Glave and Azu secure European 100m one-two for host nation
Romell Glave claims gold in 10.09 seconds while teammate Jeremiah Azu takes silver, extending Great Britain’s sprint success at the European Athletics Championships.
Great Britain’s Romell Glave and Jeremiah Azu secured a one-two finish in the men’s 100m final at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, capitalising on the withdrawal of Italy’s defending champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs. Glave claimed the gold medal with a time of 10.09 seconds, while Azu took silver in 10.16 seconds, delivering a decisive result for the host nation at the Alexander Stadium.
Italy’s two-time defending champion and Olympic title holder from five years ago, Jacobs, was the gold-medal favourite but dropped out of contention at the halfway point due to injury. The withdrawal allowed Germany’s Owen Ansah to complete the podium with the bronze medal, reshaping the outcome of the race originally expected to be a contest between the top European sprinters.
Glave, aged 26, upgraded from the bronze medal he won at the Rome championships two years ago to secure his first international gold. The victory marks a significant milestone for the British sprinter, who has broken the 10-second barrier for the first time under legal conditions earlier in the season. He has now run sub-10 seconds on six separate occasions this year, demonstrating consistent progress after a career previously disrupted by injury setbacks, including a back fracture.
Azu, the 2025 world and European indoor 60m champion, improved upon his 2022 bronze medal performance to finish second. The result followed Amy Hunt’s victory in the women’s 100m the previous day, reinforcing Great Britain’s sprint dominance at the home event. The team’s success has been noted as a key factor in the overall performance of the British athletics squad during the championships.
Glave’s victory was built on a tactical focus on sharpening his first 40 metres, a strategy that saw him hit the front by the 30-metre mark in the final. Despite a talented junior background that saw him named the fastest 17-year-old in the world in 2017, Glave’s recent consistency has allowed him to execute his race plan perfectly. He continued running beyond the finish line in celebration, securing the gold medal he had targeted since his performance in Rome.
