European record holder Matthew Hudson-Smith claimed his third continental 400-meter title at Alexander Stadium, where a stand has been named after him. The 31-year-old Briton ran 44.17 seconds in the final from lane nine to win the European title for the third time, becoming the first male athlete to achieve the feat. After his victory, Hudson-Smith went up to the stand bearing his name and shared his joy with the spectators.
Frenchman Muhammad Konta finished second in 44.40, while young Dutch athlete Jonas Phijffers took third in 44.41, setting a new Dutch record.
In the penultimate final of the evening, Slovakia’s Emma Zapletalova, the season leader in the women’s 400-meter hurdles, took the title. The 26-year-old Zapletalova clocked 52.91 seconds, while the three athletes behind her all finished in under 54 seconds. The Slovak athlete secured only the second gold for her country in the history of the championships. Recent European U23 champion Emily Newnham won silver for the host nation, while Portugal’s surprise medallist Fatoumata Diallo finished third in 53.55, setting a national record.
As expected, Finland took the women’s hammer throw title in Alexander Stadium. In the Nordic country, which boasts two of the athletes in the best form this season, Silja Kosonen won gold with a throw of 76.28 meters, finishing two meters ahead of defending champion Sara Fantini. World-record holder Anita Wlodarczyk, 41, finished fourth, just half a meter off the podium.
In the final event of day three, the title went to Switzerland. Jason Joseph, the European indoor champion three years ago, took the stage this time in the 110-meter hurdles and won a closely contested final in 13.12 seconds. Joseph entered the ninth hurdle in third place but produced a strong finish to claim Switzerland’s first championship title in Birmingham.
During the morning session of the European Athletics Championships, one of the oldest championship records also fell. In the 800-meter semifinals, Ireland’s Mark English completed a fiercely contested race in 1:43.49, breaking East German Olaf Beyer’s championship record set in Prague in 1978. Beyond that, four athletes in the race finished inside the 48-year-old record.
