2026 European Athletics Championships Day 2 Preview: Five Titles on the Line in Birmingham
The 2026 European Athletics Championships continue in Birmingham on Tuesday, August 11, with five titles set to be decided during a busy second day at Alexander Stadium.
The morning session features qualification in the men’s high jump and discus throw, alongside the women’s 400m hurdles semifinals and opening rounds of the men’s 100m, men’s 110m hurdles, women’s 800m and men’s 400m hurdles.
The evening session will then deliver the first medals of the day. The men’s hammer throw opens the finals programme at 19:10, followed by the women’s 5000m at 19:25 and men’s long jump at 20:16. The night concludes with two major track finals as the women’s 100m hurdles title is decided at 21:30 before Europe’s fastest man is crowned in the men’s 100m at 21:47.
Men’s High Jump – Qualification
Day 2 begins with men’s high jump qualification at 10:33, with several major championship medallists looking to safely negotiate the opening stage.
Oleg Doroshchuk enters Birmingham as one of the leading contenders following a superb period in which the Ukrainian won the 2025 European indoor and 2026 world indoor titles. He has also shown strong outdoor form, including a 2.32m Diamond League victory in Monaco.
Italy brings considerable depth. Matteo Sioli has won Diamond League competitions in Rome and Doha and equalled his 2.30m personal best to claim the Italian title, while defending European champion Gianmarco Tamberi returns after winning his second continental outdoor crown in Rome 2024.
World bronze medallist Jan Štefela of Czechia and British NCAA champion Kimani Jack are also among the athletes looking to advance to the final.
Men’s Discus Throw – Qualification
The men’s discus qualification begins at 10:35 with Germany’s Steven Richter among the most intriguing athletes in the field.
Richter produced a huge breakthrough earlier this season, improving his personal best to 74.00m in Ramona. That performance moved him to fourth on the world all-time list and left him just eight centimetres short of the long-standing German record.
Great Britain’s Lawrence Okoye has also enjoyed a breakthrough season, improving his British record to 71.88m before winning his fifth national title with 68.81m in Birmingham. Dutch record holder Ruben Rolvink has meanwhile joined the 70-metre club with 71.22m.
Women’s 400m Hurdles – Semifinals
The women’s 400m hurdles moves into the semifinal stage at 10:45, with the leading contenders facing their first major test on the road to the final.
Slovakia’s Emma Zapletalova entered the championships as the standout European performer of the season after winning four Diamond League races and lowering her national record to a world-leading 52.30 in Doha.
Among her principal rivals are British Commonwealth silver medallist Emily Newnham, Belgium’s Paulien Couckuyt, European silver medallist Louise Maraval of France, Norway’s Amalie Iuel and Italian record holder Ayomide Folorunso.
Men’s 100m – Three Races in One Day
One of Tuesday’s biggest storylines will be the men’s 100m, with the opening round scheduled for 11:15, the semifinals at 20:32 and the final at 21:47.
Marcell Jacobs will attempt to win an historic third consecutive European 100m crown after taking gold in Munich 2022 and Rome 2024. Another victory would put the Italian alongside Valeriy Borzov and Linford Christie as a three-time European champion over 100m.
Jacobs has broken 10 seconds twice this season, running 9.99 in Rome and 9.96 in Paris, before winning his sixth Italian title.
The home challenge is formidable. Romell Glave won the British title in 9.98 and has also recorded a wind-assisted 9.88 this year, while Zharnel Hughes remains one of Europe’s most accomplished sprinters. Louie Hinchliffe, the 2024 NCAA champion, has run 10.01 this season, while Jeremiah Azu entered the championships after clocking 10.00 at the Commonwealth Games.
Germany’s Owen Ansah provides another sub-10 threat. He improved his German record to 9.98 in Regensburg and later won his national title in 10.00.
Three rounds in the space of one day will make consistency, recovery and execution critical before the finalists return to the track late in the evening.
Men’s 110m Hurdles – Round 1
The men’s 110m hurdles begins at 11:40 with Spain’s Enrique Llopis looking to build on his European silver medal from Rome.
