Athletics European Athletics Championships

European Athletics Championships 2026: 5 unmissable events as Keely Hodgkinson, Armand Duplantis and Jakob Ingebrigtsen go for gold

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The continent's best athletes descend on Birmingham next week for the 2026 European Athletics Championships, with Keely Hodgkinson, Armand Duplantis and Jakob Ingebrigtsen among the superstars chasing gold.

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For seven days, the city will welcome some of the biggest names in the sport, lining up alongside a host of British stars looking to make the most of home advantage.

Hodgkinson's 800m battle with Swiss rival Audrey Werro and the Netherlands' Femke Broeders-Bol promises to be a highlight of the championships, as does Duplantis' latest bid to push the pole vault record to even greater heights.

With seven days of action, there is plenty to keep an eye on - and you can watch every event live on TNT Sports and HBO Max from Monday, August 10 to Sunday, August 16.

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Here are five events you won't want to miss.

All times UK

Women's 800m

Heats: Tuesday, August 11 (12:05)
Semi-finals: Thursday, August 13 (12:10)
Final: Friday, August 14 (21:46)

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Much of the pre-season talk centred on Keely Hodgkinson's assault on the 800m world record.

Instead, it is Swiss sensation Audrey Werro who has gone closest to Jarmila Kratochvilova's mark of 1:53.28, set all the way back in 1983.

Hodgkinson has improved her lifetime best over two laps this season, moving sixth on the all-time list with a 1:54.33 clocking in Stockholm in June - but there was little jubilation afterwards, given 22-year-old Werro finished ahead of her.

The pair will renew that battle in Birmingham, while Femke Broeders-Bol - a two-time world champion in the 400m hurdles - adds another layer of intrigue to an already stacked event.

The 800m has been given top billing as the final event on Friday's programme and it should be one of the races of the championships.

Men's pole vault

Qualification: Friday, August 14 (10:50)
Final: Sunday, August 16 (19:30)

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If one man has stepped into the Usain Bolt-shaped hole in athletics, it is Armand Duplantis. The Swedish pole vaulter has broken the world record a staggering 15 times, taking it to its current dizzy height of 6.31m.

But he might not have it all his own way in Birmingham.

Duplantis suffered his first defeat in almost three years in June in Stockholm, ending a run of 40 consecutive victories, before pulling out with a thigh injury during the recent London Diamond League.

There will, of course, come a time when even Duplantis cannot go higher. At 26, though, those days are hopefully still a long way off. With 'only' one world record to his name this year, can he bounce back in Birmingham and scale new heights once again?

Women's 200m

Heats: Wednesday, August 12 (11:40)
Semi-finals: Wednesday, August 12 (20:20)
Final: Thursday, August 13 (21:50)

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If Britain are to sweep the podium in any event in Birmingham, the women's 200m looks the best bet.

Dina Asher-Smith, Amy Hunt and Success Eduan are the three fastest women in the field and will receive automatic byes to the semi-finals.

Asher-Smith is a six-time European champion and claimed the world 200m title in 2019 in Doha, while Hunt arrives on the back of 100m silver at the Commonwealth Games - 12 months on from her sensational 200m silver at last summer's World Championships.

Eduan has also emerged as a serious medal contender, setting up the possibility of a British clean sweep on home soil.

With the United States and Caribbean nations dominating the event on the global stage this season, Birmingham offers Europe's best a chance to remind the world of the talent on this side of the Atlantic.

Men's 5000m

Final: Monday, August 10 (20:40)

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It feels a long time ago since Jakob Ingebrigtsen claimed he could beat Josh Kerr blindfolded.

The Norwegian, once the undisputed star of the middle-distance scene, has been usurped by his British rival in recent years. There will be no reunion in Birmingham, with Kerr instead basking in his Commonwealth Games victory on home soil in the mile.

Ingebrigtsen has not raced since the 2025 World Championships, where he finished 10th in this event despite arriving as the two-time defending champion.

Achilles surgery in January only delayed his comeback, but the 25-year-old insists there is "no reason not to race" in Birmingham.

It will be fascinating to see how he fares on his return - and there are plenty ready to pounce if he is not at his best. France's Jimmy Gressier and Belgium's Isaac Kimeli are among those looking to ensure Ingebrigtsen's comeback does not end with another European title.

Women's heptathlon

100m hurdles: Friday, August 14 (10:35)
High jump: Friday, August 14 (11:25)
Shot: Friday, August 14 (19:35)
200m: Friday, August 14 (20:55)
Long jump: Saturday, August 15 (10:25)
Javelin: Saturday, August 15 (11:55)
800m: Saturday, August 15 (19:45)

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With event great Nafissatou Thiam sidelined by a hamstring injury, the door is ajar for a new name to top the podium in the women's heptathlon for the first time since 2016.

Britain's two-time world champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson seems the obvious candidate but she has competed just once this season - in the shot put - leaving a big question mark over her form.

Kate O'Connor has no such concerns. Fresh from destroying the competition to win the Commonwealth Games title in Glasgow, the Irishwoman arrives as one of the athletes in form.

She will face stiff competition from Switzerland's Annik Kalin, who has recorded the two highest heptathlon scores in the world this year.

With Thiam absent and Johnson-Thompson's form uncertain, this could be one of the most open heptathlons in years - and one with everything still to play for in the 800m.

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