Mondo Duplantis, Femke Bol, Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Katarina Johnson-Thompson are among the big names competing in the Italian capital from June 7-12

After staging its new off-road running championships in the alpine town of Annecy in recent days, European Athletics is back down to earth, literally, this week with European Athletics Championships in Rome. The flagship event runs from Friday June 7 to Wednesday June 12 and will see some of the best track and field athletes on the continent battling for medals.

The event is returning to its birthplace as it was first staged in Turin in 1934. Later, in 1974, the championships were staged in Rome with a memorable few days of athletics that will celebrate its 50th anniversary in September.

Fifty years ago the Stadio Olimpico hosted the championships and the same arena stages the 2024 meeting. Since switching from a four-yearly event to a biennial meeting in 2012 and now being staged in Olympic year, there was a danger the European Championships would begin to lose its lustre.

Olympic medal contenders are tempted to give it a miss in order to save themselves for the Olympics. Or they might simply use it as a warm-up event for the Olympics. In addition, the European Championships could potentially be dominated by athletes who are simply unlikely to make their national Olympic teams.

This is far from the case in Rome in coming days, though. Certainly, some big-name athletes are giving it a miss. From Britain alone there will be no Josh Kerr, Jake Wightman or Laura Muir. But the number of top stars who are eager to compete for European titles is encouraging and exciting.

In total there are nine world champions from Budapest last year who are planning to compete in Rome. They are Femke Bol (400m hurdles), Yaroslava Mahuchikh (high jump), Katarina Johnson-Thompson (heptathlon), Jakob Ingebrigtsen (1500/5000m), Karsten Warholm (400m hurdles), Gianmarco Tamberi (high jump), Armand Duplantis (pole vault), Miltiadis Tentoglou (long jump) and Daniel Stahl (discus).

More than 30 individual champions from the last European Championships in Munich two years ago are also set to compete. These include Sandra Elkasevic (née Perkovic) of Croatia, who is seeking a record seventh successive European title in the discus.

All of which is great news if you consider Birmingham is staging the 2026 European Championships, with no Olympics that year as a distraction either.

A strong British team includes Johnson-Thompson, Keely Hodgkinson and Dina Asher-Smith and they will be aiming to challenge the 20 medals (with six golds) that they won in Munich two years ago. As often happens, though, there have been some late withdrawals with Matt Hudson-Smith and Zharnel Hughes giving it a miss.

All eyes will be on the Italian host nation, too. Their squad is considerably bigger than Britains for starters and features reigning European champions Lamont Marcell Jacobs (100m), Gianmarco Tamberi (high jump) and Yeman Crippa (10,000m) who has also entered the half marathon in Rome.

Last time in Munich, Germany topped the medals table and four of their five of their champions from 2022 are due to be in Rome to defend their titles. They are: Gina Luckenkemper (100m), Richard Ringer (marathon), Julian Weber (javelin), Niklas Kaul (decathlon).

MEN

Sprints and hurdles

Olympic and European 100m champion Marcell Jacobs of Italy is one of the poster athletes of the championships but the European record-holders form has been hit and miss lately with a seasons best of 10.03 when he was fourth at the Bislett Games in Oslo last week. Britains Jeremiah Azu leads the rankings this year with team-mate Romell Glaved ranked No.3 but Azu finished last in Oslo with cramp. Despite the withdrawal of Zharnel Hughes this will be one of the must-watch events of the championships.

The 400m, too, looks like being a thrilling event as it features world indoor champion Alexander Doom of Belgium and rising British star Charlie Dobson. Sadly Matt Hudson-Smith has decided not to go for a third Euro title, however.

In the 200m, there will be a new champion in the absence of Hughes but watch out for Frenchmen Pablo Matteo and Ryan Zeze. The 110m hurdles, meanwhile, looks fairly open with Michael Obasuyi of Belgium leading the rankings and Andy Pozzi ranked No.3. The 400m hurdles, however, is surely a shoo-in for Karsten Warholm of Norway.

Endurance

Six years after capturing a 1500m and 5000m double as a 17-year-old, Jakob Ingebrigtsen is trying to do it again in Rome. In the 1500m he faces Neil Gourley of Britain, Niels Laros of the Netherlands and, if he can sort his entry problems out, Azeddine Habz of France. Josh Kerr and Jake Wightman are, however, saving themselves for the Olympics.

