On the third day of the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, British athlete Matthew Hudson-Smith claimed his third title in the 400 meters, securing his eighth medal at the competition. The race took place at the Alexander Stadium, where Hudson-Smith first began to showcase his athletic potential during his youth. He finished with a time of 44.17 seconds, marking another victory in a career already rich with accolades. Hudson-Smith, an Olympic silver medallist, European record holder, and former European champion in 2018 and 2022, returned from his training base in Florida to compete in the second-largest city in Britain as the fastest European this season. Frenchman Muhammad Abdallah Kounta secured silver with a time of 44.40 seconds, while Dutch runner Jonas Phijffers won bronze with a new national record of 44.41 seconds. In the women’s 400 meters hurdles, Slovakia's Emma Zapletalova was the clear favorite, finishing in 52.91 seconds, just under 53 seconds, which she achieved despite the low barriers. She had previously placed third at the World Championships in Tokyo. Second place went to England’s Emily Newnham, who set a personal best of 53.33 seconds, while Portugal’s Fatoumata Binta Diallo claimed bronze with a Portuguese record of 53.55 seconds. In the men’s 110 meters hurdles, Switzerland’s Jason Joseph delivered a thrilling finish, winning gold in 13.12 seconds. His performance came after he had previously won bronze in Rome two years earlier. Joseph, 27, had already made history by claiming gold in the 60 meters hurdles at the indoor European Championships in Istanbul in 2023. Frenchman Just Kwaou-Mathey took silver with a time of 13.16 seconds, just four hundredths of a second behind Joseph, while Polish athlete Jakub Szymanski, the reigning world indoor champion, settled for bronze with a time of 13.26 seconds. The competition continued with the women’s discus throw, where Slovenia’s Kristjan Čeh will attempt to win his second consecutive European title. The event is scheduled for Thursday evening starting at 21:45. Earlier in the day, Neja Filipič will compete in the high jump final at 20:40. In the morning qualifiers, debutants Ela Velepec and Lia Apostolovski will begin their participation in the pole vault at 11:55. Apostolovski, who won bronze at the 2024 World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, is expected to make a strong showing. In the women’s shot put, Finland’s Silja Kosonen claimed gold with a throw of 76.28 meters, earning her first European title in the senior category. This follows previous successes in the under-20 and under-23 age groups, including a world championship title in the under-20 category. Italy’s Sara Fantini took silver with a distance of 74.35 meters, while Norway’s Beatrice Nedberge Llano earned bronze with 72.88 meters. World record holder Anita Wlodarczyk of Poland, the greatest ever in the sport, finished fourth with 72.37 meters. At 41 years old, Wlodarczyk has amassed three Olympic titles and multiple world and European championships. The results from the third day of the European Athletics Championships underscored the competitive intensity and excellence displayed by athletes from across Europe. With more events to come, the tournament continues to deliver moments of triumph and records being broken.
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