Great Britain celebrated a dominant performance at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham as Romell Glave and Jeremiah Azu secured a sensational one-two finish in the men’s 100m final. This achievement came just 24 hours after Amy Hunt’s triumph in the women’s event, which saw the young sprinter come of age on the continental stage. The success of the British sprinters has been a major talking point, mirroring the ongoing narrative surrounding the team behind Keely Hodgkinson’s golden rise and the persistent hunt for a world record in middle-distance events.
Glave, 26, upgraded his previous international bronze medal from the 2024 Rome championships to gold, clocking a winning time of 10.09 seconds. His victory makes him the sixth British man to claim the European 100m title and the third in the last six editions of the competition, following in the footsteps of Zharnel Hughes in 2018 and James Dasaolu in 2014. Reflecting on the result, Glave described the performance as “total domination” for the British team.
Jeremiah Azu, the 2025 world and European indoor 60m champion, followed his teammate across the line in 10.16 seconds to the delight of the home crowd at Alexander Stadium. Azu improved on his 2022 bronze medal finish, marking a significant return to form after a challenging season. German sprinter Owen Ansah completed the podium, while Italy’s two-time defending champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs was forced to pull up with an injury at the halfway mark.
Despite the high stakes, Glave admitted the lead-up to the race had been physically demanding. “The last week or so has been up and down with my body, but I was able to come out here regardless of how I was feeling,” he explained. “Upgrading from a bronze medal from 2024 is an amazing feeling. The aim was to get one, two, and three, but we got one-two, which is also amazing. I was ready for this occasion.” Three British men had qualified for the final, though Louie Hinchliffe did not contest the medal race.
Glave’s progression this season has been marked by a focus on his start, specifically sharpening the first 40 metres of his race. After hitting the front by the 30-metre mark, he never looked back, celebrating his victory well beyond the finish line. A talented junior who was the world’s fastest 17-year-old in 2017, Glave has overcome significant injury setbacks, including a fracture in his back, to reach this career peak. He has consistently broken the 10-second barrier this year, including a notable victory over Jacobs in Italy.
For Azu, the silver medal provided a welcome boost after a year he described as “the most irregular in terms of races, quite inconsistent.” He noted, “When it comes to championships, I know I find my best. We always say times are irrelevant at this point. You want to go out there and race for medals. I want to put in my best performance in the final and I felt like I did that today. In the 100m there are over 100 guys that are competitive, so it is always tough.”
Elsewhere on the track, Matthew Hudson-Smith qualified for Wednesday’s men’s 400m final, though he had to settle for second place in his heat. “I misjudged it a little bit. I thought I was clear,” Hudson-Smith said. “I was looking at the screen and I saw the guy try and surge. But he ran a PB, so he’s messed up with the final ahead.” Meanwhile, Hannah Nuttall finished fifth in the women’s 5,000m, a race won by Italy’s Nadia Battocletti.
The women’s 100m hurdles provided one of the closest finishes of the championships, with the Netherlands’ Nadine Visser clinching gold by one thousandth of a second. A photo finish was required to separate Visser from Poland’s Pia Skrzyszowska, leading to an emotional reaction from the Dutch athlete. The event has also faced scrutiny regarding empty seats and ticket pricing, which remains a topic of discussion among organizers and fans.
As the European Athletics Championships continue, the focus remains on the depth of the British squad and their ability to perform under pressure. With the team behind Hodgkinson’s golden rise continuing their work and the momentum from the 100m success, the host nation looks to maintain its standing at the top of the medal table through the remainder of the competition schedule.
Raising a finger to the sky in celebration, he became the sixth British man to win the European 100m title – and third in the past six editions after Zharnel Hughes (2018) and James Dasaolu (2014).
GB’s Hunt comes of age with European 100m gold Published 23 hours ago
The team behind Hodgkinson’s golden rise and the hunt for a world record Published 1 day ago
Glave has made significant progress this season, breaking the 10-second barrier for the first time in legal conditions to win his first British title in June.
He has run sub-10 on six separate occasions, in all conditions, this season – including when he defeated the in-form Jacobs, a surprise Olympic champion five years ago, on his home turf in Italy.
That confidence was evident as Glave dominated his semi-final earlier in the evening, and he executed to perfection when it mattered most.
A talented junior, Glave was the fastest 17-year-old in the world in 2017 after he recorded a time of 10.21.
While it was not gold in Birmingham, the 25-year-old was delighted to secure his return to an international podium following what he described as a “tough year”.
