Finland’s Silja Kosonen won the first major senior title of her career with a mighty throw of 76.28m in the women’s hammer at the Birmingham 2026 European Athletics Championships on Wednesday (12).
In summary
- Kosonen wins first major title
- Defending champion Fantini settles for silver with 74.35m opener
- Norway’s Beatrice Nedberge Llano lands breakthrough bronze with 72.88m
As a world U20, European U23 and European U20 gold medallist, Silja Kosonen has long promised to make a big impact in the sport.
And after several near misses, including finishing fourth and fifth across five Olympic, world and European finals, she finally delivered the big one.
Fantani fight
She opened modestly enough with 69.76m as defending champion Sara Fantini began in superb style with a booming throw of 74.35m.
The Italian showed she was not going to give up her title without a fight. But Kosonen took over in the second round with 74.97m and then extended her advantage with 76.28m in the third round.
It was the sort of distance that no one else in the field ever looked like matching, and she cemented her superiority with further throws of 74.05m and 75.47m in the fourth and sixth rounds.
Fantini could not improve on her opening-round effort, but it was good enough for silver. Bronze went to Norway’s Beatrice Nedberge Llano with a solid opener of 72.88m, her first ever major medal crowning a breakthrough season.
In her seventh European final, four-time champion Anita Wlodarczyk of Poland made a resolute effort to win another major medal but had to settle for fourth with a best of 72.37m.
Finnish record-holder Krista Tervo, who had led the entries coming into Birmingham 2026, missed the cut and placed 11th with 67.74m.
Pichardo and Diaz Hernandez both progress
In the men's triple jump qualifiers, world champion Pedro Pichardo and world indoor champion Andy Diaz Hernandez of Italy both safely progressed to Thursday's final with one jump each, landing at 17.16m (0.4m/s) and 17.05m (-0.2m/s).
Full results
What they said...
Silja Kosonen: "I came for gold. I ended fourth or fifth too many times before. But coming here, I felt confident. I had a good season, felt consistent and have not had too many injuries or any problems. I felt good and confident.
"A first major senior medal - it means a lot. Having gold only from juniors, I felt some people in Finland as never getting a medal and always just missing out. So now I got the gold and can smile.
"I had no special mental preparation. I just feel like a confident thrower and I just love to compete. I do not care very much about what other people say. I hear what the others say but I try to not to think about it too much and this attitude just won me a gold medal.
"Hopefully, I will win a gold medal at the world championships next year and then the Olympic medal."
Beatrice Nedberge Llano: "It doesn't feel real. I'm just trying to take it all in. I was just trying to focus during the final and just trying to put my throws together.
"This year I've been lucky when it comes to injuries. In previous years I had a lot of them. This time I was able to train through most of fall and winter.
"I did a lot of work mentally and physically to get here. I just have a better form of prep this year. It's really nice to see it all come together."