Tentoglou Wins Fourth Straight European Long Jump Title as Halász Produces 84.25m Hammer Stunner
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Miltiadis Tentoglou won a fourth consecutive European outdoor long jump title, while Bence Halász produced a world-leading Hungarian record in the men’s hammer throw on another action-packed day at the European Athletics Championships on Tuesday, August 11.
Men’s long jump final
Olympic champion Miltiadis Tentoglou soared to 8.44m into a 1.1 m/s headwind in the fourth round to secure his fourth consecutive European outdoor gold medal.
Tentoglou had earlier reached 8.27m in the second round despite taking off 20 centimetres behind the board. World indoor heptathlon champion Simon Ehammer then took the lead with an 8.29m jump into a strong 2.7 m/s headwind.
The Greek responded in the fourth round, bounding out to 8.44m before passing his final two attempts. With the victory, Tentoglou matched Heike Drechsler’s achievement of winning four consecutive European outdoor long jump titles. Drechsler claimed the women’s crown four times between 1986 and 1998.
Miltiadis Tentoglou: "This was one of the hardest finals I have ever done. I am good in all conditions, but this wind was so hard on us long jumpers. This was not just a regular 8.40m jump for me. It was a big jump, so I appreciate it a lot. This is one of my most precious victories because it is also a complex season for me. This is the start of winning golds again.”
Simon Ehammer: “It’s a medal at the European Championships, and a medal in a very stacked field of long jumpers, so after my injury in Monaco I would say it is a pretty good result. The goal was, for sure, to fight for the gold. It was a good fight. My season has already topped everything I set out to do, so a medal here is the cherry on top.”
World indoor champion Gerson Baldé briefly moved into the bronze-medal position with 8.18m in the sixth round, but Bozhidar Saraboyukov responded with 8.26m on his final attempt to reclaim third place. The Bulgarian earned the first major outdoor medal of his senior career, while Italian champion Francesco Inzoli finished fifth with 8.04m.
Men’s hammer throw final
Bence Halász produced the performance of the night in the men’s hammer throw, setting a world lead and Hungarian record of 84.25m in the fifth round to claim the European title.
Halász added the gold medal to a collection that already included Olympic silver, two European silver medals, a European bronze and three World Championships medals.
Germany’s Merlin Hummel claimed silver with 81.30m, while Olympic bronze medallist Mykhaylo Kokhan took third with 79.49m.
Bence Halász:“This feels awesome. I am shocked. I was not expecting this kind of result. When I released the hammer, I was thinking, ‘OK, this is a very good throw, maybe 83 metres.’ Then I was shocked when I saw the result. This season was much harder than previous years, but it was all worth it.”
Men’s 100m final
Romell Glave stormed to his first European title in 10.09 into a 0.4 m/s headwind, leading a British one-two alongside Jeremiah Azu, who took silver in 10.16. German record-holder Owen Ansah claimed bronze in 10.19.
Azu returned to the European outdoor podium four years after winning bronze in Munich in 2022. Glave, meanwhile, upgraded his bronze from Rome 2024 to gold in front of his home crowd. Two-time champion Marcell Jacobs pulled up injured.
Romell Glave: “It’s an amazing feeling. The work I’ve put in to reach this point was a lot. My coach and I have been working on the first 30 metres. It paid off, and it’s amazing to upgrade my bronze from 2024. The aim was to get a one-two-three finish for British Athletics. We got a one-two instead, which is still absolutely amazing. There was no pressure; mentally, I was ready for this occasion.”
Men’s 100m semifinals
British champion Glave won the first semifinal in 10.13 to secure his place in the final. Italy’s Chituru Ali, the European silver medallist in Rome 2024, claimed the second automatic qualifying spot in 10.34 ahead of Germany’s Heiko Gussmann (10.37).
European indoor champion Azu won the second semifinal in 10.17, with Ansah taking the other automatic qualifying place in 10.20.
Jacobs cruised to victory in the third semifinal in 10.08, the fastest time of the round.
Men’s 100m heats
The top 12 entrants received byes into the semifinals.
Ireland’s Toluwabori Akinola led the opening round with 10.39 in the second heat, edging Belgium’s Simon Verherstraeten by one hundredth of a second.
Belgium’s Émil Botterman won the third heat in 10.42 ahead of Swiss European 200m champion Timothé Mumenthaler (10.44).
Women’s 100m hurdles final
Nadine Visser of the Netherlands won a thrilling women’s 100m hurdles final in 12.67, edging Poland’s Pia Skrzyszowska by just one thousandth of a second in a photo finish.