The 5000m sees the Norwegian up against Spains Thierry Ndikumwenayo, Britains George Mills, Dominic Lobalu of Switzerland and Adel Mechaal of Spain, whereas Ingebrigtsens fellow Norwegian Narve Nordas is also entered for both 1500m and 5000m. Can Jack Buckners 1986 championships record of 13:10.15 finally fall?

The 800m looks wide open with Britains Elliot Giles up against Italian Catalin Teuceceanu and Frenchmen Yannis Meziane and Gabriel Tual. The championship record of 1:43.84 is still held by Olaf Beyer, too, when the East German beat Steve Ovett and Seb Coe in Prague in 1978.

In the 10,000m, Patrick Dever tackles 25 laps again just a few weeks after his Night of the 10,000m PBs effort. He faces Yeman Crippa of Italy, Jimmy Gressier of France, Andreas Almgren of Sweden, Isaac Kimeli of Belgium and Thierry Ndikumwenaya of Spain.

In the half-marathon there are no Brits but 2022 marathon winner Richard Ringer of Germany and his team-mate Amanal Petros will face Crippa, Carlos Mayo of Spain, Samuel Barata of Portugal and Sondre Moen of Norway among others. The 3000m steeplechase fields are led by Daniel Arce of Spain and Djilali Bedrani of France.

In the 20km walk, Paul McGrath leads the 2024 rankings along with Spanish team-mate Diego Garcia, although defending champion Alvaro Martin, also of Spain, is missing.

Jumps

Barring any major mishaps, Mondo Duplantis will surely breeze to his third European pole vault title at the age of 24. Likewise, Miltiadis Tentoglou of Greece is going for long jump crown No.3 after winning in 2018 and 2022. He will face Italian youngster Mattia Furlani, who will be roared by his home crowd, though, plus Filip Pravdica of Croatia and Simon Ehammer of Switzerland.

Gianmarco Tamberi will be flying the Italian hopes in the high jump against rivals such as Jan Stefela of the Czech Republic and Ukrainian duo Oleh Doroshchuk and Vladyslav Lavskyy. In the triple jump, Pedro Pichardo of Portugal defends his title with Jordan Díaz of Spain among his challengers.

Throws

The shot put is another great event for the host nation with the No.1 European this year, Leonardo Fabbri, leading the way along with Zane Weir. Scott Lincoln of Britain goes into this event in PB shape too and will be striving to become the first British medallist in this event since Geoff Capes in Rome 50 years ago.

Mykolas Alekna is the man to beat in the discus following his world record earlier this year. He faces Daniel Stahl of Sweden and Kristjan Ceh of Slovenia among others but the young Lithuanian will be a firm favourite.

In the hammer, Mykhaylo Kokhan of Ukraine is the only thrower over 80 metres this year but watch out for Wojciech Nowicki, the reigning European and Olympic champion from Poland. As for the javelin, German hopes will be strong with defending champion Julian Weber and rankings No.1 Max Dehning facing athletes like Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic.

Combined events

Two years ago Niklas Kaul was lying in seventh place with two events to go in the decathlon but pulled out a terrific victory in front of his home crowd in Munich. In Rome he defends his title but he faces world record-holder and two-time world champion Kevin Mayer of France. Johannes Erm of Estonia, meanwhile, leads the 2024 rankings with 8462.

GB & NI mens team: 100m: Jeremiah Azu; Romell Glave. 200m: Jona Efoloko; Jeriel Quainoo. 400m: Charlie Dobson; Alex Haydock-Wilson. 800m: Callum Dodds; Elliot Giles; Thomas Randolph. 1500m: Adam Fogg; Neil Gourley. 5000m: George Mills; Jack Rowe; James West. 10,000m: Patrick Dever; Rory Leonard; Zak Mahamed. 20km walk: Callum Wilkinson. 110m hurdles: Andrew Pozzi; Tade Ojora. 400m hurdles: Alastair Chalmers. 3000m steeplechase: Mark Pearce; Zak Seddon. Long Jump: Jacob Fincham-Dukes. Discus: Lawrence Okoye. Hammer: Jake Norris. Shot Put: Scott Lincoln. 4x100m: Jeremiah Azu; Jona Efoloko; Romell Glave; Richard Kilty; Jeriel Quainoo. 4x400m: Charlie Carvell; Lewis Davey; Toby Harries; Haydock-Wilson; Michael Ohioze

WOMEN

Sprints and hurdles

Gina Luckenkemper defends her 100m title but she will face tough opposition from Britains Dina Asher-Smith and Amy Hunt. Look out as well for recent Italian record-breaker Zaynab Dosso and fast starting Ewa Swoboda of Poland.

