The opening day of the Birmingham 2026 European Athletics Championships gets off to a flying start, with five finals on the programme on Monday (10).
Among the highlights, Europe's fastest woman will be crowned at Alexander Stadium.
You can play along by trying to predict the medallists in every event throughout Birmingham 2026 and be in with a chance of winning a VIP Trip for two to the Valencia 2027 European Athletics Indoor Championships!
Plus, there are daily prizes for top points scorers, including signed athlete bibs and European Athletics goodies.
Play The Predictor now and don't forget to download the European Athletics app from the App Store or Google Play!
Day 1 picks...
Women's Shot Put
1. Jessica Schilder (Netherlands)
2. Yemisi Mabry (Germany)
3. Fanny Roos (Sweden)
Schilder is the defending champion, world champion and the world leader this season. Mabry (formerly Ogunleye) is the reigning Olympic champion who has thrown beyond 20 metres this season and Roos is a consistent performer with plenty of experience and two European Championship medals to her name.
Men's Shot Put
1. Leonardo Fabbri (Italy)
2. Zane Weir (Italy)
3. Konrad Bukowiecki (Poland)
Fabbri is the defending champion and the second-farthest European shot putter of all time. He has been unbeaten since 25 June this year. Both Weir and Bukowiecki have also thrown beyond 22 metres in their careers.
Men's 5000m
1. Jimmy Gressier (France)
2. Jakob Ingebrigtsen (Norway)
3. Dominic Lobalu (Switzerland)
A fascinating race. Gressier is reigning world 10,000m champion and the European 5k road record holder. Ingebrigtsen has dominated this event as Olympic and European champion, but has not competed this year with a persistent Achilles injury. Lobalu is the European leader and bronze medallist two years ago. Strap in!
Mixed 4x400m Relay
1. Great Britain
2. Netherlands
3. France
The home nation boasts outstanding depth across both the men's and women's 400m squads, the Netherlands are the reigning Olympic champions and remain a relay powerhouse and France have built impressive depth in the one-lap events in recent years.
Women's 100m
1. Amy Hunt (Great Britain)
2. Géraldine Di Tizio-Frey (Switzerland)
3. Ewa Swoboda (Poland)
Hunt, the 24-year-old home favourite who won world silver over 200 metres last year trails Di Tizio-Frey by just one hundredth of a second in the European rankings heading into the championships. Swoboda is the 2019 European indoor champion over 60 metres, who also claimed silver at the last European Championships in Rome.
Ones to Watch
Axelina Johansson – The Swede's form has dipped slightly this season, but she claimed her second NCAA shot put title in the spring. She was also named the NCAA Women's Outdoor Track & Field Athlete of the Year and arrives in Birmingham ranked third in Europe.
Florian Bremm – The German has taken major strides in his development this year, breaking the coveted 13-minute barrier for the first time by running under 13:00 in the 5000m.
Dina Asher-Smith – Although she sits lower down the seasonal rankings, the British star has a wealth of championship experience and achievements that few can match. Competing in front of a home crowd could give her an extra edge.
Nick Ponzio – Italy boasts three of Europe's top five shot putters this season, with Ponzio ranked fifth. An all-Italian podium is certainly a realistic possibility.
Norway – With the possibility of Henriette Jaeger and Karsten Warholm teaming up, Norway are strong contenders in thee mixed 4x400m
Bonus Question - What will be the winning time in the men's 5000m?
The winning time at the last three championships has been around 13:20, with Jakob Ingebrigtsen taking the title on each occasion. He is back again this year and is unlikely to want the pace to be too slow over the second half of the race.
My prediction: 13.20:00
Katharine Merry is an Olympic 400m bronze medallist and a respected athletics commentator and presenter