Posted on: 16 01 2026.

Milica Gardašević: “Of all the Gold meetings in 2026, the Belgrade one matters most to me”

Just three weeks separate us from an athletics spectacle at Banjica, where for the 11th consecutive year the world and European elite of the “queen of sports” will, through individual performances and battles for the podium, showcase all the beauty of this fundamental sport of all sports. The Belgrade Indoor Meeting, one of eight events […]

Just three weeks separate us from an athletics spectacle at Banjica, where for the 11th consecutive year the world and European elite of the “queen of sports” will, through individual performances and battles for the podium, showcase all the beauty of this fundamental sport of all sports. The Belgrade Indoor Meeting, one of eight events with Gold status on the World Athletics calendar for 2026, will shine in full glory on February 11—featuring international stars behind whom stand world records and countless medals, as well as top domestic athletes.

One of the most prominent names in Serbian athletics, long jumper Milica Gardašević, will compete at the Belgrade Athletics Hall. Graceful and courageous, an athlete with her own vision of success, the 27-year-old Milica has big plans for 2026 and has set ambitious goals for herself.

“I’m satisfied with the work I’ve done during the preparation period. I’m opening the season in Stockholm at the end of January,” says Serbian athletics star Milica.

Gardašević won the “Golden League” in the long jump in 2024. At the final meeting of the competition, held in Madrid, she finished second, which was enough to secure overall victory. With her triumph, Serbia earned its first-ever winner at this world competition.

“This year I’m defending the World Indoor Tour title that I won in 2024. The tour consists of a series of World Athletics Gold meetings, among which—of course—the Belgrade meeting is the most important to me. I expect long jumps at the meeting and a good prelude to the World Indoor Championships. Two years ago in Glasgow I finished sixth at this competition; this year in Toruń, Poland, I hope for an even better placing,” Gardašević explains.

Gardašević rose to the top of European athletics in 2017 by winning the European Under-20 Championships in Grosseto, earning the title of junior European champion. She gained her first international experience in 2013 at the European Youth Olympic Festival in Utrecht, where she finished fourth in the long jump with 5.91 m.

In 2015, she represented Serbia at the European Team Championships (Second League) in Stara Zagora, finishing seventh. At the World Junior Championships in Cali, she jumped 6.20 m in the final to place sixth. In 2017 and 2018, Gardašević claimed the Serbian national title in the outdoor long jump, while indoors she has held the national title since 2016.

She won the gold medal at the 2022 Mediterranean Games in Oran. Milica claimed first place at the Belgrade Indoor Meeting in 2023, and in the same year she also won the Balkan Outdoor Championships in Kraljevo. Her list of gold-colored victories from the 2023 season also includes meetings in Athens, Karlstad, Székesfehérvár, and Chorzów.