Amy Hunt lit up the opening night of the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham by winning the women's 100 metres gold medal, sealing a memorable moment for the host nation as Great Britain staged the continental event for the first time. Roared on by a home crowd, Hunt produced a superb run to be crowned the fastest woman in Europe, delivering one of the standout performances of the first evening of competition.
The final had the makings of a British showdown, with Hunt lining up against the defending champion Dina Asher-Smith, one of the most decorated names in British sprinting. It was Hunt, however, who came out on top, getting the better of a high-quality field to take the title. The victory confirmed her status as the athlete to beat and marked a significant step forward in the career of one of the brightest talents in British athletics.
Hunt had arrived in Birmingham in excellent form and as the slight pre-event favourite. In the semi-finals she had clocked 10.99 seconds, the fastest time of the round and her third sub-11-second run of the season, underlining the sharpness that she carried into the final. The result followed a silver medal at the 2026 Commonwealth Games, and her win in front of a home crowd capped a rapid rise up the ranks of European sprinting.
The 100m gold was one of two medals won by Great Britain on the opening night. Earlier, the host nation had claimed silver in the 4x400 metres mixed relay, with Yemi Mary John chasing the winners Norway all the way to the line to secure the first British medal of these championships. The two podium finishes gave the home supporters plenty to celebrate as the action got under way in Birmingham.
One of the biggest talking points of the night came in the men's 5,000 metres, where Norway's Jakob Ingebrigtsen returned to winning ways. One of the stars of the sport, Ingebrigtsen had not finished a race in almost a year because of injury and Achilles surgery. In a slow, tactical race, he moved to the front in the closing stages and kicked clear over the final laps to take the title, completing an emotional comeback.
There was British interest in that 5,000m too, with James West representing the host nation in a race dominated by attention on Ingebrigtsen's comeback. The Norwegian admitted afterwards that he had doubted himself in the build-up, having questioned whether he could produce the finish that has become his trademark, but his experience and racing instinct carried him to another major victory.
For Great Britain, the opening night set an encouraging tone for the rest of the championships, with a gold and a silver already secured in front of a passionate home audience. Amy Hunt's triumph in the blue-riband 100m, in particular, stood out as a signal of intent, positioning her as one of the leading hopes for British athletics as the sport looks ahead to the major championships still to come.