Amy Hunt makes history with unprecedented fourth gold at European Championships

The 2026 European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, Great Britain, concluded with a historic performance from British sprinter Amy Hunt. The 24-year-old from Newark, Nottinghamshire, entered the final day of competition having already secured three gold medals in the women's 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay events. Her third gold came on Saturday evening when she teamed with Dina Asher-Smith, Success Eduan, and Imani-Lara Lansiquot to win the women's 4x100m relay in a time of 42.05 seconds, the fastest in Europe that year. This victory also marked a significant milestone for Asher-Smith, whose tenth European medal tied her with Polish sprinter Irena Szewinska for the most in championships history, though Asher-Smith holds seven golds to Szewinska's five.

On Sunday, the final day of competition, Hunt achieved what no athlete had accomplished in the 92-year history of the European Championships. Running the anchor leg of the mixed 4x100m relay, she received the baton slightly behind Germany's Gina Lückenkemper but powered through to secure her fourth gold medal of the championships. Her teammates in this inaugural mixed relay event were Jeremiah Azu, Dina Asher-Smith, and Zharnel Hughes. Hunt described the experience as a dream come true and noted the team had only practiced their changeover about an hour before the race. The achievement was particularly remarkable given the mixed relay was a new addition to the championship program, adding an element of novelty to the competition.

The British team's dominance extended beyond Hunt's individual accomplishments. The men's 4x100m relay team of Jeremiah Azu, Louie Hinchliffe, Zharnel Hughes, and Romell Glave also claimed gold with a time of 38.45 seconds, defeating Germany and Belgium. Azu had earlier won individual 100m silver, while Glave took the gold in that event. The relay successes were attributed in part to new coach Richard Kilty, who told the women's team to "go out and break their hearts" before their race. The championships also saw notable performances from other athletes, including Norway's Henriette Jaeger winning the women's 400m in 49.04 seconds, and Ireland's Kate O'Connor taking heptathlon gold. In the men's 1500m, an unexpected result saw the world champion and silver medalist from 2025, Isaac Nader and Jake Wightman, fail to reach the podium.

The championships were not without challenges. A security scare on Saturday evening disrupted transportation for athletes and coaches, with some reporting significant delays returning to their accommodations. Additionally, Katarina Johnson-Thompson, a prominent British heptathlete, finished 23rd in her event, later revealing she had experienced a difficult season behind the scenes and lacked the preparation needed to be competitive. In the marathon events held earlier in the championships, Germany's Amanal Petros won the men's race in a championship record 2:09.11, while Finland's Alisa Vainio dominated the women's marathon in 2:22.26, breaking the previous championship record by nearly three minutes. British marathoner Donnelly won bronze in the women's event despite accidentally bringing two different sized shoes to the race, becoming the first British woman to win a European championships marathon medal. Great Britain topped the medal table, with their sprinters proving particularly dominant throughout the week-long competition at Alexander Stadium.