It is time for Day 6. The action gets underway early, with the men’s and women’s half marathon race walks and the men’s marathon race walk.
We will also see the men’s 1500m final and find out who will be crowned Europe’s best men's javelin thrower.
Don’t forget that you can play along by predicting the medallists in every event throughout Birmingham 2026, with the chance to win a VIP trip for two to the Valencia 2027 European Athletics Indoor Championships!
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Here are my picks for Day 6…
Men’s Triple Jump
1. Pedro Pichardo (Portugal)
2. Andy Díaz Hernández (Italy)
3. Andrea Dallavalle (Italy)
Both Pichardo and Díaz Hernández looked comfortable in qualifying. Díaz Hernández comes into the final with the better season’s best, but Pichardo has the stronger championship pedigree.
The fact that he won the world title just one year ago makes me rank him slightly higher. Dallavalle finished second in that World Championship final and is third on the European list this year.
Women’s High Jump
1. Yaroslava Mahuchikh (Ukraine)
2. Angelina Topic (Serbia)
3. Louise Ekman (Sweden)
World record-holder Mahuchikh and Topic are the only two women to have cleared two metres this year. Ekman would be a surprise medallist, but she looked good in qualifying and could put herself in contention.
Men’s Javelin Throw
1. Julian Weber (Germany)
2. Jakub Vadlejch (Czech Republic)
3. Nick Thumm (Germany)
Weber and Vadlejch are the only two 90-metre throwers in the field. Weber won the title four years ago and finished second two years ago, when Vadlejch took the gold. Thumm is the young German who has made huge strides in his development over the past two years.
Men’s Half Marathon Race Walk
1. Francesco Fortunato (Italy)
2. Leo Köpp (Germany)
3. Andrea Cosi (Italy)
Fortunato won bronze at the European Championships on home soil two years ago and now comes into the championships as the European leader. Leo Köpp is a strong medal contender thanks to his experience at the highest level and his ability to maintain a strong pace over long distances. Cosi has yet to win an international medal, but is one of only a few athletes in the field with a season’s best under 1:24.
Women’s Half Marathon Race Walk
1. Antonella Palmisano (Italy)
2. Lyudmyla Olyanovska (Ukraine)
3. María Pérez (Spain)
Palmisano won European gold in the 20km race walk in Rome two years ago and now arrives in Birmingham as the European leader on the 2026 list. Olyanovska won bronze in Rome and has continued to show a high level of form, while María Pérez won two world titles one year ago.
Men’s Marathon Race Walk
1. Massimo Stano (Italy)
2. Bence Venyercsán (Hungary)
3. Perseus Karlström (Sweden)
Karlström won European gold over 20km in Rome two years ago and will now make his debut over the marathon distance, coming off a 3:04:50.
Stano is a former Olympic and world champion and set a world record over 35km last year, but has struggled with injuries and is also making a comeback. Venyercsán is Europe’s fastest this year with 3:03:45 and impressed with victory in Dudince.
Women’s Marathon Race Walk
1. Sofia Fiorini (Italy)
2. Katarzyna Zdziebło (Poland)
3. Raquel González (Spain)
Fiorini comes into the championships as the European leader after clocking 3:25:42, and she also won silver at the World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships in Brasília this spring. Zdziebło is the reigning world champion over 35km and has by far the strongest championship pedigree in the field.
González lacks experience over the marathon distance, but is an established championship race walker over the shorter distances and could be an interesting medal contender.
Women’s 400m
1. Henriette Jæger (Norway)
2. Natalia Bukowiecka (Poland)
3. Lieke Klaver (Netherlands)
As the European leader, Jæger will carry the favourite tag. She also impressed in the mixed relay. Bukowiecka was the fastest in the semi-finals, clocking 49.57, while Klaver won her semi-final and has the experience needed to challenge for gold.
Men’s 10,000m
1. Andreas Almgren (Sweden)
2. Dominic Lokinyomo Lobalu (Switzerland)
3. Jimmy Gressier (France)
The European record-holder over both the half marathon and 5000m, Andreas Almgren will carry the favourite tag. He impressed when winning his most recent Diamond League race and is the fastest athlete in Europe over the half marathon distance. Lobalu is the reigning European champion, while Gressier is the reigning world champion, although both raced earlier in the week over 5000m.
Men’s 1500m
1. Jake Heyward (Great Britain)
2. Isaac Nader (Portugal)
3. Jake Wightman (Great Britain)
Heyward impressed in the semi-finals, Nader is the reigning world champion, and you can never count Wightman out. He may not have had the Commonwealth Games performance he was hoping for, but he has a finishing kick that few can match.
Men’s 4x100m Relay
1. Great Britain
2. Germany
3. Netherlands
Great Britain will carry the favourite tag on home soil following an impressive British one-two in the 100m, with Romell Glave beating Jeremiah Azu. Germany won bronze at the World Relays and has plenty of sprint depth, while the Netherlands have shown that they can compete with the best in Europe in the relay.
Women’s 4x100m Relay
1. Great Britain
2. Germany
3. Poland
Great Britain will be the favourites on home soil after Amy Hunt won both the 100m and 200m in Birmingham. Germany have plenty of championship experience and finished third at the World Relays earlier this year, while Poland have a strong sprint line-up featuring the likes of Ewa Swoboda and Pia Skrzyszowska.
Ones to Watch
Iryna Gerashchenko – The Ukrainian high jumper has cleared the two-metre barrier earlier in her career and won Olympic bronze two years ago.
Isaac Kimeli – The Belgian 10,000m runner who won silver in the 5000m at last year’s World Championships.
Lurdes Gloria Manuel – The 400m runner impressed hugely with 49.81 in the semi-finals and could challenge for a medal.
Robert Farken – The German 1500m runner is still waiting for his first international medal. He has a finishing kick that could trouble plenty of his rivals.
Italy – The men’s team has plenty of individual quality and could take advantage if one of the leading favourites makes a mistake in the exchanges.
Bonus Question: How many athletes will finish under 28:00.00 in the men’s 10,000m final?
Andreas Almgren is unlikely to want a particularly slow race, which could lead to a fast finish and a number of athletes breaking 28 minutes. The cooler conditions should also make for a faster race.
My prediction: 4
Katharine Merry is an Olympic 400m bronze medallist and a respected athletics commentator and presenter