The London Athletics Meet reminded us that the public want to be a part of big occasions and big moments, writes Katharine Merry, and Birmingham can provide even more.

No pressure, Birmingham. What a hard act to follow. The London Athletics Meet – Josh Kerr’s world record-breaking run and all – has absolutely thrown the gauntlet down to the European Championships to deliver the goods this month. 

That day at the Olympic Stadium, when the famous arena was absolutely bouncing, is going to live long in my memory and Birmingham is going to have to pull up some trees now to knock London off from being the top track and field spectacle in the UK this year. As we know, major championships are the pinnacle of every season and, for us in 2026, those major championships are the Europeans. 

But how often do we go into a showpiece event thinking: “You've got to put on a very good show otherwise you aren’t going to be the top dog of the British scene in track and field”? I can’t think of another time when it’s been like this.

There were some big echoes of the 2012 Olympics at the Diamond League event in London, with the packed stands roaring, and it served as a reminder as to why, in my view, that meeting shouldn’t be moved to anywhere else in London. I know there’s talk of taking it to Crystal Palace if and when that venue is revived – and, as someone who worked on live broadcasts and raced there, I understand why that idea is being floated – but I think there is too much history wrapped up in the Stratford Stadium now and you can’t take it with you. 

Many people go there looking to recapture that 2012 feeling – it’s a big reason why so many tickets are sold well in advance every year and why every seat, once again, was full. 

Looking ahead to the European Championships, there’s a similar situation at play in Birmingham – only this time it’s the hope of replicating the experience of the 2022 Commonwealth Games that is helping to draw the crowds. People who were at the Alexander Stadium four years ago want more of it, those who missed out last time want to make sure they don’t make that mistake again. It’s more or less the same set-up, at the same venue, 90-95 per cent of it looks the same, there’s the familiarity of good times. People want to be involved in that, don't they?

And occasions like this are all the more important during times of uncertainty. In the UK, we’re on our fifth prime minister in four years and there’s a cost of living crisis, for example, while the global landscape is always shifting, so the unity and distraction of a major sporting event is just the kind of escapism that the public will lean towards.

Of course, I have every confidence that Birmingham will rise to the occasion and these championships are going to be huge, not just for the city but for the West Midlands as a whole. I’m from the area, I still live in and work in Birmingham – I’m a regular presenter on BBC West Midlands Radio – and you'll regularly hear the listeners saying that we don't blow our trumpet as much as we should. But there’s an eagerness to do a good job, to fly the flag high, and I think that’s what’s going to happen here. 

It helps that the ticket sales have been strong and, of course, the product on show is going to be of a very high quality. European athletics is in a very good place right now and, yes, there are a number of big names you can hang your hat on but the standards across the perhaps less celebrated disciplines are impressive, too.

I think the standout event is going to be the women’s 800m and that mouthwatering competition between Keely Hodgkinson, Audrey Werro and Femke Broeders-Bol. There are going to be a few other head to heads – Amy Hunt v Dina Asher-Smith in the sprints or Larissa Iapichino in the long jump spring to mind – that will certainly be worth watching, too. 

But the one that has the potential to really tug at the heartstrings is the men’s 400m. 

Matthew Hudson-Smith now lives in the USA but he was born and bred in Wolverhampton, is a fellow Birchfield Harrier and grew up at the Alexander Stadium. There’s even a stand bearing his name on it at the stadium for these championships!

He has won two European 400m titles already, but making it three would be a huge deal for him. He had the chance to win Commonwealth gold in Birmingham four years ago and couldn’t quite get the job done, so this is an opportunity he’ll be looking to seize. 

I have literally seen him grow up and develop as an athlete and I’ve been really impressed by what he’s been able to achieve, as well as the level he has managed to reach. Moving to Florida and working with coach Gary Evans, he’s in a place that’s conducive to him running fast.

He's had his issues and periods where he has struggled in terms of his own mental health, as well as major injury problems, and it wasn’t so long ago that you would genuinely worry if he was going to be able to get through a race in one piece. He hasn’t got the 100 per cent consistency yet but he’s the sixth-fastest man of all time, now has world and Olympic medals and is comfortably the best in Europe as I write this. He’s married, he’s a father, has a great training set-up, is in a great place and it’s being reflected on the track. 

If he were to win this month? It wouldn’t be quite on the same sporting scale but, in terms of what it would mean to him personally, if Matt could deliver a performance in his back yard it would be like Mo Farah winning Olympic and world gold in London. The local boy made good would all add to the story, too, and provide just the kind of moment that would make sure Birmingham 26 leaves the crowds wanting to come back for more.