Llopis ran a personal best of 13.16 to finish second in 2024 and has since established himself among the continent’s most consistent sprint hurdlers.
Switzerland’s Jason Joseph, France’s Just Kwaou-Mathey and Austria’s Enzo Diessl are among the other leading contenders expected to begin their campaigns on Tuesday.
Women’s 800m – Round 1
The women’s 800m could develop into one of the outstanding events of the championships, and its first chapter comes with the heats at 12:05.
Switzerland’s Audrey Werro has produced an extraordinary season. After winning world indoor silver in Torun, she defeated Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson in Stockholm in 1:53.98 before improving to 1:53.80 in Paris.
Hodgkinson nevertheless arrives as a major favourite on home soil. The reigning Olympic and European champion broke the world indoor record with 1:54.87 in Liévin and subsequently won the world indoor title before running a British outdoor record of 1:54.33 behind Werro in Stockholm.
Another fascinating contender is Femke Bol Broeders, who has switched her focus from the 400m hurdles to the 800m. The Dutch star has already improved to 1:55.60 over her new distance, while France’s Anaïs Bourgoin has run a national record of 1:55.65.
With Isabelle Boffey, Jemma Reekie and several other sub-two-minute athletes also entered, simply navigating the opening round could prove demanding.
Men’s 400m Hurdles – Round 1
Three-time defending champion Karsten Warholm begins his pursuit of a fourth consecutive European 400m hurdles title in the opening round at 12:40.
The Norwegian won in Berlin 2018, Munich 2022 and Rome 2024 and remains the European benchmark. He has already run 46.61 this season in London.
Germany’s Emil Agyekum has emerged as a serious challenger after breaking Harald Schmid’s historic German record with 47.45 behind Warholm in London. European silver medallist Alessandro Sibilio, Sweden’s Carl Bengström, France’s Clément Ducos and Spain’s Jesús David Delgado add further strength to the event.
Women’s Pole Vault – Qualification
The evening session gets underway with women’s pole vault qualification at 19:05.
Defending champion Angelica Moser will attempt to continue her recent run of major championship success. The Swiss athlete won European gold in Rome 2024 and has since improved her national record to 4.88m. She has cleared 4.80m this outdoor season and won the Paris Diamond League with 4.77m.
Slovenia’s Tina Šutej, world indoor silver medallist in Torun, provides another major medal threat, while Finland’s Wilma Heltelä, the 2022 European champion formerly known as Wilma Murto, will attempt to return to the continental podium. France’s Marie-Julie Bonnin, the 2025 world indoor champion, is another athlete capable of challenging the leading contenders.
Men’s Hammer Throw Final – Chaussinand Leads Loaded Field
The first title of Day 2 will be awarded in the men’s hammer throw at 19:10, and the final brings together several athletes who have exceeded 80 metres this season.
France’s Yann Chaussinand enters with the best European performance after smashing his national record with 82.44m at the Los Angeles Grand Prix. His form has been remarkably consistent, with additional throws of 81.23m, 80.92m and 80.13m.
Ukraine’s Mykhaylo Kokhan is another leading gold-medal candidate after improving his personal best to 82.38m, while five-time world champion Pawel Fajdek has returned to outstanding form at the age of 37, throwing 82.09m – his longest mark since 2021.
Hungary’s Olympic silver medallist Bence Halász has reached 81.64m this season, while Germany’s world silver medallist Merlin Hummel has thrown 81.74m. Hungary also brings rising star Armin Szabados, whose 80.95m national under-23 record puts him firmly into contention.
With so many 80-metre throwers in the field, the hammer could produce one of the highest-quality finals of the championships.
Women’s 5000m Final – Battocletti Begins Title Defence
Nadia Battocletti will attempt to retain her European 5000m crown when the women’s final begins at 19:25.
The Italian produced a historic 5000m and 10,000m double on home soil in Rome 2024, winning the shorter event in a championships record of 14:35.29. Since then she has won world 5000m bronze, lowered the Italian record to 14:23.15 and captured the world indoor 3000m title in Torun.