Daryll Neita was originally going to double up but now she runs in just the 200m where she faces Mujinga Kambundji of Switzerland, Henriette Jaeger of Norway and Boglarka Takacs of Hungary among others. In the 400m, the only woman under 50 seconds this year is Natalia Kaczmarek of Poland. Femke Bol is not defending her 400m flat title but her Dutch training parter Lieke Klaver has a good chance. Watch out too for Irelands Rhasidat Adeleke.

Cyrena Samba-Mayela ran a French 100m hurdles record of 12.52 last month and comes into the championships in great form. Opposition includes Ditaji Kambundji of Switzerland, defending champion Pia Skrzyszowska of Poland and Britains Cindy Sember.

Like the mens 400m hurdles, the womens event has a stand-out favourite in the shape of Bol.

Endurance

Hosts Italy could get off to a winning start in the 20km race walk on Friday when Olympic champion Antonella Palmisano goes for gold.

Keely Hodgkinson defends her title in the 800m and in current form should handle the European opposition with ease. Fellow Brits Erin Wallace and Alex Bell also have great chances of a podium place.

There are great British medal chances in the 1500m, too, with Katie Snowden and Georgia Bell leading the rankings in 2024 from Irelands Ciara Mageean. Jemma Reekie steps up from 800m and will clearly be a factor in the metric mile. Expect a good atmosphere too if Italian Nadia Battocletti gets in the mix.

Konstanze Klosterhalfen will not defend her 5000m crown from Munich 2022, which leaves the way open for someone like Marta Garcia of Spain, Maureen Koster of Netherlands, Karoline Grovdal of Norway and Britains improving Hannah Nuttall to make their mark.

At 10,000m, in-form Megan Keith takes on the returning fellow Brit Eilish McColgan plus Klara Lukan of Slovenia and possibly Nadia Battocletti of Italy. In the 3000m steeplechase, look out for Gesa Felicitas Krause of Germany and Alice Finot of France.

Half-marathon entries include Grovdal, Lonah Salpeter of Israel and Joan Chelimo Melly of Romania with a promising British team led by Calli Hauger-Thackery.

Jumps

Molly Caudery won the world indoor pole vault title in March. So can she now capture the European title in Rome? Her recent 4.84m outdoor clearance suggests its possible. Rivals include Wilma Murto of finland, Angelica Moser of Switzerland and Tina Sutej of Slovenia, Olympic medallist Holly Bradshaw of Britain also makes a return to championship competition.

Yaroslava Mahuchikh defends her high jump crown and the Ukrainian will face Angelina Topic of Serbia, Christina Honsel of Germany, Morgan Lake of Britain and Elena Vallortigara of Italy among others.

There are more Italian hopes in the long jump as Larissa Iapichino, the daughter of former world champion and British born Fiona May, but Olympic champion Malaika Mihambo is also competing along with in-form fellow German Mikaelle Assani, plus Agate De Sousa of Portugal.

In the triple jump, Tugba Danismaz of Turkey and Ana Peleteiro-Compaore of Spain lead the way.

Throws

Jessica Schilder of the Netherlands defends her title in the shot put and will face Yemisi Ogunleye of Germany, Fanny Roos of Sweden and Jessica Inchude of Portugal.

Sandra Perkovic won the 2022 discus title and now competing under her married name of Elkasevic she goes for gold again for Croatia and is up against Marike Steinacker of Germany, Irina Rodrigues of Portugal and Ieva Gumbs of Lithuania.

In the javelin, Elina Tzengko, still only 21, defends her crown and she will be up against Victoria Hudson of Austria, Yulenmis Aguilar of Spain and Adriana Vilagos of Serbia. The hammer sees Zalina Marghieva of Moldova start favourite with Bianca Ghelber of Romania defending her title.

