The Belgrade Indoor Meeting, the second stop on the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold, will showcase some of the sport's top stars on Wednesday, January 29. Among the headliners are Greece's long jump icon Miltiadis Tentoglou, Serbia's rising high jump sensation Angelina Topic, and American sprint powerhouse Ronnie Baker.
Men’s Long Jump
Olympic, world, and European champion Miltiadis Tentoglou returns to Belgrade, the venue of his first World Indoor gold medal in 2022, where he set his indoor personal best of 8.55m. Tentoglou also triumphed at the Belgrade Indoor Grand Prix that same year with a leap of 8.25m.
The Greek star boasts an incredible career record, with 15 gold medals and two silvers from major international championships, including back-to-back Olympic titles in Tokyo 2021 and Paris 2024. His achievements also feature the world outdoor title in Budapest 2023, world indoor titles in Belgrade 2022 and Glasgow 2024, and six European titles across indoor and outdoor events.
Tentoglou shared his enthusiasm ahead of the event:
"The World Indoor Championships in Belgrade 2022 remains one of my favorite competitions. It’s where I achieved my indoor personal best. This time, I’m excited to kick off my season here and aim for something extraordinary."
Tentoglou will renew his rivalry with Sweden’s Tobias Montler, who finished runner-up to him at both the Belgrade Indoor Grand Prix and the World Indoor Championships in 2022. The field also includes Croatia’s Roko Farkas, the world U20 champion; Filip Pravdica, who set a Croatian record of 8.35m last year; and Spain’s Lester Lescay, who recently won in Astana with a 7.91m jump.
Women’s High Jump
Serbian high jumper Angelina Topic will thrill the home crowd as she competes in the women’s high jump. Last year, Topic placed fifth at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow with 1.92m and secured a silver medal at the European Outdoor Championships in Rome with 1.97m, adding to her European bronze medal from Munich 2022. Despite an ankle injury during the Paris 2024 Olympics, she rebounded to win the world U20 gold medal in Lima.
Topic set a Serbian record of 1.98m at the Marrakesh Diamond League, equaling the mark later in Paris. She started her indoor season with a win in Belgrade last December, clearing 1.90m, and looks to extend her winning streak in front of an enthusiastic home audience.
The competition will also feature the Netherlands’ Britt Weerman, European indoor silver medalist in Istanbul 2023 and Dutch record holder with 1.96m, as well as Kateryna Tabashnyk of Ukraine, Michaela Hruba of the Czech Republic, and Montenegro’s Marija Vukovic.
Women’s 60 Metres Hurdles
Polish hurdler Pia Skrzyszowska, the reigning European outdoor champion, will headline the women’s 60m hurdles. Skrzyszowska, who holds a personal best of 7.79, aims to build on her success as she starts her 2025 season.
"Belgrade will be my first race of the season, and I’m excited to see what I can achieve. Improving my personal bests is my main goal this year," she said.
Her rivals include Nadine Visser of the Netherlands, a two-time European indoor champion; Reetta Hurske of Finland, the reigning European indoor champion; and Sarah Lavin of Ireland, who finished fifth at the Glasgow 2024 World Indoor Championships.
Men’s 60 Metres
Ronnie Baker will headline the men’s 60m in Belgrade. The American, who is third on the all-time list with a personal best of 6.40, has broken the 6.50 barrier ten times in his career. He is a former World Indoor Tour champion and NCAA 100m champion, with a 100m best of 9.83.
Baker faces stiff competition from Italy’s Samuele Ceccarelli, the European indoor champion; Oman’s Ali Anwar Al Balushi, runner-up at the Astana Indoor meeting; and Sweden’s Henrik Larsson, the European indoor bronze medalist.
Women’s 60 Metres
Italian record-holder Zaynab Dosso will face Switzerland’s Ajla Del Ponte and Australia’s rising star Torrie Lewis. Dosso, who won World Indoor bronze in Glasgow 2024, aims to continue her strong form after setting the Italian 100m record at 11.01 last year. Del Ponte, a former European indoor champion, is making her return after battling injuries, while Lewis, a Diamond League winner, seeks to add another milestone to her young career.
Women’s 800 Metres
South Africa’s Prudence Sekgodiso headlines the women’s 800m. Sekgodiso had a breakthrough year in 2024, winning Diamond League races in Marrakesh and Oslo and finishing eighth in the Paris Olympic final.
Men’s 1500 Metres
Local favorite Elzan Bibic will compete in the men’s 1500m. Bibic, the European indoor bronze medalist from Istanbul 2023, hopes to inspire the Belgrade crowd with a strong performance. He set his 3000m personal best of 7:38.65 last year and looks to continue his momentum in 2025.