Sergej Martinović missing the final in Italy

Young Montenegrin national team member Sergej Martinović failed to qualify for the final of the 110-meter hurdles at the European Junior Championships (U18) in Rieti, Italy.

He finished 21st in the overall European ranking. He finished eighth in the third semi-final group with a time of 14 seconds, which earned him a very valuable 21st place in Europe in his debut appearance for the Montenegrin national team at the European Championships.

He ran 13,53 seconds in the qualifying round, which was the eighth result of that phase of the competition. It is also a new Montenegrin record in the 110-meter hurdles.

His coach Siniša Cik pointed out that the young Montenegrin national team player showed that he can compete on equal terms with the best European hurdlers.

"He had a great start in the semi-final race and after the first five hurdles he was in first place in his group. A small technical error disrupted his race rhythm, he lost his stride and failed to achieve the result for which he is fully prepared at this moment. Despite that, I am very pleased with his performance," said Cik.

He believes that Martinović has a great sports career ahead of him.

"I am sure that he will achieve better results year after year and that this is just the beginning of his great successes," emphasized coach Siniša Cik, under whose professional guidance Sergej trains in Zagreb.

The Athletics Federation congratulated Martinović on his performance at the European Championships, his coach Sinisa Cik, as well as coach Đorđe Radović from the Cetinje Athletics Club, who was among the first to recognize Sergej's potential.

"The new Montenegrin record, placement among the 21 best young hurdlers in Europe and a notable performance on the biggest European stage confirm that Sergej Martinović is one of the greatest talents in Montenegrin athletics. Ahead of him are years of sporting maturation, great international challenges and, without a doubt, many more successes with which he will proudly represent Montenegro at European and world competitions," the statement reads.