France’s Laeticia Bapté claimed bronze in 12.73, holding off world champion Ditaji Kambundji of Switzerland (12.75). Luca Kozák finished fifth in 12.84 ahead of France’s Sasha Alessandrini (12.92).
Visser has won four European indoor medals, including gold in Glasgow 2019 and Toruń 2021, as well as two World Indoor Championships bronze medals. Skrzyszowska completed her set of European outdoor medals after winning gold in Munich 2022 and bronze in Rome 2024.
Women’s 100m hurdles semifinals
Skrzyszowska, the 2022 European champion and 2024 bronze medallist, won the first semifinal in 12.60 (-0.3 m/s). Great Britain’s Marcia Sey claimed the second automatic qualifying spot in 12.77, edging Bapté by just three thousandths of a second.
Hungary’s Kozák won the second semifinal in 12.83 (-1.2 m/s), narrowly beating Belgium’s Yania Ndjip-Nyemeck. Alessandrini finished third in 12.80.
Visser stormed to victory in the third semifinal in 12.69 (-1.3 m/s). Kambundji took the second automatic qualifying place in 12.94, just ahead of Germany’s Rosina Schneider (12.96).
Women’s 5000m final
Italian star Nadia Battocletti successfully defended her European women’s 5000m title, winning a tactical final in 15:37.84. Spain’s Marta García earned silver in a season’s best of 15:39.98, while Italy’s Micol Majori completed the podium in 15:40.65.
Sarah Healy of Ireland finished fourth in 15:40.95, just ahead of Great Britain’s Hannah Nuttall (15:41.27).
Maureen Koster of the Netherlands moved to the front with 800 metres remaining and still led at the bell, with Nuttall on her shoulder. Battocletti changed gear on the back straight with 250 metres to go, quickly opening a decisive gap before crossing the line clear of the field.
The victory added to Battocletti’s outstanding championship record. Since completing the 5000m and 10,000m double at Rome 2024, she has won European cross-country titles in 2024 and 2025, the European 10km road title in Leuven in 2025 and the world indoor 3000m crown in Toruń in 2026. Her global medal collection also includes Olympic 10,000m silver from Paris 2024 and 10,000m silver and 5000m bronze from the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo.
Nadia Battocletti:“I am super happy and grateful for my performance. I felt strong today. It was a little crazy because we touched each other a lot during the race, as it was very tactical. I waited a little before pushing for the lead. I started to push a little after 3km, but the Dutch athlete, Maureen Koster, did the hard work.
“As we approached the last lap, I felt I needed to push harder because anything can change there—you can lose or win it—so it was a little tricky. Once I was ahead, I was determined not to let go of the lead. The double would be a dream for me. Of course, the 10km will be another race. We will be pushing from the first kilometre. It will be different. I am not scared; I am just excited. I really want to win the double.”
Women’s 800m heats
Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson opened her European Championships campaign with a commanding victory in the first heat in 1:57.28. Hodgkinson, who lowered the British outdoor record to 1:54.33 at the Stockholm Diamond League, is chasing a third consecutive European title after her victories in Munich 2022 and Rome 2024.
Keely Hodgkinson: “I felt really good. I’m so glad the race was a bit quicker. It felt similar to the rhythm I run in training. Sometimes a slower race can feel awful. I just got back from Portugal, so I feel great. I got a nice tan there and had some relaxation time, which is always needed. That prepared me to be here today. I don’t really care about the noise around me. I haven’t got time for that. I just focus on myself and do what I can do.”
Eloisa Coiro broke Gabriella Dorio’s 36-year-old Italian record with 1:57.56. Germany’s Smilla Kolbe improved her personal best to 1:57.80, while Switzerland’s Valentina Rosamilia also set a PB of 1:58.20 in fourth.
Two-time world 400m hurdles champion Femke Bol controlled the second heat from the front and won in 1:59.89. Gabriela Gajanová took second in 2:00.27 ahead of Spain’s Rocío Arrojo (2:00.62).
Femke Bol: “That went pretty well and according to plan. Those were my first 800m heats at a major championship, so it’s nice to get through to the semifinals. I feel very strong and have posted very good times earlier this season, but I have to admit it was quite exciting and nerve-racking going into this race. I had never experienced a race like this at a major event, with all the tactics and pushing.
“It is nice not to have a target on my back this time. I can surprise myself and be the underdog instead of the favourite. In the 400m hurdles, I had my own lane and hurdles, and I knew what I was capable of. Everything is very new in the 800m, but that is also exciting.”
World indoor silver medallist Audrey Werro led from gun to tape to win the third heat in 1:57.83. France’s Clara Liberman improved her PB to 1:58.23, while Croatia’s Nina Vuković set a PB of 1:58.38 to claim the third automatic qualifying spot. Great Britain’s Jemma Reekie finished fourth in 1:58.45.
