Britain enjoys more sprints success in Birmingham as national champion leads compatriot Jeremiah Azu home at Alexander Stadium.

In a recent interview with AW, Romell Glave promised that he would produce “fireworks” during the men’s 100m final at the European Championships. He stayed true to his word by leading home a British one-two in Birmingham on Tuesday night (August 11). 

The Alexander Stadium has become his favourite place to perform, the Midlands venue having been the stage upon which the 26-year-old not only won his first British title earlier this year but also ran under 10 seconds legally for the first time. 

On this occasion he wasn’t quite as fast as that 9.98 from June but, one day on from Amy Hunt having won the women's title, he was a commanding winner in 10.09 (-0.4) as fellow countryman Jeremiah Azu clocked 10.16 for second and bronze went to Germany’s Owen Ansah (10.19).

It is the third time that Britain has achieved a one-two finish in the men's 100m at the European Championships, after Darren Campbell and Dwain Chambers in 1998, then Zharnel Hughes and Reece Prescod in 2018.

Italy's two-time defending champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs, who had looked impressive in the semi-finals, ultimately hobbled over the line in 12.26 after pulling up with what looked to be a hamstring problem around the 40m mark.

Azu enjoyed an early lead but, from the 30m mark onwards, there was only one man at the head of the field. Glave, who reacted fastest to the gun, has been a model of consistency this year and got the “redemption” he had been looking for, having felt he had let gold slip through his grasp at the 2024 edition of these championships when he had to settle for bronze. 

Jacobs had come out on top during that race in Rome and it looked like he and Glave would be the key players in the final again this time around. The Italian former Olympic champion had been the fastest man in Europe this year with 9.96 but his rival wasn’t exactly trailing too far behind with his personal best of 9.97 from London last month. 

“I want to compete against him, because it's like a [chance for] redemption,” said Glave of Jacobs in that AW interview. “In 2024 I could have got that gold medal but he just snuck it off me. I was like, ‘I'll be ready this time around’.”

And so it proved. The scene had been set beautifully by both winning their respective semi-finals, Jacobs in 10.08 and Glave in 10.13, while Azu was third-fastest with 10.17. Yet the manner of the Italian’s run suggested that third consecutive gold could be in his grasp.

Jacobs has had a number of highs to celebrate during his career but injury has never been far away for him either, though, and in the final he pulled up just as Glave was building the platform from which to strike. And strike he did.

“We’ve been working on my start to the first 30 metres, and I was able to execute that today and to be European champion,” said Glave. “It’s an amazing feeling, and to do it here on home soil as well in Birmingham, to be able to bring a one-two for British athletics.”

A fracture in his back that became enflamed prevented Glave from building on that 2024 bronze, but hours of hard work behind the scenes with coach Michael Afilaka have paid off.

“I was ready for this occasion," he said. "It’s just physical. I have to fill in that gap because last week, I’ve been a bit up and down with my body. I was able to come out here regardless of how I was feeling, and also show up because the objective was to win.”

They say elite sport comes down the finest of margins and they don’t get much finer than the margin that decided the outcome of the evening's other sprint final - the  women’s 100m hurdles. 

After a lengthy wait, the verdict went to Nadine Visser of the Netherlands, the two-time European indoor champion awarded to gold by just one thousandth of a second after she and Poland’s 2022 winner Pia Skrzyszowska were both given a time of 12.67 (-0.8). 

The analysis eventually revealed that Visser had run 12.668 to Skrzyszowska’s 12.669, while Laeticia Bapté of France was third with 12.73 as she edged out Swiss world champion Ditaji Kambundji (12.75). Britain’s Marcia Sey was eighth in 13.01.

Meanwhile, racing in front of the temporary stand that bears his name for these championships, the two-time champion Matthew Hudson-Smith got his campaign for a third title under way by making sure of his safe passage through to the men’s 400m final. 

The Briton was fourth-fastest overall as he produced a run of 44.78 to come second behind the 44.63 PB by Jonas Phijffers of the Netherlands in the opening race. Another PB – 44.38 from Frenchman Muhammad Abdallah Kounta in heat three – topped the qualifying standings in a race that saw an out of sorts Charlie Dobson of Britain failing to progress, coming fourth with 45.18.