One of her biggest rivals could be Maureen Koster. The Dutch runner owns the fastest European 5000m performance of the season at 14:33.56 and has also run 8:27.67 over 3000m.
Great Britain will look to rising star Innes FitzGerald, the European under-20 champion at both 3000m and 5000m, and Hannah Nuttall, who finished eighth over 5000m at the 2025 World Championships.
Battocletti's championship experience and finishing ability make her the athlete to beat, but Koster's season-leading form should ensure a compelling tactical battle.
Men’s Long Jump Final – Tentoglou Chases Fourth Straight Title
Miltiadis Tentoglou will chase an extraordinary fourth consecutive European outdoor long jump title at 20:16.
The Greek Olympic champion has arguably entered Birmingham in the finest form of his career. He improved his personal best to 8.66m at the Greek Championships, equalling the national record, and produced three jumps beyond 8.60m in the same competition. He has also won Diamond League competitions in Xiamen with 8.46m and Monaco with 8.61m.
But the depth behind him makes this far from a one-man competition.
Bulgaria’s Bozhidar Saraboyukov has improved his national record to 8.49m and already defeated Tentoglou at the Rome Diamond League. Switzerland’s Simon Ehammer has gone even farther, producing a Swiss record of 8.51m during a decathlon.
World champion Mattia Furlani adds another major threat. The Italian has jumped 8.43m this season and already owns European silver and Olympic bronze medals despite being just 21.
Tentoglou remains the man everyone must beat, but Saraboyukov, Ehammer and Furlani give Tuesday's final exceptional depth.
Men’s 400m – Semifinals
The men’s 400m reaches the semifinal stage at 21:00 with European record holder Matthew Hudson-Smith carrying British hopes on his home track.
Hudson-Smith, Olympic silver medallist in Paris, has run 44.09 this season and won the British title in 44.45. France’s Samuel Vessat arrives as one of the biggest emerging threats after lowering the French record to 44.24, while Hungary’s Attila Molnar has also enjoyed a breakthrough campaign.
The semifinals should provide a clearer picture of the medal hierarchy ahead of the final later in the championships.
Women’s 100m Hurdles Final – Visser Faces Skrzyszowska and Kambundji
Following semifinals at 19:55, the women’s 100m hurdles title will be decided at 21:30.
Nadine Visser entered Birmingham as one of the favourites after a consistent outdoor campaign highlighted by a 12.41 season's best in Paris. The Dutch hurdler has repeatedly challenged for Diamond League podiums and won her national title in her final race before the championships.
Poland’s Pia Skrzyszowska knows exactly what it takes to win this title. The 2022 European champion and 2024 bronze medallist has run 12.44 this year after taking world indoor bronze in Torun.
World champion Ditaji Kambundji carries the fastest lifetime credentials, having run a Swiss record of 12.24, although her preparation has been affected by a left biceps strain during the season.
France’s Sasha Alessandrini, Hungary’s Luca Kozak and Italy’s emerging Celeste Polzonetti add further depth to what should be one of the most competitive sprint-hurdles finals of the week.
Men’s 100m Final Closes Day 2
The final event of Tuesday night will crown Europe's fastest man at 21:47.
Jacobs has history within reach as he bids to become only the third man to win three European 100m titles, but he will have little margin for error against a deep British contingent led by Glave and Hughes.
Glave's 9.98 British Championships victory and Ansah's 9.98 German record mean multiple contenders have demonstrated sub-10-second ability, while Hinchliffe and Azu provide further threats.
For the British sprinters, the opportunity to win a European 100m title in front of a home crowd adds another dimension to the race. For Jacobs, victory would extend a European Championships sprinting dynasty that began four years ago in Munich.
After three rounds in a single day, the title could ultimately belong to the athlete who best combines raw speed with composure and recovery – providing a fitting climax to a Day 2 programme featuring five European champions being crowned in Birmingham.
