European Games and EYOF alumni shine on a record-breaking stage

The European Athletics Championships Birmingham 2026 brought together many of the continent’s leading athletes at the Alexander Stadium from 10 to 16 August. Among the competitors who made their mark were several familiar faces from previous editions of the European Games and the European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF).

The seven-day championships produced two world records, four European records and 11 championship records. Italy finished top of the medal table with 10 golds and 22 medals overall, narrowly ahead of hosts Great Britain, who collected nine titles and 19 medals.

Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh was among the European Games alumni celebrating gold in Birmingham. The world record-holder cleared 1.97 metres to secure a third consecutive European outdoor high jump title, having also triumphed at Munich 2022 and Rome 2024.

Mahuchikh’s connection with the European Olympic Committees’ events stretches back to the EYOF in Győr in 2017, where she won gold aged 15 with a clearance of 1.89m. Six years later, she represented Ukraine at the European Games Kraków-Małopolska 2023 and won the women’s high jump with 1.97m at the Silesian Stadium.

Dina Asher-Smith provided another link between the EYOF and the senior continental stage. The British sprinter, who competed at Trabzon 2011, became the most decorated athlete in European Championships history after taking her career total to 11 medals in Birmingham. She claimed gold in both relay events, including the inaugural mixed 4×100m, in which Great Britain set a European record of 39.97 seconds, and added bronze in the individual 200m.

European Games medallist Emmanouil Karalis also returned to a continental podium. The Greek pole vaulter cleared 6.00m to take silver behind Armand Duplantis, who won a fourth successive European title with a championship record of 6.15m. Karalis had previously finished second at Kraków-Małopolska 2023, giving him another major European silver three years later.

Their performances formed part of a memorable week of athletics in Birmingham and highlighted the different routes through which European talent can reach the highest level. From Mahuchikh’s EYOF victory as a 15-year-old to record-setting performances on the senior stage, the championships offered several examples of athletes carrying experience from Europe’s multi-sport events into Europe’s leading senior continental athletics championship.