Panagiotis Saltis – U18 Race Walker
Balkan Champion | National Champion | National team member
Balkan Champion | National Champion | National team member
Panagiotis Saltis, a young race walker from Karditsa, has emerged as one of the brightest hopes of Greek athletics in race walking. Born on June 20, 2008, the 17-year-old athlete of Fokianos Karditsa has managed to achieve top distinctions both nationally and internationally. In 2024, he was named the top athlete in the U18 category by SEGAS, while continuing to break records and achieve qualifying standards for major international competitions.
Panagiotis Saltis is a student in the second year of high school at "ATHENA" Educational Institutions, where the educational community actively supports his athletic journey. His educational path harmoniously combines with his intense training obligations, as he secures distinctions at national and international levels alongside his school activities.
Instrumental in Saltis' development is the national team coach Thanasis Deligiannis, who has emerged as one of the most successful race walking coaches in Greece. Deligiannis has created a true race walking school in Karditsa, with Fokianos being the only club in Thessaly that has five athletes in the national athletics team in their respective categories.
Named top U18 athlete by SEGAS after a special voting process. This distinction recognizes not only his excellent performances but also the consistent progress he showed throughout the competitive season.
In the 5,000m race walk, he finished sixth with a time of 21:44.72, which is his personal record. Notably, the athlete did an extra lap due to judges' error, who signaled him to continue even though he had realized from his watch time that he should have finished.
One of Saltis' most important achievements in 2025 was winning the gold medal at the Balkan Race Walking Championship held in Astros, Kynouria in April. In the 10km race walk U18, he finished first with a time of 45:23, surpassing all participants by a significant margin.
In May 2025, Saltis continued his impressive journey with victory at the National School Championship in Heraklion, Crete. In the 10,000 meters race walk, he finished first with a time of 44:24.64, setting a new personal record and achieving the qualifying standard for the European U20 Championship for the second time.
Saltis has already secured participation in important international competitions for the rest of 2025. With the achievement of the qualifying standard for the European U20 Championship to be held in Tampere, Finland, the young athlete will have the opportunity to measure his strength against the best race walkers in Europe in the U20 category. His performances classify him among the top young race walkers worldwide, and he has the prerequisites to compete for medals in world competitions.