The final session of the European Athletics Championships delivered the kind of narrative arc British fans rarely get to enjoy: a dominant mixed‑relay win, a record‑setting anchor leg, and a medal table climb that felt earned rather than accidental. Amy Hunt and Dina Asher‑Smith were at the centre of it, again, as the Novuna Great Britain and Northern Ireland team closed the week with nine golds, eight silvers and two bronzes.
Hunt, who has spent the week rewriting her own ceiling, brought the 4x100m mixed relay home with the composure of someone who has stopped being surprised by her own excellence. It was her fourth gold of the Championships, a first in the event’s history.
“Four golds was the dream, and perhaps dreams do come true,” she said. “I don’t think I can begin to communicate what it means. It’s so beyond the bounds of my dreams that I’m just euphoric right now.”
Asher‑Smith, running the back straight, added yet another medal to a career already thick with them. Her 11th European podium finish moves her past every athlete who has ever lined up at this meet.
“When I started in this sport, all I wanted to be was fast,” she said. “I’m incredibly humbled and grateful to be in this position and still medalling 12 years after my European debut.”
Jeremiah Azu and Zharnel Hughes, both already decorated earlier in the week, collected a second relay gold to pair with their individual silvers. Hughes now owns six European titles, the most of any British male athlete. The quartet’s 39.97 stands as a European record in the newly introduced mixed‑relay format.
Hunter Bell closes the track program with authority
Georgia Hunter Bell, fresh off her Commonwealth 800m title, stepped up to 1500m and looked entirely unbothered by the distance change. She controlled the race from the bell and kicked clear around the final bend to win in 4:07.78.
“It wasn’t easy; it’s never easy, but I felt really calm and confident,” she said. “I’ve had failures before when I’ve been the favourite, but I’ve really tried to relax everything and not overcomplicate it.”
Sawyers returns to the podium a decade later
Jazmin Sawyers added another chapter to her long‑jump résumé, taking silver with a best of 6.99 metres—just one centimetre shy of Italy’s Larissa Iapichino. Ten years after her first European medal, she remains a reliable championship performer. Molly Palmer finished ninth in her senior European debut with 6.54m.
Relay depth on display
Both 4x400m squads closed the Championships with silver.
The women—Yemi Mary John, Lina Nielsen, Nicole Yeargin and Emily Newnham—clocked 3:21.68. Newnham chased Femke Bol down the final straight, but the Dutch star held form to secure gold.
The men’s quartet of Matthew Hudson‑Smith, Toby Harries, Ben Jefferies and Charlie Dobson produced a similarly tight finish. Dobson nearly reeled in Italy’s Lorenzo Benati, missing gold by three‑hundredths as the team ran 2:59.19. Hudson‑Smith now owns nine European medals, the most of any British male athlete.
Field and distance notes
Owen Heard cleared 5.55m in the pole vault before bowing out at 5.70m, finishing 11th.
All three British steeplechasers reached the final. Kristian Imroth led the trio in 12th (8:33.89), followed by William Battershill (14th, 8:34.73) and Zak Seddon (15th, 8:35.83).
British Medal Summary
Gold (9)
- Women’s 100m — Amy Hunt
- Men’s 100m — Romell Glave
- Women’s 200m — Amy Hunt
- Men’s 400m — Matthew Hudson‑Smith
- Men’s 4x100m relay
- Women’s 4x100m relay
- Women’s marathon team
- Mixed 4x100m relay
- Women’s 1500m — Georgia Hunter Bell
Silver (8)
- Mixed 4x400m — Jefferies, Henrich, Harries, John
- Men’s 100m — Jeremiah Azu
- Women’s 400m hurdles — Emily Newnham
- Women’s 800m — Keely Hodgkinson
- Men’s 200m — Zharnel Hughes
- Women’s long jump — Jazmin Sawyers
- Women’s 4x400m relay
- Men’s 4x400m relay
Bronze (2)
- Women’s 200m — Dina Asher‑Smith
- Women’s marathon — Abbie Donnelly
