European Athletics named its 2026 European Athlete of the Year winners. At the ceremony in Lausanne, the continental body's home, Europe's most prestigious athletics awards went to Italian high jumper Gianmarco Tamberi and Swiss middle-distance star Audrey Werro.
In the men’s category, Gianmarco Tamberi received the award ahead of world-record-holding pole vaulter Armand Duplantis and Miltiadis Tentoglou, who had won his fourth European title in Birmingham. Tamberi, affectionately known as “Gimbo”, was greeted with loud applause. With his fourth European title, he also became the first Italian athlete to win the European Athlete of the Year award since its inauguration in 1993.
Swiss sprint star Mujinga Kambundji, who co-hosted the evening alongside Katharine Merry and Andy Kay, interviewed fellow Swiss athlete Audrey Werro, the women’s award winner, on stage. Werro, the European 800 metres champion, had travelled to the ceremony from her home just 45 minutes away. She said her biggest goal for the coming period was to break the world record. Werro had received the Rising Star award for the best young athlete at last year’s Golden Tracks ceremony.
The evening’s most enthusiastically applauded performance was a poem entitled Own Your Moment, performed by five young people from Birmingham. Written by Peter Sanderson of EA Media for the 2026 European Championships, the poem brought back unforgettable moments from Birmingham. Ella, Thomas, Mila, Lucie and Lauren recited the piece on stage, reminding the audience of the championship’s most memorable scenes.
The Rising Star awards at Golden Tracks went to two athletes who won gold medals at the World U20 Championships. In the men’s category, Michal Rada, the world champion in the 400 metres hurdles, was honoured. In the women’s category, 17-year-old Viktoriya Angelova, Bulgaria’s emerging triple-jump talent, was named one of the season’s best young athletes.
