Frederik Ruppert made history earlier this season by breaking the European record and becoming the first European in history to break the 8:00-barrier for the distance with a 7:57.80 clocking in Rabat.
Only a few days later, Ruppert broke another significant barrier. He ran under 13 minutes for 5000m with a 12:57.61 clocking but the 29-year-old will be focusing solely on the 3000m steeplechase in Birmingham.
European record - Frederik Ruppert (GER) 7:57.80
European lead - Frederik Ruppert (GER) 7:57.80
Championship record - Mahiedine Mekhissi (FRA) 8:07.67
Roma 2024 medallists
Alexis Miellet (FRA) 8:14.01
Djilali Bedrani (FRA) 8:14.36
Karl Bebendorf (GER) 8:14.41
Five to watch
- Frederik Ruppert (GER)
- Karl Bebendorf (GER)
- Alexis Miellet (FRA)
- Daniel Arce (ESP)
- Ruben Querinjean (LUX)
On breaking the record, Ruppert said: "It's incredible to be the first European to break the 8:00-barrier. I have trained all winter with this one goal in my head. I didn't miss a single training day, so it feels great when it finally pays off. I am really looking forward to the European Championships and everything else is a bonus."
His biggest rival for the title is likely to be his compatriot Karl Bebendorf who won bronze in Rome two years ago ahead of Ruppert in fourth. Bebendorf, who also deputised for Ruppert to win at the European Athletics Team Championships last year, has improved to 8:05.55 this season when he took a notable victory in the Paris Diamond League in late June.
The reigning European champion is Alexis Miellet who won gold in Rome in just his fifth ever race at the distance. He became the sixth French winner of the 3000m steeplechase title from the last seven editions of the European Athletics Championships and also provided one half of a French double in Rome with Alice Finot winning the women's 3000m steeplechase title.
The former 1500m specialist was a DNF in his first two 3000m steeplechase races of the season but the 31-year-old showed much better form at the French Championships where he defeated a strong field to win his domestic title.
Miellet is joined on the French team by European U23 cross country bronze medallist Pierre Boudy, Baptiste Fourmont and 2024 European sixth-placer Nicolas-Marie Daru, the oldest athlete on the entry-list at 37.
Another veteran on the entry-list is 34-year-old Spaniard Daniel Arce who has finished no lower than sixth in the three 3000m steeplechase finals he has contested. His best showing so far was a bronze medal in Munich 2022.
Luxembourg will also have realistic hopes of winning their first European medal since David Fiegen won 800m silver in 2006. As well as Patrizia Van Der Weken in the 100m, the team also includes steeplechaser Ruben Querinjean who is the seventh fastest on the entry-list with a 8:14.22 season’s best.
Querinjean won the World University Games title last summer before finishing a creditable 10th at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo and was the second European finisher in the final behind Daru in seventh.