From August 9th to 11th, Turkey hosted the most prestigious triathlon event in Europe! The competition format was a semifinal/final. Ukraine fielded full teams in both relays: Maryna Kyryk, Daryna Moskalenko, Vitalii Vorontsov, Oleksii Astafiev Kulish, and Ivan Shevchenko for the elite; and Eva Soroka, Dana Soroka, Yurii Tiuitiunnyk, Fedir Bezlepkin, and Illia Honcharuk for the juniors. The event was also attended by Bogdan Mykhalus, President of the Ukrainian Triathlon Federation.

The first day saw the semifinals, where athletes vied for spots in Final A and Final B. The semifinals kicked off with the juniors. In the first women’s semifinal, Dana Soroka finished 13th, earning a spot in Final B. Eva Soroka competed in the third semifinal, securing eighth place, which qualified her for Final A.
Next up were the junior men. Illia Honcharuk finished 22nd in the first semifinal. Yurii Tiuitiunnyk placed 19th in the second race, with Fedir Bezlepkin coming in 23rd. All three were contenders for Final B, with Yurii successfully qualifying. Despite a strong effort, Fedir finished with the 62nd best time, missing the final by just four seconds, placing him as an alternate.
The first day of competition concluded with the elite semifinals. The women started the adult program, with Maryna Kyryk and Daryna Moskalenko competing in the third semifinal. Marina finished 15th, while Daryna came in 21st. Maryna advanced to Final B, while Daryna, with a 62nd place result, remained an alternate pending withdrawals.
In the men’s semifinals, Ivan Shevchenko finished 28th in the first race. Oleksii Astafiev Kulish took 22nd in the second, and Vitalii Vorontsov placed 11th in the third. Vitalii narrowly missed the cut for Final A by just 11 seconds but secured a spot in Final B, with Oleksii listed as an alternate.

Day two began with Final B for the juniors. Dana Soroka finished ninth, placing 39th overall in the European Championships. Yurii Tiuitiunnyk finished 28th in Final B, securing a 58th place finish overall.
In Final A, Eva Soroka faced off against top competition. Fanni Szalai and Manon Laporte broke away, with the Hungarian taking the win. Eva battled her way through the chase pack during the run, finishing a commendable 10th in Final A and earning 10th place overall in the European Championships.
In the junior rankings, the Soroka sisters both finished in the top 10. Dana ranked eighth, earning maximum points (5), while Eva returned to the top 10, securing ninth place.
In the elite women’s Final B, Maryna Kyryk and Daryna Moskalenko represented Ukraine. Three athletes withdrew from the final, and Daryna, racing with the lead pack, finished eighth, securing 38th place overall in the European Championships and marking her debut in the world rankings. Marina was forced to withdraw during the bike segment. Both athletes are preparing for the mixed relay.
Only one athlete withdrew from the men’s Final B. The swim segment split the field into two groups, with Vitalii Vorontsov finishing in the chase pack, placing 24th overall. Vitalii ranked 54th in the European Championships. Both Vitalii and Oleksii are preparing for the mixed relay.

The third day of competition began with the juniors, followed by the elite in the mixed relay. Last year, Ukrainian teams earned points in the world rankings in this discipline. Both the elite and junior teams scored points. The junior team was assigned the 15th starting number, and the elite team the 14th, based on last year’s results.
Fedir Bezlepkin led off the relay, passing the baton to Dana Soroka in the chase pack. Dana then handed off to Yurii Tiuitiunnyk, with Eva Soroka anchoring the team to a 15th place finish among juniors.
In the national federation rankings, Ukraine boasts three top junior men (Fedir Bezlepkin, Yurii T Tiuitiunnyk, and Illia Honcharuk) and three top junior women (Dana Soroka, Eva Soroka, and Sofiia Bondarenko), with their points contributing to the federation rankings alongside the relay results. Essential points come from the Junior European Championships, the Youth Championships, and the three best results from the European Cup. Ukrainian athletes have scored points in Izvorani and Chișinău. Following the European Championships in Balıkesir, Ukraine ranks 11th.

Among the elite, Vitalii Vorontsov started first. The men’s teams formed a lead group of 13, with Ukraine among them. Darina Moskalenko took over next, handing off to Oleksii Astafiev Kulish. During his segment, the lead group broke up, leaving four teams in the front. The Ukrainians held on in the chase pack, with Maryna Kyryk finishing the relay, bringing Ukraine to 14th place.
Both teams earned points in the World Triathlon Mixed Relay Rankings.