Karsten Warholm of Norway won the men's 400m hurdles final at the 2026 European Athletics Championships in Birmingham on Friday evening, securing his fourth consecutive European title in the event and breaking his own championship record with a time of 46.63 seconds. He finished more than a second ahead of Germany's Emil Agyekum, who took silver in 47.87, while Turkey's Ismail Nezir claimed bronze in 48.26.
The race, held under cloudy skies at the Birmingham track, saw Warholm take an early lead along the straight and round the bend, crossing the finish line with ease. After the victory, he roared and thumped his chest in celebration. The result extended his remarkable dominance in the event, as he has now run the 33 fastest times ever by a European in the 400m hurdles.
Warholm's Championship Record and Top Five Results
Warholm's winning time of 46.63 seconds set a new championship record, surpassing his previous mark. The top five finishers in the men's 400m hurdles final were: 1. Karsten Warholm (NOR) 46.63, 2. Emil Agyekum (GER) 47.87, 3. Ismail Nezir (TUR) 48.26, 4. Oskar Edlund (SWE) 48.36, and 5. Owe Fischer-Breiholz (GER) 48.56.
Before the race, commentator Andrew Cotter noted that Agyekum, the second fastest European this year, lined up next to Warholm in lane six, adding, "There's not a lot between seven of these athletes." However, Warholm's performance left no doubt, as he won by over a second.
Battocletti Completes Double in Women's 10,000m
Earlier in the evening, Italy's Nadia Battocletti won the women's 10,000m final, completing a distance double after her 5000m gold earlier in the championships. Battocletti, the defending champion, took the lead with 200m to go and powered away to win by over 10 meters, finishing in 31 minutes 41.17 seconds. The Netherlands' Maureen Koster took silver in 31:45.76, and Jana van Lent of the Netherlands took bronze in 31:47.81. Britain's Megan Keith finished eighth after a brave, determined run.
The race saw several lead changes, with Britain's Izzy Fry stumbling and tripping but quickly recovering, and Keith pushing the pace with three kilometers to go. At the halfway point, the clock read 16:16, a relatively slow pace that surprised Paula Radcliffe. Battocletti's victory was described as "like an angel on ice skates" as she accelerated on the final bend.
Hodgkinson's 800m Final Headlines Evening Session
The evening session's blue riband event was the women's 800m final, featuring Britain's Keely Hodgkinson, the Olympic champion, against Femke Broeders-Bol, the 400m hurdles world champion who has moved up in distance this year, and Switzerland's Audrey Werro, who ran the third fastest time in history in June and was reinstated after being tripped in the heats. The race was scheduled for 9:46pm BST, following the men's 200m final, where Britain's Zharnel Hughes, the fastest man on the track, aimed for a second European 200m gold.
In the heptathlon, Britain's Katarina Johnson-Thompson cleared 1.83m in the high jump on Friday morning to move up to tenth overall, with a score of 1994 points. She was competing in only her second event since winning bronze at the world championships last September, after an injury-ravaged season. The shot put in the evening was expected to be challenging for her. The heptathlon standings after the high jump were led by Poland's Adrianna Sulek-Schubert with 2135 points, followed by Ireland's Kate O'Connor (2134) and Germany's Sophie Weißenberg (2074).
Earlier in the day, the women's discus final saw the Netherlands' Jorinde van Klinken take an early lead with a throw of 67.67 meters. In the men's high jump, Britain's Kimani Jack and Joel Clarke-Khan topped their qualifying groups and safely cleared the opening height of 2.18m, with Clarke-Khan later clearing 2.23m.
The championships, held in sweltering conditions, have seen near sell-out crowds in the evening sessions, though empty seats in the afternoon have raised questions about London's bid for the 2029 world championships. Seb Coe insisted that empty seats in Birmingham would not harm London's bid, as reported by Sean Ingle. The evening's six finals, including the women's 10,000m and the men's 400m hurdles, were part of a packed schedule that also included the women's heptathlon shot put and 200m heats.
