It was a race nobody in the Alexander Stadium will forget.
After falling in yesterday’s 800m semifinals and only being advanced by the referee, Switzerland’s Audrey Werro held off Keely Hodgkinson and Femke Broeders-Bol for gold in a blockbuster women’s 800m which lived up to its billing.
Werro was shadowed by Hodgkinson as the pair rounded the final bend but the long-striding Swiss kept the reigning two-time champion at bay, stopping the clocking at 1:54.81 to break a championship record which dates all the way back to 1982.
In total, three championship records fell across the day. Norway’s Karsten Warholm stormed to his fourth successive European title in the 400m hurdles in bullish fashion, lowering his own championship record to 46.63. This was his second gold medal of the championships having won the mixed 4x400m on the first night of the championships, also in a championship record.
The Italian 4x400m team also erased a championship record which dates back to the 1990 European Athletics Championships. Their team won the first heat of the men's 4x400m in 2:58.10, breaking Great Britain & NI’s mark of 2:58.22 which had stood for 36 years.
The Italian success story continued into the evening session. Nadia Battocletti unleashed her trademark sprint finish to defend her 10,000m title and complete back-to-back 5000/10,000m doubles at the European Athletics Championships and Gianmarco Tamberi landed a fourth European high jump title on the same day as his daughter’s birthday.
After silver in the shot put, Jorinde Van Klinken from the Netherlands upgraded to gold in the discus and Germany’s Owen Ansah won gold in the 200m ahead of British favourite Zharnel Hughes.
Day five champions
Women’s 800m - Audrey Werro (SUI)
Women’s discus - Jorinde Van Klinken (NED)
Women’s 10,000m - Nadia Battocletti (ITA)
Men’s 200m - Owen Ansah (GER)
Men’s 400m hurdles - Karsten Warholm (NOR)
Men’s high jump - Gianmarco Tamberi (ITA)
Stat of the day
European 400m hurdles champion Emma Zapletalová ran the fastest leg of the women's 4x400m heats with a 49.3 split for Slovakia.
Surprise of the day
Nobody can doubt Gianmarco Tamberi’s championship pedigree but the Italian has been beset by injury problems since winning gold in Rome and has only cleared 2.23m this season. Tamberi added nine centimetres to his season’s best to land his fourth European title.
Quote of the day
Gianmarco Tamberi (ITA): "This fourth title was 100% the toughest. I guess nobody would bet on me before the final. Only me, my wife and that is all."
Photo of the day
Gianmarco Tamberi celebrates his fourth European high jump title
Championship records set (3)
Women’s 800m - Audrey Werro (SUI)
Men’s 4x400m - Italy (ITA) 2:58.10
Men’s 400m hurdles - Karsten Warholm (NOR) 46.63
National records set (5)
Women’s javelin - Leonie Hugli (SUI) 62.33m
Women’s 4x400m - Slovakia (SVK) 3:27.02
Men’s 4x400m - Italy (ITA) 2:58.10
Men’s 4x400m - Hungary (HUN) 3:01.24
Men’s 4x400m - Denmark (DEN) 3:02.19
National records equalled
Women’s 800m - Femke Broeders-Bol (NED) 1:55.54
What to watch tomorrow?
Five athletes breaking the 50 second-barrier has further whetted the appetite for the women’s 400m final.
The line-up includes reigning European champion Natalia Bukowiecka who will face stellar opposition from European indoor champion Lieke Klaver as well as Czechia’s Lurdes Gloria Manuel and Great Britain’s Amber Anning, the last two world indoor champions.
However, the slight favourite is Norway’s Henriette Jaeger who will be aiming to double her gold medal tally having already anchored Norway to gold in the mixed 4x400m on the first night of these championships.
Amy Hunt will be chasing her third gold medal of the European Athletics Championships. Already a gold medallist in the 100m and 200m, the flying Brit is expected to play a starring role for the hosts in the women’s 4x100m.
There will be further medal hopes in the men’s 1500m with the British triumvirate of Jake Wightman, Jake Heyward and Arlo Ludewick all safely qualifying from this morning’s heats. The final could possibly be a rematch of the 2025 World Athletics Championships with Portugal’s Isaac Nader, who pipped Wightman for gold last year, also safely qualifying.