European Athletics (EAA) – News – Terzić leads Serbian one-two in Belgrade

Making that step from junior to senior level can always be tricky but Serbian Amela Terzić looks like she will make the transition in style.

Terzić gave Serbia much to smile about at the weekend as she led a one-two at the European Athletics Cross Country Permit meeting in Belgrade ahead of Sonja Stolić.

And even now the excitement will build towards the Spar European Cross Country Championships in the city in December when she could be one of the stars of the event.

Celebrating her 20th birthday on January 2, Terzić has quite a record behind her even at this young age.

At the European Athletics Junior Championships in Tallinn in 2011, she achieved a brilliant double with victory in the 1500m in 4:20.73 and the 3000m in 9:30.23.

After that finishing third at the SPAR European Cross Championships later in the year in Velenje, she made the junior title her own in Budapest last December when she won in 13:29.
Now a senior but still in command as she triumphed in Belgrade in 10:12, eight seconds ahead of Stolić, 32, with 28-year-old Sladjana Perunović, of Montenegro, third in 10:59.

It says much about her confidence to win by that amount against more experienced athletes.
Sport can so often be about the smallest of fractions making a difference and that was definitely the case as Hungary's Barnabás Bene won the men's race.

Bene took the 8km race in 25.37, beating Bulgarian Mitko Tsenov by just a second with Hungarian Sándor Szabó third in 25:46.

A field of 50 runners completed the race but Bene had enough to triumph in the blink of an eyelid.

Bene has always been a consistent performer on the international stage since winning the SPAR European Cross Country Championships' junior title in 2004 and 2005 and the under-23 crown the following year and this victory was another good one to add to his list.

European Athletics (EAA) – News