Combined events

Nafi Thiam of Belgium has won the last two European heptathlon titles and she goes head-to-head here with world champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson of Britain. But watch out as well for two-time world indoor pentathlon champion Noor Vidts, rising star Saga Vanninen of Finland and Switzerlands Annik Kalin. The most notable absentee is Anouk Vetter of the Netherlands, who recently won in Gotzis.

GB & NI womens team: 100m: Dina Asher-Smith; Amy Hunt; 200m: Daryll Neita. 400m: Laviai Nielsen; Victoria Ohuruogu. 800m: Alex Bell; Keely Hodgkinson; Erin Wallace. 1500m: Georgia Bell; Jemma Reekie; Katie Snowden. 5000m: Izzy Fry; Amy-Eloise Neale; Hannah Nuttall. 10,000m: Megan Keith; Eilish McColgan; Jessica Warner-Judd. 100m hurdles: Cindy Sember. 400m hurdles: Jessie Knight; Lina Nielsen. 3000m steeplechase: Lizzie Bird. Pole Vault: Holly Bradshaw; Molly Caudery. High Jump: Morgan Lake. Hammer: Charlotte Payne; Anna Purchase. Heptathlon: Katarina Johnson-Thompson; Jade ODowda. 4x100m: Asher-Smith; Desiree Henry; Amy Hunt; Neita; Aleeya Sibbons, Asha Phillip. Mixed 4x400m: (In addition to athletes selected for mens 4x400m): Hannah Kelly; Emily Newnham. Half Marathon: Abbie Donnelly; Clara Evans; Calli Hauger-Thackery; Lauren McNeil

Television guide

After striking a last-minute deal to broadcast the event, the BBC is now showing the action live on iPlayer and its website.

Timetable finals only

Local times listed (UK is one hour behind Italy)

Friday June 7 
09:40 W 100m hurdles Heptathlon
11:35 W High Jump Heptathlon
18:35 W 20km Race Walk Final
18:40 W Shot Put Heptathlon
21:00 M Discus Final
21:33 W Shot Put Final
21:45 W 200m Heptathlon
22:20 4 x 400m Mixed Finals
22:40 W 5000m Final

Saturday June 8
12:10 W Long Jump Heptathlon
18:00 M 20km Race Walk Final
18:05 W Javelin Heptathlon
20:06 M Long Jump Final
21:02 M Shot put Final
21:37 W Discus Final
21:47 W 800m Heptathlon
22:08 W 100m hurdles Final
22:18 2 M 110m hurdles Final
22:28 M 5000m Final
22:53 M 100m Final

Sunday June 9
09:00 M Half Marathon
09:30 W Half Marathon
20:30 W High Jump Final
21:11 M Hammer Final
21:21 W Triple Jump Final
21:35 M 200m Semi-Final
22:04 W 3000m schase Final
22:27 M 800m Final
22:36 W 1500m Final
22:53 W 100m Final

Monday June 10
10:05 M 100m Decathlon
11:05 M Long Jump Decathlon
13:05 M Shot Put Decathlon
19:30 M High Jump Decathlon
20:15 W Pole Vault Final
21:33 W Hammer Final
21:40 M 400m Final
21:50 W 400m Final
22:00 M 3000m schase Final
22:20 M 400m Decathlon
22:50 M 200m Final

Tuesday June 11
09:35 M 110m hurdles Decathlon
10:30 M Discus Decathlon
11:35 M Discus Decathlon
11:55 M Pole Vault Decathlon
19:05 M Javelin Decathlon
20:35 M High Jump Final
20:55 M Triple Jump Final
21:05 M 400m hurdles Final
21:18 W 400m hurdles Final
21:30 W 10,000m Final
21:36 W Javelin Final
22:25 M 1500m Decathlon
22:53 W 200m Final

Wednesday June 12
20:20 M Pole Vault Final
20:28 M Javelin Final
20:54 W Long Jump Final
21:06 W 4x400m Final
21:19 M 4x400m Final
21:31 W 800m Final
21:44 M 10,000m Final
22:26 M 1500m Final
22:38 W 4x100m Final
22:50 M 4x100m Final

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