2025 was a truly record-breaking year with no fewer than 20 European records set across the year.
Among some of the notable barriers to be broken, Lithuania's Mykolas Alekna became the first man to break the 75 metre-barrier in the discus and Norway's Jakob Ingebrigtsen became the first athlete to break the 3:30-barrier for 1500m indoors.
Armand Duplantis broke the world record in the pole vault four times, taking the world record up to 6.30m, while his Swedish compatriot Andreas Almgren became the first European distance runner to break the 27 minute-barrier for 10km and the 59 minute-barrier for the half marathon.
12 January - 10km
26:53 Andreas Almgren (SWE) Valencia
Almgren became the first European to break the 27 minute-barrier for 10km, clocking 26:53 for victory in the Valencia Ibercaja 10K.
1-2 February - Heptathlon (short track)
6484 Sander Skotheim (NOR) Tallinn
With a lung-busting 2:37.85 1000m, Skotheim eclipsed Kevin Mayer’s European indoor heptathlon record of 6479 points by just five points in Tallinn.
4 February - 50m (short track)
50m - 5.69 Romell Glave (GBR) Ostrava
A 50m split was taken in the 60m at the Czech Indoor Gala in Ostrava where Romell Glave was credited with the European record of 5.69 en route to a third-place finish in 6.56.
8 February - mile (short track)
3:47.56 Azeddine Habz (FRA) New York, NY
Habz briefly held the European indoor mile record with 3:47.56 to finish fourth at the Millrose Games in a race won by Yared Nuguse in a world record of 3:46.63. However, neither record would last for longer than five days.
9 February - 5km road (mx)
14:39 Diane Van Es (NED) Monaco
Van Es won the Monaco Run 5km in a European record of 14:39.
13 February - 1500m / mile
3:29.63+ Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR) Lievin*
3:45.14 Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR) Lievin*
Ingebrigtsen grabbed the headlines on his season’s debut in Lievin, prising the world indoor mile record away from Nuguse with 3:45.14. And for good measure, Ingebrigtsen broke the world indoor 1500m record en route with 3:29.63 to become the first athlete to break the 3:30-barrier indoors.
14 February - 5000m (short track)
12:54.92 Jimmy Gressier (FRA) Boston, MA
In a race won by Grant Fisher in Boston in a world indoor 5000m record of 12:44.09, Jimmy Gressier broke the European record in second with 12:54.92 to move to eighth on the world indoor all-time list.
28 February - pole vault
6.27m Armand Duplantis (SWE) Clermont-Ferrand*
In just his second competition of 2025, Armand Duplantis set his first of four world records in 2025 with a 6.27m clearance at the All-Star Perche in Clermont-Ferrand.
7 March - 60m hurdles
7.67 Ditaji Kambundji (SUI) Apeldoorn
In one of the most competitive finals of the European Athletics Indoor Championships, Ditaji Kambundji blazed to the 60m hurdles title in 7.67, eclipsing Susanna Kallur’s previous European record by 0.01 and just missing the world record by 0.02.
7-8 March - Heptathlon (short track)
6558 Sander Skotheim (NOR) Apeldoorn
Skotheim set his second European record of 2025 at the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn. He was pushed to the brink by Simon Ehammer who also surpassed the previous European record with 6506 points, the first time two athletes had broken the 6500 points-barrier in the same competition.
16 March - 5km road
12:57 Jimmy Gressier (FRA) Lille
A second European record of 2025 for Gressier. He became the first European to break the 13 minute-barrier on the roads for 5km with 12:57 for victory in Lille to move to fifth on the world all-time list.
13 April - discus
75.56m Mykolas Alekna (LTU) Ramona, OK*
Alekna broke another barrier in Ramona, becoming the first discus thrower to break the 75 metre-line with 75.56m. He broke his previous world record of 74.35m twice, also throwing 74.89m.
3 May - 5km road
14:32** Nadia Battocletti (ITA) Tokyo
Battocletti broke her first European record on the roads over 5km in Tokyo, clocking 14:32 to shave seconds off a mark set by Diane Van Es only a few months prior to Monaco.
18 May - 35km race walk
2:20:43 Massimo Stano (ITA) Podebrady*
Two years after Maria Perez broke the world record in the women’s 35km race walk at the European Race Walking Team Championships, Massimo Stano followed suit in the men’s 35km race walk. After a conservative start, Stano clocked 2:20:43 to break Evan Dunfee’s world record by 57 seconds.
15 June - pole vault
6.28m Armand Duplantis (SWE) Stockholm*
There are very few things that Duplantis had yet to accomplish but the Swede had never broken a world record on home soil. However, the 12th world record of Duplantis’ unparalleled career came in front of his adoring fans in the Stockholm Diamond League where he vaulted 6.28m.
15 June - 5000m
12:44.27 Andreas Almgren (SWE) Stockholm
And just moments after Duplantis broke the world record in the pole vault, Almgren shattered the European 5000m record in front of his home fans with victory in 12:44.27 which remained the fastest time in the world in 2025.
12 August - pole vault
6.29m Armand Duplantis (SWE) Budapest*
Duplantis broke the world record for the 13th time at the Istvan Gyulai Memorial in Budapest.
15 September - pole vault
6.30m Armand Duplantis (SWE) Tokyo*
And a 14th world record came at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo where Duplantis cleared 6.30m on his third attempt to add extra lustre to an evening which saw the Swede win his third successive world pole vault title.
26 October - half marathon
58:41 Andreas Almgren (SWE) Valencia
After becoming the first European to break the 27 minute-barrier for 10km, Almgren capped a historic year by becoming the first European to run inside 59 minutes for the half marathon. The Swede broke Julien Wanders’ previous European record of 59:13 by more than half-a-minute with 58:41 in Valencia.
*denotes also a world record
** denotes yet to be ratified