Velkovski and Jankovic win 47th Ilinden Cup in Ohrid

On 2 August 2026 the 47th edition of the Ilinden Cup small swimming marathon took place in Ohrid, bringing together 83 swimmers from North Macedonia and abroad across two age groups: 8–15 years and 16 years and older.

In the senior men's race (16+), 16-year-old Nikola Velkovski of PK "Vardar 2018" finished first with a time of 27:56.53. His clubmate Andrej Mishevski (17) took second in 31:56.10, while Arnd Brandenburd (63) from Germany completed the podium in 33:24.11.

The senior women's field was won by 18-year-old Sara Jankovic representing PK "Skopje"; her time was 31:48.15. Rosana Gosheva (19), also from PK "Skopje", placed second in 33:28.13, and Anastasija Cvetanovska (16) of PK "Aqvaspirit" – Ohrid was third with 33:57.12.

Junior categories

Among the 8–15 age group boys, 14-year-old Vlatko Cekov of PK "Vardar 2018" won in 30:11.42. He was followed by Damjan Sekovski (14) from PK "Orion" – Skopje in 31:29.00 and Stefan Nedelkovski (14) of PK "Skopje" in 31:53.10.

In the girls' 8–15 category the top spot went to 15-year-old Georgina Stavreska of PK "Vardar 2018" with a time of 33:02.00. Devran Kurtis (13) from PK "Tri Disciplin" – Struga finished second in 35:11.00, and 14-year-old Matea Jankoska of PK "Skopje" was third in 35:18.00.

The Ilinden Cup's 47th running in Ohrid maintained its reputation as a regional open-water test for rising swimmers and established competitors alike, with a mixed field of domestic and international entrants taking part over the course.

Photo: press material from the event