European Athletics Championships in Birmingham: British gold medals in sprint events, Battocletti and Tamberi for Italy
At the Alexander Stadium, from 10 to 16 August, the first continental edition hosted by a British city: four titles for the United Kingdom in the sprint events, two for Italy in the 10,000 metres and the high jump. On 15 August the schedule included the race walk events, the relays and the men's 10,000 metres.
The European Athletics Championships are taking place from 10 to 16 August 2026 at the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham. It is the first time a British city has hosted the event since it began, ninety-two years ago, as reported both by the schedule published by Olympics.com and by the live coverage of Sky Sports.
The host country has built its tally on the short distances. Amy Hunt achieved a double in the sprint events, Romell Glave won the 100 metres and Matthew Hudson-Smith the 400 metres: four individual titles that shift the weight of the British medal table towards an area in which, in recent continental editions, the United Kingdom already had an established tradition.
The two Italian victories, however, come from widely differing disciplines: Nadia Battocletti in the 10,000 metres and Gianmarco Tamberi in the high jump. This is a performance that must be measured against the immediate precedent: in the previous edition Italy had topped the medal table with 11 golds and 24 medals overall. The comparison between the two editions remains partial until the championships close, scheduled for 16 August.
On 15 August the programme included all the race walk events, with Massimo Stano and Antonella Palmisano, the men’s 10,000 metres, the relays and the long jump qualifications with Larissa Iapichino. At the time of publication the results of these events cannot be confirmed in the sources consulted: the available information is the schedule, not the outcome. The Italian press reviews of 15 August — Il Post and TorreSette — record the event among the topics on the front pages, but add no confirmation regarding the day’s results.
An organisational detail helps in reading the rest of the week: the concentration of race walk, relays and 10,000 metres in a single day means that a substantial share of the titles at stake will be awarded two days before the closing ceremony, and that the final medal table on 16 August will depend only to a limited extent on the events still to be contested.
Sources: Sky Sports; Olympics.com; Il Post; TorreSette.
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