Poland has held the men’s hammer title since the Amsterdam 2016 European Athletics Championships where Pawel Fajdek took gold before Wojciech Nowicki went to take the title three-times in a row.
But Birmingham could see the end of their reign as a host of challengers look to take the top spot of the podium, including Ukraine’s Mykhaylo Kokhan and France’s Yann Chaussinand.
European record - Yuriy Sedykh (URS), 86.74m
European lead - Yann Chaussinand (FRA), 82.44m
Championship record - Yuriy Sedykh (URS), 86.74m
Roma 2024 medallists:
- Wojciech Nowicki (POL), 80.95m
- Bence Halasz (HUN), 80.49m
- Mykhaylo Kokhan (UKR), 80.18m
Five names to watch:
- Yann Chaussinand (FRA)
- Mykhaylo Kokhan (UKR)
- Pawel Fajdek (POL)
- Bence Halasz (HUN)
- Merlin Hummel (GER)
Fajdek, the five-time world champion, has thrown a season’s best of 82.09m on his return from shoulder surgery, his best throw since 2021, to show that despite now being 37, he is still prepped to fight for gold.
However, Chaussinand looks a strong contender to win France’s first medal in the event, having thrown 82.44m this year as well as four additional competitions that saw him surpass 80 metres.
In fact, his only throws below 79 metres this year came in February and March, since then the Frenchman has been in great form and could be the one to end the Polish succession.
Though his closest competitor this season is hammer throw’s biggest showman, Kokhan who has threw a PB of 82.38m in June to move up to second in the European rankings this year.
The Ukrainian will be looking to upgrade his bronze medal from 2024, while also being desperate to avoid the fourth and fifth placed heartbreak he has experienced multiple times across the European, world and Olympic stages.
While Bence Halasz adopts a more quiet killer approach, he has won medals at the last three editions of these championships and will be eager to finally get his hands on gold.
All but one of Halasz’s competitions have been beyond 80 metres this year, as the Hungarian’s consistency puts him in good stead for a fourth consecutive podium.
Hungary’s top prospects continue with 20-year-old European U20 champion Armin Szabados who also made the world final last year. He has a PB of 80.95m and is an athlete to not let slip past your sight.
Germany’s Merlin Hummel could also cause trouble for the top ranked athletes after the now 24-year-old took fourth in 2024 before claiming the silver medal at the World Athletics Championships last year.
Less than two metres separate the top seven athletes, so it could come down to a matter of centimetres on the day to determine our 2026 medallists.