Audrey Werro: “It was a cool race. The goal was to qualify without losing too much energy, and that’s what I did. I enjoy the pressure of competing at a championship. I know my goal, so I try to concentrate without putting too much pressure on myself. Competing against Keely Hodgkinson does not change anything for me. My goal is to make the podium and win a medal.
“It’s better when we have strong competitors, so I really like this situation. I’m comfortable now with both tactical and fast race scenarios. A European title would mean a lot. It would show that I am now also a good athlete at senior level. I have run some great times, but all my medals were at junior level. It would also be a first for Switzerland, which would be a huge honour for me.”
Gajanová won the fourth heat in 1:58.99, narrowly beating Rosamilia (1:59.09) and European bronze medallist and French record-holder Anaïs Bourgoin (1:59.19).
Women’s pole vault qualifying
Seven women cleared 4.50m, including world indoor champion Marie-Julie Bonnin, reigning European champion Angelica Moser, 2016 Olympic champion Ekateríni Stefanídi and Finland’s Wilma Murto.
Tina Šutej cleared 4.40m but missed the final after three unsuccessful attempts at 4.50m.
Men’s 400m semifinals
European under-23 champion Jonas Phijffers won the first semifinal in a season’s best of 44.63. Olympic silver medallist Matthew Hudson-Smith of Great Britain finished second in 44.78 to secure the other automatic qualifying spot, ahead of Daniel Segers (45.03).
Germany’s Jean Paul Bredau won the second semifinal in 44.86. Hungary’s Patrik Simon Enyingi took the second automatic qualifying spot in 45.02, while Italian record-holder Edoardo Scotti finished third in 45.32, just ahead of Swiss champion Lionel Spitz, who equalled his season’s best with 45.34.
France’s Muhammad Abdallah Kounta stormed to a personal best of 44.38 to win the third semifinal, improving on the 44.55 he ran at the French Championships in Albi.
Men’s discus qualifying
Olympic silver medallist and world record-holder Mykolas Alekna of Lithuania led the qualifying round with 67.74m. Reigning European champion Kristjan Čeh of Slovenia recorded the second-best mark with 67.52m. Alekna and Čeh were the only athletes to surpass the automatic qualifying standard of 66.00m.
Germany’s Henrik Janssen and Austria’s Lukas Weißhaidinger also surpassed 65 metres, throwing 65.42m and 65.06m respectively. World champion Daniel Ståhl of Sweden advanced to the final with 63.95m.
Men’s high jump qualifying
British high jumpers Joel Clarke-Khan and Kimani Jack led qualifying with clean cards through 2.23m.
Poland’s Mateusz Kołodziejski and Israel’s Jonathan Kapitolnik both needed two attempts at 2.19m before clearing 2.23m at the first time of asking. World indoor champion Oleh Doroshchuk cleared 2.19m on his first attempt and 2.23m on his second.
Four Italians advanced to the final. Defending champion Gianmarco Tamberi equalled his season’s best of 2.23m on his second attempt, while European under-23 champion Matteo Sioli cleared the same height at the second time of asking. A clearance of 2.19m was enough for Edoardo Stronati and Christian Falocchi to progress.
World bronze medallist Jan Štefela failed to advance.
Women’s 400m hurdles semifinals
Belgium’s Paulien Couckuyt improved her personal best to 53.87, finishing ahead of Great Britain’s Lina Nielsen (54.04) and Norway’s Amalie Iuel (54.22).
Ayomide Folorunso won her semifinal in 53.93, missing her Italian record by just four hundredths of a second. It was the second-fastest time across the three semifinals, behind Couckuyt. Emily Newnham finished second in 54.32, with France’s Louise Maraval third in 54.50.
World bronze medallist Emma Zapletalová, a four-time Diamond League winner, won the remaining semifinal in 54.09 ahead of Portugal’s Fatoumata Binta Diallo (54.24) and Germany’s Eileen Demes (54.63).
Men’s 400m hurdles heats
Great Britain’s Joshua Faulds won the first heat in 48.90. Slovakia’s Matej Baluch equalled the national record with 48.94, while Switzerland’s Dany Brand set a season’s best of 49.07.
Belgium’s Julien Watrin won the second heat in 49.24, edging Austria’s Niklas Strohmayer-Dangl (49.39).
The top 12 entrants received byes into the semifinals.
Men’s 110m hurdles heats
Cyprus’ Milan Trajković led the qualifiers, winning the second heat in 13.50 into a 1.1 m/s headwind.
Poland’s Damian Czykier, a world finalist in Eugene in 2022, won the opening heat in 13.44.
