Angelica Moser successfully defended her European pole vault title with a flawless series in the absence of Britain's Molly Caudery, while 33-year-old Dariya Derkach upset the pre-event favourites in the triple jump for a first major medal of her career.

Angelica Moser successfully defended her European pole vault title on Thursday (Aug 13) with a flawless series at the Alexander Stadium.

The Swiss vaulter, who won her first European gold in Rome two years ago, cleared every height from 4.45m through to 4.80m at the first attempt, matching her season's best and never once looking troubled before finally bowing out at 4.85m.

It was a statement of authority in a competition that had been billed as one of the most open in years, bringing together the reigning champion, a former champion, the 2025 world indoor champion and Katerina Stefanidi's remarkable championship CV all in the same pit.

Finland's Wilma Heltelä, who had arrived in Birmingham topping the European rankings and chasing a second continental title under her married name, could not quite match her, settling for silver with 4.75m. France's Marie-Julie Bonnin, the 2025 world indoor champion, completed the podium with 4.70m to claim her first major outdoor medal.

There was a notable absentee in Molly Caudery, the bronze medallist from Rome two years ago and reigning world indoor champion, whose absence removed one of the home crowd's own medal hopes from contention before the competition had even begun.

There was disappointment, too, for Stefanidi, 36, who could only manage 4.60m and finish sixth – ending a remarkable run of five successive European Championship pole vault podiums stretching back to 2014.

Derkach finally strikes gold in triple jump, as none of the favourites deliver

If the pole vault went largely to script, the women's triple jump did the opposite. All of the leading contenders – Romania's European leader Diana Ana Maria Ion, Belgium's Ilona Masson, Slovenia's Neja Filipič, Italy's rising star Erika Saraceni and the experienced Ivana Španović – will leave Birmingham without a medal.

Instead it was 33-year-old Dariya Derkach who produced the story of the competition, a big fourth-round leap of 14.60m securing both a European lead and a personal best as she claimed her first European outdoor title and, remarkably, her first major senior outdoor medal of any colour.

Born in Ukraine, Derkach moved to Italy as a child and became an Italian citizen in 2013, making her senior international debut the same year – which means it has taken well over a decade of representing her adopted country for this moment to arrive.

Belgium still had cause for celebration, just not from the athlete most had expected. Saliyya Guisse, overlooked in the some pre-championships previews in favour of team-mate Masson, claimed silver with 14.46m, while Bulgaria's Aleksandra Nacheva took bronze with 14.40m. Masson herself could only finish fourth with 14.37m, agonisingly close to a medal but ultimately left just outside it.

Derkach said: "I am just happy to have this medal and cannot believe it. It will take some time to realise what just happened. The PB is the cherry on the top. Finally, I got it.

"This was so hard. The journey towards this medal was so difficult. I had to fight a lot of pain and lots of struggles. But inside me, some flame was still burning. I was waiting for so long for this moment. Last year was very hard for me - I had a tendon injury. The most beautiful thing was that I can train now without a pain. I had pain in my tendon for four to five years."

It was a particularly tough night for Saraceni, the 20-year-old who had beaten Derkach to the Italian title earlier this season and looked to be the coming force in the event. She finished last of the 12 finalists with 13.48m. Filipič, Ion and Španović all finished outside the top seven too.

Women's pole vault: 1 Angelica Moser (SUI) 4.80; 2 Wilma Heltelä (FIN) 4.75; 3 Marie-Julie Bonnin (FRA) 4.70; 4 Margot Chevrier (FRA) 4.60; 4 Elien Vekemans (BEL) 4.60; 6 Aikaterini Stefanidi (GRE) 4.60; 7 Hanga Klekner (HUN) 4.45; 7 Marleen Mülla (EST) 4.45; 7 Berenice Petit (FRA) 4.45

Women's triple jump: 1 Dariya Derkach (ITA) 14.60 (+1.9); 2 Saliyya Guisse (BEL) 14.46 (+2.4); 3 Aleksandra Nacheva (BUL) 14.40 (+3.4); 4 Ilona Masson (BEL) 14.37 (+1.2); 5 Tuğba Danışmaz (TUR) 14.33 (+3.0); 6 Kira Wittmann (GER) 14.32 (+2.3); 7 Elena Andreea Talos (ROU) 14.23 (+1.5); 8 Ivana Španović (SRB) 14.06 (+2.4)