularly strong moment for Balkan sport.
