11 championship records were set across the week at the Birmingham 2026 European Athletics Championships.
The two longest-standing championship records were finally broken, having endured on the books for 48 years since the 1978 European Athletics Championships in Prague.
Sweden’s Andreas Almgren smashed Finn Martti Vainio's 10,000m championship record with 27:23.44 in the 10,000m and Ireland’s Mark English broke the 800m championship record held by East Germany's Olaf Beyer with a 1:43.49 performance in the semifinals en route to gold.
Switzerland’s Audrey Werro won a highly-awaited women’s 800m ahead of Keely Hodgkinson and Femke Broeders-Bol in 1:54.81, becoming the first woman to break the 1:55-barrier in European Athletics Championships history. The previous championship record of 1:55.41 dated back to 1982.
Two significant barriers were also broken in the men's throws. Kristjan Čeh became the first athlete to break the 70 metre-barrier in the discus, a feat he achieved with four of his six throws in the final, with a winning throw of 72.51m and Germany's Julian Weber broke the 90 metre-barrier in the sixth round of the javelin with 90.40m, the first 90 metre-plus throw with the current specification javelin.
Sweden's Armand Duplantis and Norway's Karsten Warholm also won their fourth successive European titles. Duplantis upped his championship record to 6.15m on a cold final evening at the Alexander Stadium and Warholm improved his championship record to 46.63 in the 400m hurdles.
Five events also made their debuts on the European Athletics Championships programme.
Spain's María Pérez and Italy's Sofia Fiorini established the first ever world records in the half marathon and marathon race walks respectively and a British team featuring four-time gold medallist Amy Hunt and Dina Asher-Smith broke the European record in the mixed 4x100m, becoming the first team to break the 40 second-barrier.
World records set (2)
Half marathon race walk - María Pérez (ESP) 1:30:06
Marathon race walk - Sofia Fiorini (ITA) 3:15:11
European records set (4)
Marathon race walk - Massimo Stano (ITA) 2:56:49
Half marathon race walk - María Pérez (ESP) 1:30:06
Marathon race walk - Sofia Fiorini (ITA) 3:15:11
Mixed 4x100m - United Kingdom of Great Britain & NI (GBR) 39.97
Championship records set (11)
Men
800m - Mark English (IRL) 1:43.49 (semifinals)
10,000m - Andreas Almgren (SWE) 27:23.44
400m hurdles - Karsten Warholm (NOR) 46.63
Marathon - Amanal Petros (GER) 2:09:11
Pole vault - Armand Duplantis (SWE) 6.15m
Discus throw - Kristjan Čeh (SLO) 72.51m
Javelin throw - Julian Weber (GER) 90.40m
4x400m - Italy (ITA) 2:58.10 (heat)
Women
800m - Audrey Werro (SUI) 1:54.81
Marathon - Alisa Vainio (FIN) 2:22:26
Mixed
4x400m - Norway (NOR) 3:09.62
Note: the half marathon and marathon race walks and mixed 4x100m were being held for the first time at the European Athletics Championships
Championship bests set (2)
Decathlon shot put - Leo Neugebauer (GER) 17.13m
Decathlon discus throw - Leo Neugebauer (GER) 54.31m
European U23 records (1)
Marathon race walk - Sofia Fiorini (ITA) 3:15:11
World leads (5)
Men
Triple jump - Andy Díaz Hernández (ITA) 18.15m
Hammer throw - Bence Halász (HUN) 84.25m
Marathon race walk - Massimo Stano (ITA) 2:56:49
Women
Half marathon race walk - María Pérez (ESP) 1:30:06
Marathon race walk - Sofia Fiorini (ITA) 3:15:11
European leads (14)
Men
200m - Owen Ansah (GER) 20.04 (semifinal)
Triple jump - Andy Díaz Hernández (ITA) 18.15m
Hammer throw - Bence Halász (HUN) 84.25m
Javelin throw - Julian Weber (GER) 90.40m
Marathon race walk - Massimo Stano (ITA) 2:56:49
4x400m - Italy (ITA) 2:58.10 (heat)
Women
200m - Amy Hunt (GBR) 22.19
400m - Henriette Jæger (NOR) 49.04
Triple jump - Dariya Derkach (ITA) 14.60m
Half marathon race walk- María Pérez (ESP) 1:30:06
Marathon race walk - Sofia Fiorini (ITA) 3:15:11
4x100m - United Kingdom of Great Britain & NI (GBR) 42.05
Mixed
4x100m - United Kingdom of Great Britain & NI (GBR) 39.97
4x400m - Norway (NOR) 3:09.62
National records set (38)
Men
200m - Riku Illukka (FIN) 20.38 (semifinal)
400m - Jonas Phijffers (NED) 44.41
10,000m - Baldvin Magnusson (ISL) 28:25.67
400m hurdles - Oskar Edlund (SWE) 47.81 (semifinal)
400m hurdles - Matic Ian Gucek (SLO) 48.03 (semifinal)
4x400m - Italy (ITA) 2:58.10 (heat)
4x400m - Hungary (HUN) 3:01.24 (heat)
4x400m - Denmark (DEN) 3:02.19 (heat)
4x400m - Hungary (HUN) 2:59.68
Triple jump - Andy Díaz Hernández (ITA) 18.15m
Hammer throw - Bence Halász (HUN) 84.25m
Half marathon race walk - Mukola Rushchak (UKR) 1:24:12
Half marathon race walk - Maher Ben Hlima (POL) 1:26:14
Marathon race walk - Perseus Karlström (SWE) 3:00:18
Marathon race walk - Bence Venyercsán (HUN) 3:01:18
Marathon race walk - Maryan Zakalnytskyy (UKR) 3:04:38
Women
200m - Rhasidat Adeleke (IRL) 22.28
400m - Henriette Jæger (NOR) 49.04
800m - Eloisa Coiro (ITA) 1:57.56 (heat)
800m - Georgia-Maria Despollari (GRE) 1:59.29 (heat)
400m hurdles - Fatoumata Binta Diallo (POR) 53.55
3000m steeplechase - Andreea Stavila-Grosu (MDA) 9:34.40 (heat)
4x100m - Hungary (HUN) 42.84 (heat)
4x100m - Portugal (POR) 43.06 (heat)
4x100m - Ireland (IRL) 43.13 (heat)
4x400m - Slovak Republic (SVK) 3:27.02 (heat)
Triple jump - Yekaterina Sariyeva (AZE) 13.91 (qualification)
Javelin throw - Leonie Hügli (SUI) 62.33 (qualification)
Heptathlon - Kate O'Connor (IRL) 6751
Heptathlon - María Vicente (ESP) 6372
Half marathon race walk - Lyudmila Olyanovska (UKR) 1:31:07
Half marathon race walk - Tiziana Spiller (HUN) 1:35:32
Half marathon race walk - Vitória Oliveira (POR) 1:36:10
Half marathon race walk - Modra Liepina (LAT) 1:48:58
Marathon race walk - Katarzyna Zdzieblo (POL) 3:19:50
Marathon race walk - Joana Pontes (POR) 3:41:36
Marathon race walk - Ayse Aslan (TUR) 3:43:29
Mixed
4x400m - Norway (NOR) 3:09.62
Note: some marks in the half marathon and marathon race walks are still not considered as national records
National records equalled (3)
Men
400m hurdles - Matej Baluch (SVK) 48.94 (heat)
Women
100m - Ann Marii Kivikas (EST) 11.35 (heat)
800m - Femke Broeders-Bol (NED) 1:55.54