It has been a brilliant outdoor season for Türkiye’s Eda Tugsuz and on Saturday in Castellon, she will look for one more, mighty javelin throw to seal her summer.
Tugsuz is at the forefront of a strong Fenerbahce Sport Club women’s team aiming to defend their title at the European Champion Clubs Cup Track and Field Juniors Group A.
A year ago in Istanbul, there were celebrations at home for Fenerbahce who won the women’s crown with 113 points from Sparta (108) and Blackheath & Bromley Harriers AC (101.50) and the top three are among the eight teams who will be chasing glory again.
In that victory, Tugsuz won with 44.01m from Iveta Mocharova (41.45m), of the Czech Republic’s AK Olymp Brno, and at the Gaeta Huguet Sports Complex, the pair will duel once more.
But this year Tugsuz has taken her achievements to a new level by winning bronze at the IAAF World Under-20 Championships in Bydgoszcz.
That championship saw a golden celebration for hosts Poland in the shot put with Konrad Bukowiecki and he will double up on Saturday competing for home club Playas de Castellon. He will take part in the discus aswell as the shot put.
Like the Fenerbahce women, Castellon are the defending champions having beaten the Turkish side’s men last year with 117 points to 104 and included in the opposition they face this time is Atletica Vicentina Club, who were promoted as Group B champions.
Leiria once more stages Group B on Saturday and in the women’s competition, Juventude Vidigalense will represent hosts Portugal while Ireland’s Sli Cualann AC return determined to go that little bit further and earn promotion.
In 2015, as PAC won the event for the Netherlands with 71 points, Cualann finished third, just five points behind.
Czech club TJ Sokol Opava and Slovenia's AD Mass Ljubljana were relegated from the men’s Group A last year and they will be out to make an instant return in a match where one of the standout performances is set to come from Belarusian hammer thrower Yan Maiseyenka, competing for Hapoel Leader Jerusalem. Using the 6kg device, he achieved a personal best of 67.45m in Brest in June and should bank maximum points.
GROUP A TEAMS - CASTELLON
Men: Playas de Castellon (ESP), Audentes Sports Club (EST), Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers (GBR), Atletica Vicentina Club (ITA), Nike Klaipeda (LTU), Sport Lisboa e Benfica (POR), COA Lausanne-Riviera (SUI), Fenerbahce Sport Club (TUR).
Women: AK Olymp Brno (CZE), Sparta AM (DEN), Playas de Castellon (ESP), Blackheath & Bromley Harriers AC (GBR), Atletica Bergamo 1959 Creberg (ITA), Leiden Atletiek (NED), LAS Old Boys Basel (SUI), Fenerbahce Sport Club (TUR).
GROUP B TEAMS - LEIRIA
Men: TJ Sokol Opava (CZE), Sparta AM (DEN), Kifissia Athletic Club (GRE), Leeval AC (IRL), Hapoel Leader Jerusalem (ISR), Mornar-Bar (MNE), PAC (NED), AD Mass Ljubljana (SLO), SK SOG Nitra (SVK).
Women: Audentes Sports Club (EST), Tampereen Pyrinto (FIN), Sli Cualann AC (IRL), Nike Klaipeda (LTU), Juventude Vidigalense (POR), AD Mass Ljubljana (SLO), AK Crvena Zvezda (SRB), SOG Nitra (SVK).