Yemi Mary John became the first European to break the 50 second-barrier in the 400m in 2026 with a 49.85 performance at the SEIKO Golden Grand Prix in Tokyo, a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting, on Sunday (17).
A fortnight after anchoring Great Britain to bronze in the mixed 4x400m at the World Relays in Gaborone, John made a big individual breakthrough in the Japanese capital, slashing 0.65 from her previous lifetime best to become the ninth Brit in history to break the 50 second-barrier in the 400m.
John, who was contesting her first individual 400m of the outdoor season, won by a clear margin from United States’ Bailey Lear in 50.42 with Puerto Rico’s Gabby Scott third in 52.11.
Having won silver and gold medals at the European Athletics U23 Championships, John will be looking to make an impact on home soil this summer at the 2026 European Athletics Championships in Birmingham from 10-16 August.
Reigning European champion Jakub Vadlejch from Czechia was back in form after an injury-ravaged 2025 season. He won the javelin in Tokyo with 85.24m.
There were also notable European wins for Türkiye’s 2023 European U23 champion Ismail Nezir who won the 400m hurdles in a lifetime best of 48.25 and for Romania’s Elena Andreea Talos who won the triple jump with a marginally wind-aided 13.99m (2.3).
In a race won by Noah Lyles in 9.95, 18-year-old Brit Jake Odey-Jordan clocked a PB of 10.07 to finish third in the 100m. He moves to equal fourth on the European U20 all-time list alongside France’s Jimmy Vicaut.
8.21m season’s opener for Tentoglou
Reigning Olympic and European champion Miltiadis Tentoglou began his outdoor season with a jump of 8.21m on home soil at the Vergotia 2026, a World Athletics Continental Tour Challenger meeting, in Argostoli on Saturday (16).
In drizzly conditions which prompted Tentoglou to jump in his tights, Tentoglou also recorded a mark of 8.20m as he builds towards the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham where he will aim for his fourth successive long jump title.
2022 European champion Asier Martinez clocked 13.44 in the 110m hurdles at the Toni Bonet Athletic Meeting in Ibiza, a World Athletics Continental Tour Challenger meeting, on Saturday (16).
Blanca Hervas, who won two medals in the relays at the World Athletics Indoor Championships, won the 400m in 51.72.
On her return from injury which wiped out the entirety of her 2025 season, Phoebe Gill made a promising return from injury in the 1500m at the British Milers’ Club Grand Prix, a World Athletics Continental Tour Challenger meeting, on Saturday.
An Olympic 800m semifinalist in 2024 at the age of 17, Gill clocked 4:05.53 for victory in the 1500m, the second fastest time in history by a British U20 after Zola Budd with 3:59.96.
And another precocious youngster also set an early season lifetime best in Finland. 19-year-old Topi Parviainen, who set a European U18 best of 84.52m to win the javelin at the 2022 European Athletics U18 Championships, broke the 80 metre-barrier for the first time with the senior javelin with 81.91m in Vantaa.