Jessica Schilder made it three European titles in a row with a big final-round 20.73m, with training partner Jorinde van Klinken taking silver behind her at Alexander Stadium.

Jessica Schilder underlined her status as the outstanding shot putter in the world right now by completing a European hat-trick on the opening night of the championships, saving her biggest throw for her final attempt to beat off a challenge from compatriot Jorinde van Klinken.

The world and two-time European champion had already done enough to win gold by the time she stepped into the ring for her sixth and final attempt, but she was not content to coast home. She launched the shot out to 20.73m, comfortably her best of the series and a mark that put a full stop on the field's hopes rather than just confirming what was already secure.

It continues a remarkable run for the 27-year-old from Volendam, who arrives in Birmingham on the back of a season that has already produced a Dutch record and world-leading 21.09m at the Diamond League in Keqiao and a winning throw of 20.89m in Stockholm. Add the world title she won in Tokyo last September and successive European golds in Munich (2022) and Rome (2024) and Schilder's case as the dominant field-event performer in Europe is hard to argue with.

She did not have things entirely her own way, however. Van Klinken, her training partner and the silver medallist from Rome two years ago, pushed her hardest with an opening effort of 19.64m that stood up as a personal best and was enough to secure silver, giving the Netherlands a one-two on home soil.

Bronze went to Germany's Yemisi Mabry, the Olympic champion from Paris two years ago, although her winning distance of 19.50m – itself only achieved with her fifth-round effort – was some way down on the 19.93m season's best that had made her one of Schilder's biggest challengers coming into the championships. It was nonetheless enough to secure her a third successive global or continental medal.

Sweden's Fanny Roos and Portugal's Auriol Dongmo, who had traded blows through qualifying, could not be separated for much of the final either, both settling for a best of 19.05m with Roos taking fourth on countback ahead of Dongmo in fifth.

Jessica Inchude was the second Portuguese thrower in the top eight, her 18.57m enough for sixth, while Germany's Katharina Maisch (18.39m) and Nina Chioma Ndubuisi (18.21m) rounded out the automatic scoring positions in seventh and eighth.

For all the closeness further down the field, the story of the night belonged to Schilder, who now holds the world, European and European indoor titles simultaneously and looks to be entering the form of her career at exactly the right time, with the World Championships in Beijing still over a year away.

Women's shot put: 1 Jessica Schilder (NED) 20.73; 2 Jorinde van Klinken (NED) 19.64; 3 Yemisi Mabry (GER) 19.50; 4 Fanny Roos (SWE) 19.05; 5 Auriol Dongmo (POR) 19.05; 6 Jessica Inchude (POR) 18.57; 7 Katharina Maisch (GER) 18.39; 8 Nina Chioma Ndubuisi (GER) 18.21