2026 European Athletics Championships in Birmingham: Mondo Duplantis, Keely Hodgkinson, Jakob Ingebrigtsen lead stars in action – how to watch live
The stars to watch at the 2026 European Athletics Championships in Birmingham
The women’s 800m has been a defining storyline of the outdoor season. In Birmingham, it might just rise to its peak.
Jarmila Kratochvílová’s 1983 world record of 1:53.28 has just turned 43 years old, and more than one member of the current women’s 800m crop has stated their intentions to break it.
Three women in history have dipped under 1:54, including Switzerland’s 22-year-old Audrey Werro.
This year, she became the first woman with two career times under 1:54, with both set in June.
Keely Hodgkinson is another who has set her eyes on that mark, and will be hoping to replicate fellow GB athlete Josh Kerr, who set a world record in front of a home crowd this year.
Hodgkinson is the reigning European and Olympic champion. Her training partner, Georgia Hunter Bell, is also in contention after storming to Commonwealth Games gold last week.
Since switching to the 800m, Femke Broeders-Bol has also proven herself to be a threat in a stacked field.
In the men’s pole vault, Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis will also be aiming to improve upon his own world record – although not everything has gone his way this season. After placing second in Diamond League meets in Monaco and Stockholm, he pulled out of London nursing an injury as a precautionary measure for Birmingham.
Back on the track, Olympic 5000m champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen will return to action in Birmingham. The Norwegian hasn’t raced in 2026 after an Achilles tendon surgery in January; he is schedule to compete in the 5000m on the opening day.
Other highlights include Italy’s Olympic silver medallist Nadia Battocletti racing in the 5000m and 10,000m, and Norway’s Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion Karsten Warholm in the 400m hurdles.
Europe’s fastest man this year, Marcell Jacobs, has rediscovered some of his best form. He faces competition from athletes from the home nation, including British champion Romell Glave and Munich 2022’s bronze medallist Jeremiah Azu.
Great Britain also have strong sprinters in the women’s spring events, as defending 100m champion Dina Asher-Smith renews her battle with compatriot Amy Hunt in both the 100m and 200m.
Elsewhere, Britain’s Katarina Johnson-Thompson and newly crowned Commonwealth Games champion Kate O’Connor feature in the heptathlon, while Italy’s rising star Mattia Furlani competes in the men’s long jump.
