The Netherlands lead the team standings after the opening night of the European Team Championships
The first full day of the European Team Championships in Madrid on Friday (June 27) saw several championship records broken. Despite the warm and humid conditions, the newly laid green Conica track at the Estadio Vallehermoso proved fast.
While Great Britain opted not to send its top-tier squad, the team still came away with two notable victories — the first courtesy of Sam Reardon, who impressed in the men’s 400m.
Reardon delivered the performance of his life, breaking the championship record with a blistering 44.60. It marked his first individual international appearance for GB & NI, and he made it count.
Reardon, just 21, had already made waves as part of Britain’s mixed and men’s 4x400m relay squads at the Paris Olympics, collecting medals in both. His breakthrough year in 2024 saw him run 44.70 at the London Diamond League, a time he has now bettered in Madrid.
“That was an amazing race, I knew a championship record could go as it was such a good field and the weather is perfect. It is really hot and no wind,” said Reardon.
“The stadium and the track are unbelievable, so I thought I could be competitive, try and go for the win and get a PB, but to go 44.6 which is world championship qualifying time, a championships record and a PB, the list goes on – it is just so, so amazing.”
Ukraine’s Oleksandr Pohorilko took second in 44.81, with Hungary’s Patrik Simon Enyingi close behind in third at 44.84.
The women’s 400m was billed as a showdown between two of Europe’s finest: Netherland’s Femke Bol and Poland’s Natalia Bukowiecka. After a surprising third-place finish in Ostrava just weeks earlier, Bol was back with a point to prove, and she delivered.
Bol, the 400m hurdles world champion, stormed to victory with her second-fastest outdoor time ever, clocking 49.48 to break her own championship record of 49.82, set in 2023. The reigning European champion earned 16 points for the Netherlands as she reaffirmed her dominance in the event.
Bukowiecka claimed second in 50.14, while Spain’s Paula Sevilla recorded 50.70 for third place. Great Britain’s Emily Newnham impressed with a strong fifth place, setting a personal best of 50.84.
The final event on the track saw Eugene Amo-Dadzie take victory in the men’s 100m, delivering a strong finish to cross the line in 10.07 (0.0). With Italy’s Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs withdrawing on the eve of the event, the race was wide open — and Amo-Dadzie, entering as one of the favourites, made the most of the opportunity.
The Netherlands’ Elvis Afrifa pushed him all the way, finishing just behind in 10.10, while Sweden’s Henrik Larsson claimed third in 10.11.
The women’s 100m delivered a surprise outcome as Hungary’s Boglárka Takács edged out pre-race favourite Ewa Swoboda of Poland to take gold. Swoboda, the world indoor silver medallist, was expected to dominate, but Takács produced a powerful finish to win in 11.06 (0), setting both a national and championship record.
Swoboda settled for second in 11.13, while Portugal’s Lorene Dorcas Bazolo completed the top three with a time of 11.21.
A night of standout performances saw Spain’s Mohamed Attaoui claim his country’s first win of the meet, setting a championship record in the men’s 800m with 1:44.01. The victory comes just a week after Attaoui’s triumph at the Paris Diamond League and capped off a strong performance in front of a home crowd.
Italy’s Francesco Pernici finished second in 1:44.49, followed by France’s Corentin Magnou, who took third in 1:45.06.
In the women’s 5000m, Italy’s Nadia Battocletti delivered a commanding performance to take yet another European win. The two-time European champion entered the race as the clear favourite and lived up to expectations with a powerful closing lap.
Holding back until the bell, Battocletti surged ahead with a final 400m split of 57.60, crossing the line in 15:56.01.
Spain’s Marta Garcia managed to hold on for second in a hard-fought finish, clocking 15:58.33, as Diana Van Es of the Netherlands closed in late but had to settle for third in 15:59.41.
In what was a slow race, Great Britain’s Calli Hauger-Thackery began to pick it up with a few laps to go but fell off during the final lap, finishing fifth overall with a time of 16:06.33.
She said: “It was so slow and it is really hard to run that slow. My biomechanics do not feel that natural going that slow so that is why I went with six laps to go, I thought I can’t keep falling over myself right now it is causing me more anxiety and I wasn’t enjoying it. I didn’t make it too honest, I just made it to the front and got out of trouble.
“I didn’t regret it, as I got what I wanted from it. I wanted to really race it and get used to the hot conditions.”
Germany picked up a victory on the opening night thanks to Karl Bebendorf, who delivered a composed performance to win the men’s 3000m steeplechase in 8:20.43. Spain’s Daniel Arce followed closely in second with 8:22.04, while France’s Nicolas-Marie Daru took third in 8:22.39.
Away from the track, the Netherlands enjoyed a standout evening in the field events, led by Jessica Schilder’s record-breaking performance in the women’s shot put. Schilder threw 20.14m to claim victory and set a championship record. The result follows a strong indoor season for the Dutch athlete, which included a national record of 20.69m and a European Indoor title in March.
The Dutch success continued in the women’s discus, where Jorinde van Klinken took top spot with a throw of 64.61m. She finished ahead of Germany’s Shanice Craft, who threw 61.53m for second, and Portugal’s Liliana Cá, who placed third with 60.49m.
In the men’s hammer, Ukraine’s Mykhaylo Kokhan delivered the best performance of his career so far, launching the hammer 81.66m to secure the win with a lifetime best. Germany’s Merlin Hummel followed with 81.27m for second, while Hungary’s Bence Halász took third with 80.63m.
The men’s triple jump produced a close contest, with France’s Jonathan Seremes edging out the field with a winning mark of 17.00m. Italy’s Simone Biasutti finished just behind in second with 16.94m and Ukraine’s Vladyslav Shepliiev claimed third with 16.83m.
At the end of the first day of competition, the Netherlands sit at the top of the team standings with 164 points, following a string of strong performances. Host nation Spain are currently in second place with 136.5 points, while Italy hold third with 133.5. Great Britain, boosted by two event wins on the night, are in sixth place with 122.5 points.
