Duplantis, Hunter Bell and Iapichino Strike Gold as Italy Close European Championships on Top
After the marathons opened the final day on Sunday morning, attention returned to the track and field for one last evening of medals, records and championship drama.
Great Britain & NI made history in the inaugural mixed 4x100m final, Frederik Ruppert prevailed in a thrilling steeplechase, and Georgia Hunter Bell delivered 1500m gold for the hosts. Larissa Iapichino won a long jump final decided by just one centimetre, while Armand Duplantis raised the championship record to 6.15m.
The Netherlands and Italy then captured the concluding 4x400m titles, with Italy winning the final race of Birmingham 2026 and finishing atop the medal table.
4x100m Mixed Relay - Great Britain make history in 39.97
Great Britain’s Jeremiah Azu, Dina Asher-Smith, Zharnel Hughes and Amy Hunt won the inaugural European mixed 4x100m relay title in a European record of 39.97.
Hunt collected her fourth gold of the championships after also winning the 100m, 200m and women’s 4x100m relay titles. She became the first athlete in European Championships history to win four gold medals at a single edition.
Asher-Smith earned the 11th European Championships medal of her career, making her the most decorated athlete in the competition’s history.
Amy Hunt: “I'm over the moon with four gold medals, and I'm so glad to share it with some of my best friends in the sport. Jeremiah and I practised our changeover only an hour ago for the first time. Today it felt like when you're queuing for a roller coaster and you're a bit nervous, but when it's over, you want to do it all over again. That's how it felt today.”
Germany’s Kevin Kranz, Rebekka Haase, Heiko Gussmann and Gina Lückenkemper won silver in 40.11. Spain’s Guillem Crespí, María Isabel Pérez, Andon Cabano and Jaël Bestué claimed bronze in 40.42. Switzerland finished fourth in 40.87, ahead of Portugal in 40.90.
It was an eventful inaugural final, with only five of the eight starting teams recording a result. Italy and the Netherlands failed to finish, while Belgium were disqualified for passing the baton outside the changeover zone.
Men's 3000m Steeplechase - Ruppert kicks hardest to take steeplechase gold
Frederik Ruppert delivered Germany’s latest title of the championships, winning the men’s 3000m steeplechase in 8:25.33 following a decisive final kilometre of approximately 2:34.
The European number one took control with 600m remaining and resisted a determined late challenge from Ruben Querinjean, who secured silver for Luxembourg in 8:25.61.
Karl Bebendorf made it two Germans on the podium by taking bronze in 8:26.65.
- Frederik Ruppert – 8:25.33
- Ruben Querinjean – 8:25.61
- Karl Bebendorf – 8:26.65
Daniel Arce, who led at 2000m, slipped to fourth in 8:27.02 after the pace exploded over the closing laps.
Kolak takes European javelin gold
Sara Kolak became European champion after her opening-round throw of 62.43m proved enough to secure the women’s javelin title.
There were no changes to the medal positions in the closing rounds, leaving Germany’s Julia Ulbricht with silver following her 61.53m opener. Serbia’s Adriana Vilagoš claimed bronze with 60.93m.
- Sara Kolak – 62.43m
- Julia Ulbricht – 61.53m
- Adriana Vilagoš – 60.93m
Sigrid Borge finished fourth with 59.98m, while Paola Padovan placed seventh with a personal best of 58.91m.
There were also some notable disappointments. Leonie Hügli, who led qualifying with a 62.33m national record, managed only 54.55m and finished 10th. European champion Elina Tzengko placed 11th with 54.01m.
Kolak established the standard in the opening round—and nobody could dislodge her.
Women's 1500m - Hunter Bell delivers European gold
Georgia Hunter Bell won the women’s 1500m title for Great Britain & NI, controlling the closing stages before powering to victory in 4:07.78.
It was her third major title of the year, following world indoor gold over 1500m and Commonwealth gold over 800m in Glasgow. Hunter Bell had previously won Olympic bronze in the 1500m and world silver in the 800m in Tokyo in 2025.
The British athlete reached 1200m in 3:24.8 and covered the final 300m in approximately 43 seconds, holding off Poland’s Klaudia Kazimierska, who took silver in 4:08.80. Portugal’s Patricia Silva secured bronze in 4:09.22, while France’s Agathe Guillemot narrowly missed the podium in fourth with 4:09.62.
Georgia Hunter Bell: "Just getting myself in a good position throughout was always the plan. I thought, if it comes down to a kick, I've got it, so I didn't want it to go too quick. I thought it might be a 600m burn-up, which it was—and that was perfect for me. I think I need a little break to start even thinking about the fourth gold at the World Ultimate Championship, but that is certainly the goal. Can I get four major golds in a year? I really hope so. It's the next big challenge, but I'm going to make sure I enjoy tonight first before starting to focus on that.”
- Georgia Hunter Bell – 4:07.78
- Klaudia Kazimierska – 4:08.80
- Patricia Silva – 4:09.22
Women's Long Jump - Iapichino wins by one centimetre
The women’s long jump produced one of the closest finishes of the entire championships.
Italy’s Larissa Iapichino won her first European outdoor title with a wind-assisted 7.00m (+2.1 m/s) in the opening round.
