Silja Kosonen takes her first major senior title, as Britain's Charlotte Payne finishes a fine sixth on Wednesday.

Silja Kosonen won the first major senior title of her career in the women's hammer on Wednesday (Aug 12), producing a huge 76.28m to end a run of close finishes at major championships – but it was the identity of the athlete who didn't win a medal that will maybe dominate the post-mortem in the Finnish camp.

Krista Tervo arrived in Birmingham as one half of a Finnish one-two prediction that had looked reasonable on paper, sitting top of the season's world list on 77.35m and unbeaten in four competitions beyond 75 metres this year. Instead, she didn't find her form when it mattered, fouling twice and managing only 67.74m with her one legal throw to finish 11th.

It left the stage clear for her 23-year-old compatriot instead. Kosonen, who had already collected European under-20, European under-23 and world under-20 titles but had finished fourth and fifth at the last two senior global and continental championships, finally turned potential into gold with the second-round throw that proved unbeatable – 76.28m – then added another effort beyond 75 metres in the sixth round for good measure.

Defending champion Sara Fantini could not quite become only the second woman, after Anita Włodarczyk, to win back-to-back European hammer titles, but a 74.35m opening-round effort was enough to hold on for silver and a second successive medal of this colour or better.

Norway's Beatrice Nedberge Llano enjoyed a breakthrough bronze of 72.88m giving her country their first medal in the event at a European Championships.

There was disappointment, too, for Włodarczyk, who had been chasing a seventh European medal at the age of 41 and looked to have the pedigree to find one more podium finish. In the end 72.37m was only good enough for fourth, agonisingly close but not quite enough to add to a collection that already includes the world record and three Olympic titles. Rose Loga of France, bronze medallist in Rome two years ago, endured a difficult final and did not make the top 12.

There was Irish interest with Nicola Tuthill, whose 70.33m was enough for fifth, and Britain's Charlotte Payne, who produced a best of 70.12m to finish sixth.

Women's hammer: 1 Silja Kosonen (FIN) 76.28; 2 Sara Fantini (ITA) 74.35; 3 Beatrice Nedberge Llano (NOR) 72.88; 4 Anita Włodarczyk (POL) 72.37; 5 Nicola Tuthill (IRL) 70.33; 6 Charlotte Payne (GBR) 70.12; 7 Stamatia Alexandra Scarvelis (GRE) 69.54 SB; 8 Aleksandra Śmiech (POL) 69.12