BIRMINGHAM: Britain’s Romell Glave upstaged two-time defending champion Marcell Jacobs to win European men’s 100-metre gold in Birmingham on Tuesday.

Jacobs, the Tokyo Olympics gold medallist, had been favourite going into the race, but had a terrible start, handing Glave an advantage he never ceded.

The Italian suddenly slowed to a jog at around the 50m point of the race with what he later said could be a “serious” injury to his adductor.

The Jamaican-born Glave clocked 10.09 seconds for the win, with world indoor 60m champion Jeremiah Azu also taking silver for Britain in 10.16sec.

“It is an amazing feeling,” Glave said. “Just the work I put in to come here and execute my race. We have been working on my start, and I was able to execute that today.

“Upgrading from a bronze medal from 2024 is an amazing feeling.

“That was the aim to get one, two, and three, but we got 1-2, which is also amazing. Wasn’t really pressure mentally. I was ready for this occasion.”

Glave, 26, added of Britain’s 100m performances, notably after Amy Hunt won the women’s race on Monday: “It is domination. Total domination.”

Germany’s Owen Ansah, facing calls from his country’s anti-doping agency for a four-year ban for refusing to undergo a doping test, took bronze in 10.19sec.

Jacobs, 31, eventually came through the line in seventh place, more than two seconds off the pace.

FOURTH LONG JUMP TITLE FOR TENTOGLOU

Greece’s Miltiadis Tentoglou soared out to a record-equalling fourth European long jump title.

Tentoglou, the double Olympic champion, came under pressure from Swiss athlete Simon Ehammer, but produced a winning 8.44 metres on his fourth attempt.

Tentoglou emulated Germany’s Heike Drechsler who won four successive European women’s long jump titles between 1986 and 1998.

“This was one of the hardest finals I have ever done,” said Tentoglou. “I am good in all conditions but this wind was so hard on us long jumpers.

“Ehammer is a very strong guy, and he was kind of OK with it. But for the other jumpers and me, it was incredibly difficult.”

Tentoglou added: “I had to try so hard for this 8.44m jump. It is nothing for me usually but today it was so hard to do. This is one of my most precious victories because it is also a complex season for me. This is the start of winning golds again.”

A resolute Nadia Battocletti struck with 200 metres to run to comfortably defend her 5,000m title in 15:37.84.

It is the latest accolade for Battocletti, who has gone on a medal spree since completing a 5,000/10,000m Euro double in Rome two years ago.

Since then, she has won two successive European cross country titles, European 10km road gold, Olympic and world 10,000m silver, world 5000m bronze and world indoor 3000m gold.

Spain’s Marta Garca took silver in 15:39.98, with another Italian, Micol Majori, rounding out the podium.

Dutchwoman Nadine Visser claimed a thrilling victory in the 100m hurdles, edging Poland’s Pia Skrzyszowska in a photo finish in 12.67sec.

A tight finish across the field saw France’s Laetitia Bapte grab bronze ahead of Switzerland’s reigning world champion Ditaji Kambundji.

Hungary’s Olympic silver medallist Bence Halasz broke the Polish stranglehold on the European men’s hammer throw, managing a world-leading 84.25m for victory. It was Halasz’s first gold after seven previous near-misses on the global stage.

Germany’s Merlin Hummel claimed silver with 81.30m, Ukraine’s Mykhaylo Kokhan taking bronze (79.49).

Published in Dawn, August 13th, 2026