She prevailed by just one centimetre over Great Britain’s Jazmin Sawyers, who opened with 6.95m before improving to 6.99m in the fourth round. Only two centimetres separated the three medallists.
Iapichino backed up her winning mark with further jumps of 6.93m, 6.71m and 6.80m. Sawyers also produced a consistent series that included marks of 6.96m and 6.92m.
France’s Hillary Kpatcha took bronze with a wind-assisted 6.98m (+2.5 m/s) in the second round and added two more jumps beyond 6.80m. World indoor champion Agate de Sousa finished fourth with 6.96m, ahead of defending champion Malaika Mihambo, who jumped 6.94m.
- Larissa Iapichino – 7.00m (+2.1)
- Jazmin Sawyers – 6.99m (+2.2)
- Hilary Kpatcha – 6.98m (+2.5)
Sawyers recorded a wind-legal 6.96m season’s best earlier in the competition, but her medal-winning 6.99m jump came with a following wind of 2.2m/s.
It was a European final decided by the finest of margins.
Men's Pole Vault - Duplantis wins again
Armand Duplantis became European pole vault champion once again, sealing gold with a championship record of 6.15m.
Duplantis cleared 6.00m on his second attempt before sailing over 6.10m and 6.15m at the first time of asking. With the title and championship record secured, the Swede elected to end his competition.
Emmanouil Karalis pushed the bar to 6.20m in a final attempt to overhaul Duplantis but could not find the clearance, leaving the Greek star with silver at 6.00m.
France’s Baptiste Thiery completed the podium with 5.85m.
Mondo Duplantis: “It feels amazing. I am trying not to take it for granted. Four of these in a row is a really amazing feat, so I am trying to soak it all in and enjoy it. I am proud of my whole journey and am proud to be here. It was an amazing night—really special. The lead-up has been very difficult and stressful, but luckily I was able to make it work. I had a great team of people around me who worked really hard to be here. That is something to be proud of. I am so thankful for all the help I received. I was here in one piece and felt good in the body, too. Being here healthy and winning gold is great. I think Emmanouil Karalis brings that out of me, and he brings the best out of the sport. It is a good thing for everybody. I am really proud of the way he jumped today and stepped up.”
- Armand Duplantis – 6.15m CR
- Emmanouil Karalis – 6.00m
- Baptiste Thiery – 5.85m
It was another European title for Duplantis—and another championship record pushed higher.
Netherlands hold off Great Britain for 4x400m gold
The Netherlands claimed a third consecutive European title in the women’s 4x400m relay as Femke Bol made a successful return to one-lap racing after winning bronze in the 800m.
Lieke Klaver produced a 49.5-second split on the second leg to extend the Dutch advantage. Great Britain’s Nicole Yeargin reduced the gap to Eveline Saalberg on the third leg, but the Netherlands still held a solid lead when Bol received the baton for the anchor leg.
Femke Broeders-Bol had plenty of work to do on the anchor leg, with Britain’s Emily Newnham closing hard behind her, but the Dutchwoman controlled the final lap superbly and held on to secure women’s 4x400m gold for the Netherlands.
Fresh from setting an Italian 800m record, Eloisa Coiro held off Spain’s Blanca Hervás on the final leg to anchor Italy to bronze in 3:23.57. Spain finished fourth in 3:24.39.
- Netherlands – 3:21.10 SB
- Great Britain & NI – 3:21.68
- Italy – 3:23.57
“To win a third European title in a row, as a very small country, makes me very proud. I haven't done any sort of training at this speed, but on the other hand, we all know exactly what to do to get things right and to win that gold medal. This was a great way to finish this week. We always love to win as a team, to train as a team and to come onto the track together. It is amazing that the men also got a bronze medal in the 4x400m relay, so we are a happy country today.” Bol told reporters after the race.
Men's 4x400m Relay - Italy win the final race
The European Athletics Championships concluded with a dramatic finish in the men’s 4x400m relay.
Lorenzo Benati resisted a charging Charles Dobson on the anchor leg as Italy captured gold in 2:59.16—just 0.03 ahead of Great Britain & NI.
- Italy – 2:59.16
- Great Britain & NI – 2:59.19 SB
- Netherlands – 2:59.49
Dobson threw everything at Benati down the home straight, but the Italian refused to give way. The Netherlands were also firmly involved in the battle, taking bronze in 2:59.49, just ahead of Belgium’s 2:59.51.
Hungary finished fifth in a national record of 2:59.68.
Italy’s victory in the final race ensured they finished atop the final medal table ahead of the hosts.
The last race of Birmingham 2026—and the final word belonged to Italy.
Medal Table - Italy top Europe again
It is a familiar sight at the top of the European medal table.
Italy finished Birmingham 2026 as Europe’s leading athletics nation, repeating their triumph from Rome 2024. Victory in the concluding men’s 4x400m relay lifted the Italians to 10 gold medals and 22 medals overall.
- Italy – 10 gold, 6 silver, 6 bronze – 22 total
- Great Britain & NI – 9 gold, 8 silver, 2 bronze – 19 total
- Germany – 6 gold, 10 silver, 5 bronze – 21 total
The hosts pushed Italy all the way, finishing just one gold medal behind, while Germany collected the second-highest overall total with 21 medals.
For the second successive European Championships, however, Italy stand alone at the top.
