What did the medal winners have to say at the Birmingham 2026 European Athletics Championships?
European Athletics picks out some of the best quotes from the medal winners from across an unforgettable week of competition in Birmingham.
Jakob Ingebrigtsen on coming back from "the lowest of the lows..."
"Coming from the lowest of lows to be European champion again means the world to me. Not even I believed it could happen coming here. Only with 600 metres to go, I knew I would win. I doubted myself every day coming into this and every minute leading up to the last lap today, but I'm always hoping to do my best. I've tried my best and the last three weeks was very smooth."
Florian Bremm on belonging and a breakthrough silver medal...
"It's my third real championship race at this level so I'm not as used to this as Jakob is or being at the front either. It's surreal and I felt like I wasn't in the right place. Even with 15 seconds to go I thought to myself 'oh s***, I shouldn't be here. I have raced with Jakob since the junior cross country [at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships] and I was always at the back chasing him and being a fanboy like everyone else."
Leonardo Fabbri on being scared...
"Rome was special because I had my home crowd there and I was super confident. I was never doubting myself, I never thought about losing. Today, I was scared. I did not enjoy it so much - so I would say that this one is better."
Nadine Visser on an "unnecessary" winning margin...
"Winning by 0.001, this was unnecessary. I'm a really big perfectionist, always thinking about things that could have gone better. Waiting for the photo finish, I wasn't really thinking about whether I would get the gold medal or not, I just felt this wasn't the perfect race. In the end it doesn't matter because it was enough."
"Indoors, I have shown at so many events what I'm capable of. But outdoors it never quite worked out. Of course that gets you thinking about it. I have had so much bad luck physically during the Europeans outdoors but I have been the best European athlete at the Olympics and Worlds. That's nice but you just want to have medals around your neck."
Pia Skrzyszowska on getting her revenge in Silesia...
"Now I have a complete collection of medals from the European championships - gold, silver and bronze. But of course with this one, a thousandth of a second cost me gold. I lost it only on the dip at the line. It hurts. At the same time, I am happy for Nadine Visser because it is her first individual gold medal (outdoors). I will prepare for revenge in two years time in Silesia. For sure, I am going to win gold there."
Miltiadis Tentoglou on starting a new chapter...
"This was one of the hardest finals I have ever done. I am good in all conditions but this wind was so hard on us long jumpers. It was changing all the time and always negative. This is one of my most precious victories because it is also a complex season for me. This is the start of winning golds again."
Jason Joseph on his closest friend...
"When I'm standing at the start line and seeing those hurdles, there's nothing much I think about to be honest. I'm happy I have those barriers (hurdles) - they are my closest friends in the race. I think we have a really nice relationship."
Emily Newnham on running freely...
"It's always scary when you know what you're capable of because if I don't live up to that, it can hurt even more. Although failure is inevitable, I'm not afraid of it. When I'm not afraid I can run so freely. That was my strength today."
Saliyya Guisse's journey from non-selection to silver...
"It is incredible. At first, the Belgian Federation didn't even select me for these championships. Right now, I have a European silver medal [in the women's triple jump] - that is insane. I am a very competitive person and when I got selected. I really wanted to go and show I could win a medal."
Sander Skotheim on holding on to decathlon bronze in the 1500m...
"I'm always a bit worried. If someone is suddenly going to run 3:30 and challenge Jakob Ingebrigtsen, it is going to be Jeff Tesselaar, so if it's him [who takes the pace out], I worry. I just stayed with my own race plan, trusted myself and it worked. I am very happy. I have gotten some tips before [from Jakob] I tried to listen, but I feel like every race lives its own life."
Gianmarco Tamberi on defying the odds again...
"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. And that is all what matters. I had a very difficult two years, a lot of problems and issues, but I knew I could have done it. I never stopped believing, never stopped investing in this and I am happy."
Jana Van Lent on overcoming an allergic reaction to 10,000m bronze...
"Seven years ago, I had an anaphylactic shock and I haven't had any issues like that since, until last Saturday. I suddenly got an allergic reaction, which meant my participation at these championships was in doubt. We don't know what triggered it, but it affected my breath."
"It was a very tough few days, so I am happy I was fit enough and was cleared earlier this week. I took it day by day to see if I could compete, but to be honest I refused to give up. That positive mindset got me the bronze today."
Femke Broeders-Bol on equalling the Dutch 800m record...
"Equaling the national record [1:55.54 from Ellen van Langen in 1992] is just superb. Ellen is a real legend of our sport and to share that national record with her is extra special. When I saw my time, it got me thinking. I was like: was I faster than the national record, or is it the national record? When I saw equal NR on the scoreboard, I was so happy. It is crazy to have that one, alongside the medal."
Jorinde Van Klinken on juggling the shot put and the discus...
"There's been a lot of discussion about me doing the combination of discus and shot put, and I am sure people will keep on asking about it. I think, with these results, we can close that chapter, that discussion. I think I am absolutely world class in both events and these medals go to show that. I have proved it is possible. I'm still young, too, so I'm sure it will only get better."
Andreas Almgren on suffering in the 10,000m...
"There was such a good atmosphere around this whole stadium so I thought I might as well go for it, for that record. I really needed that support, as during the last five laps, I felt like I was dying. I did not know it was a championship record until now. If someone's going to beat me they're going to have to suffer for it. I'm in the best 10,000m shape of my life."
Alexandrina Mihai on her love for Birmingham...
"I love that we came to Birmingham for this race [half marathon race walk where she won silver] as I am a huge fan of Peaky Blinders. My season is over now so I can rest and enjoy my holiday before we go again. But first I have to go and find the Peaky Blinders spots in Birmingham."
Emmanouil Karalis on his enduring friendship with Duplantis...
"Mondo was saying to me when we finished that we need to go get a beer together. He's gonna text me later to see where we can go. Should be a fun night."
Georgia Hunter Bell on winning four titles in 2026 and being a role model...
"I think I need a little break before I even start thinking about the fourth gold at 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."
"Some people have told me that I am inspiring the older runners as well as all the youngsters. I really love seeing people who have got jobs coming back into sport. Hopes and dreams aren't just for kids, it's important for adults to have them as well. Doing sport at any age is so cool, you can get such a good quality of life from it, so just go for it."
