2024 was the season Panagiotis Saltis announced himself to Europe. In July, at the European Athletics U18 Championships in Banská Bystrica, Slovakia, he finished 6th in the 5000m race walk with a personal best of 21:44.72 — a result made even more remarkable by a judging error that sent him around for an extra lap before the finish.
"I could tell from the time on my watch that I should have finished, but the judges waved me on, so I kept going. Luckily it all worked out — I'm happy with the record, which came in genuinely difficult circumstances," he said after the race.
In December he travelled to Dublin for the World Race Walking Tour event at St Anne's Park and won the 5km in 21:16 — the fastest European time of 2024 in his category, and the fourth-fastest in the world. The season earned him the Greek federation's (SEGAS) award as top male U18 athlete of 2024.