Reigning European champion Leonardo Fabbri leads the 2026 European list by more than one metre after launching a world lead of 22.74m in the Eugene Diamond League at the start of July.
In fact, Fabbri has broken the 22 metre-barrier in four of his last five competitions, including in his home stadium at the Italian Championships in Florence with 22.43m ahead of his training partner Zane Weir who produced a season’s best of 21.42m, the second longest throw by a European in 2026.
European record - Ulf Timmermann (GDR/GER) 23.06m
European lead - Leonardo Fabbri (ITA) 22.74m
Championship record - Leonardo Fabbri (ITA) 22.45m
Roma 2024 medallists
Leonardo Fabbri (ITA) 22.45m
Filip Mihaljević (CRO) 21.20m
Michał Haratyk (POL) 20.94m
Five to watch
- Leonardo Fabbri (ITA)
- Zane Weir (ITA)
- Wictor Petersson (SWE)
- Konrad Bukowiecki (POL)
- Scott Lincoln (GBR)
On paper, Fabbri begins as the outstanding favourite to retain his title but in reality, the Italian hasn’t always translated his best form to the major championships, most notably at the 2025 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn where a tearful Fabbri exited in qualifying.
The main beneficiary was Romania’s Andrei Toader who was a surprise winner of the title ahead of Sweden’s Wictor Petersson. Toader and Petersson are seventh and third respectively on the 2026 European list with marks of 21.38m and 21.08m.
It has been more than 50 years since the late Geoff Capes won Great Britain’s last medal in the event with bronze at the 1974 European Athletics Championships but Scott Lincoln will be in contention to follow in his footsteps.
And if Lincoln does make the podium, it will be a widely popular medal for the stalwart of British shot putting who has finished a frustrating fourth at the last edition of the European and World Athletics Indoor Championships as well as the 2024 European Athletics Championships.
Lincoln, who has a season’s best of 21.16m, is one of eight European throwers to have broken the 21 metre-barrier this year and arrives fresh from winning his second bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
However, it is by no means inconceivable that Italy could take an entire sweep of the medals. Behind Fabbri and Weir, 2022 European fourth-placer Nick Ponzio is fifth on the 2026 European list with a season’s best of 21.23m.
Other medal contenders include Poland’s Konrad Bukowiecki and Czechia’s Tomáš Stanek. At their best, both shot putters have handsomely surpassed the 22 metre-line although their season’s bests stand at comparatively modest marks of 21.34m and 21.00m respectively.
Both shot putters have been on European podiums in the past as well. Bukowiecki won silver in Berlin 2018 with Stanek taking bronze four years later in Munich.