European Athletics Championships kicks off in Birmingham
It’s the first time in its 92-year-history that the event is being held in the United Kingdom
The European Athletics Championships is getting underway in Birmingham – the first time Great Britain hosts the event.
More than 1,500 elite athletes from over 50 nations will take part in a week of high-octane track and field competition.
The newly redeveloped Alexander Stadium, which hosted the 2022 Commonwealth Games, will again take the spotlight.
The likes of Olympic 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson, former world 1500m champion Josh Kerr, six-times European gold medallist Dina Asher-Smith and former world indoor pole vault champion Molly Caudery are among the superstars hitting the tracks.
Coventry-born 400m hurdler Jake Minshull also heads into the event fresh from winning silver at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games this year.
The University of Birmingham student says being a local lad will give him an advantage.
He said: “I was actually in the crowds in 2022 for the Commonwealth Games and just remember how good the atmosphere was. So, to actually be on the track now and have people cheering for me – its going to be a special moment.”
Jake is taking confidence and motivation into his race, saying: “Europe’s just stacked for the 400m hurdles at the moment. We’ve got the world-record holder there. So, I think each semi-final will be a final in itself. So, if I can navigate my way through that and get into the finals, anything can happen really. I kind of like the feeling of going out and trying to beat all the guys there.
"Confidence has definitely shot up for the event. I don't have to do the heat on Tuesday because I'm in the top 12 in Europe. So, I'm going into the semi-finals on Wednesday."
From 10–16 August 2026, Birmingham becomes the epicentre of European sport.