The European Athletics Championships is a biennial (from 2010) athletics event organised by the European Athletic Association and is recognised as the elite continental outdoor athletics championships for Europe.
Editions First held, for men only, in 1934 in Turin, and separately for women for the first time in Vienna in 1938, the Championships took place every four years following the end of the World War II, with the exception of the 1969 and 1971 editions, becoming a joint men's and women's competition from the third edition in 1946 in Oslo. Since 2010, they have been organised every two years, and when they coincide with the Summer Olympics, the marathon and racewalking events are not contested. From 2016, a half-marathon event has been held in those Olympic years, and both the marathon and half-marathon events held as part of the Championships also function as the principle European elite team events at those distances.
The championships were long dominated by Eastern Bloc countries, especially the Soviet Union and East Germany, but Great Britain now tops the all-time medal table.
In 2018 and 2022, the European Athletics Championships formed part of the quadrennial multi-sport European Championships, a new event designed and held by individual European sports federations. In 2022, European Athletics announced its intention to withdraw from the multi-sport event for 2026.
The 2020 edition set for Charlety Stadium in Paris was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, making this the first cancellation of the event since the 1942 championship was abandoned due to World War II. The event was not moved to an alternative date, with Munich continuing as the scheduled host in 2022.
An indoor equivalent, the European Athletics Indoor Championships, is organised by the European Athletic Association in odd numbered years.
While the European Games of 2015 featured athletics, as did the Games in 2023, these events are not editions of the European Athletics Championships. Instead, from 2023, the European Games athletics program consists of alternating editions of the biennial European Athletics Team Championships, a national team championships also arranged by European Athletics which includes European Games medals for individuals.
Notes: ♂ – men, ♀ – women EditionYearHost cityHost countryDateVenueEventsNationsAthletesTop of the medal table 1 1934 ♂ Turin 7–9 September Stadio Benito Mussolini 22 23 226 2 1938 ♂ Paris 3–5 September Stade Olympique de Colombes 23 23 272 1938 ♀ Vienna 17–18 September Praterstadion 9 14 80 3 1946 Oslo 22–25 August Bislett Stadium 33 20 353 4 1950 Brussels 23–27 August Heysel Stadium 34 24 454 Great Britain 5 1954 Bern 25–29 August Stadion Neufeld 35 28 686 6 1958 Stockholm 19–24 August Stockholm Olympic Stadium 36 26 626 7 1962 Belgrade 12–16 September Stadion JNA 36 29 670 8 1966 Budapest 30 August – 4 September Népstadion 36 30 769 9 1969 Piraeus 16–21 September Karaiskakis Stadium 38 30 674 10 1971 Helsinki 10–15 August Olympiastadion 38 29 857 11 1974 Rome 2–8 September Stadio Olimpico 39 29 745 12 1978 Prague 29 August – 3 September Stadion Evžena Rošického 40 29 1004 13 1982 Athens 6–12 September Olympiakó Stàdio 41 29 756 14 1986 Stuttgart 26–31 August Neckarstadion 43 31 906 15 1990 Split 26 August – 2 September Stadion Poljud 43 33 952 16 1994 Helsinki 7–14 August Olympiastadion 44 44 1113 17 1998 Budapest 18–23 August Népstadion 46 44 1259 Great Britain 18 2002 Munich 6–11 August Olympiastadion 46 48 1244 19 2006 Gothenburg 7–13 August Ullevi 47 48 1288 20 2010 Barcelona 27 July – 1 August Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys 47 50 1323 21 2012 Helsinki 27 June – 1 July Olympiastadion 42 50 1230 22 2014 Zürich 12–17 August Letzigrund 47 50 1439 Great Britain 23 2016 Amsterdam 6–10 July Olympic Stadium 44 50 1329 24 2018 Berlin 7–12 August Olympiastadion 48 49 1439 Great Britain — 2020 Paris 26–30 August Stade Sébastien Charléty Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic 25 2022 Munich 15–21 August Olympiastadion 48 48 1495 26 2024 Rome 7–12 June Stadio Olimpico 47 48 1559 27 2026 Birmingham 10–16 August Alexander Stadium 50 49 1645 28 2028 Chorzów 3-8 June Stadion Śląski
All-time medal table Updated after the 2026 European Athletics Championships.Statistics Handbook 2024 European Athletics Championships . European Athletics (2024). Retrieved on 3 June 2024.
Former countries are pointed in italic. Team medals in half marathon and marathon are not included into this table (see European Half Marathon Cup and European Marathon Cup).
was the name, under which Russian athletes competed in the 2016 and 2018 Championships. Their medals were not included in the official medal table.
As of 2026, Andorra, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, Georgia, Gibraltar, Kosovo, Liechtenstein, Malta, Monaco, North Macedonia and San Marino have yet to win a medal. Saar competed once in 1954 European Athletics Championships without winning a medal. FR Yugoslavia competed twice in 1998 and 2002 European Athletics Championships, also without winning a medal.
Championship records
Multiple winners Boldface denotes active athletes and highest medal count among all athletes (including these who not included in these tables) per type.
Sprinter Dina Asher-Smith holds the record for most gold medals, with eight, followed by discus thrower Sandra Elkasević (Perković) of Croatia and middle-distance runner Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway with seven gold medals.
Men Rank Athlete Country Events From To Gold Silver BronzeTotal 1 Jakob Ingebrigtsen 1500 m / 5000 m 2018 2026 7 – – 72 Zharnel Hughes Great Britain 100 m / 200 m / 4 × 100 m relay / Mixed 4 × 100 m relay 2018 2026 6 2 – 83 Matthew Hudson-Smith Great Britain 400 m / 4 × 400 m relay 2014 2026 5 3 1 9 4 Roger Black Great Britain 400 m / 4 × 400 m relay 1986 1994 5 1 – 6 Mo Farah Great Britain 5000 m / 10,000 m 2006 2014 5 1 – 6 Harald Schmid 400 m hurdles / 4 × 400 m relay 1978 1986 5 1 – 6 7 Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad 3000 m steeplechase / 1500 m 2010 2018 5 – – 5 Karsten Warholm400 m hurdles / 4 × 400 m mixed relay201820265––5 9 Christophe Lemaitre 100 m / 200 m / 4 × 100 m relay 2010 2014 4 2 2 8 10 Kevin Borlée 400 m / 4 × 400 m relay 2010 2022 4 2 1 7
Women Rank Athlete Country Events From To Gold Silver BronzeTotal 1 Dina Asher-Smith Great Britain 100 m / 200 m / 4 × 100 m relay / Mixed 4 × 100 m relay 2016 2026 8 2 1 11 2 Sandra Elkasević (Perković) Discus throw 2010 2024 7 – – 73 Femke Broeders-Bol 400 m / 800 m / 400 m hurdles / 4 × 400 m relay / 4 × 400 m mixed relay 2022 2026 6 – 2 8 4 Marita Koch 400 m / 4 × 400 m relay 1978 1986 6 – – 6 5 Irena Szewińska (Kirszenstein) 100 m / 200 m / 400 m / 4 × 100 m relay / 4 × 400 m relay / Long jump 1966 1978 5 1 4 10 6 Fanny Blankers-Koen 100 m / 200 m / 80 m hurdles / 4 × 100 m relay 1938 1950 5 1 2 8 7 Marlies Göhr 100 m / 200 m / 4 × 100 m relay 1978 1986 5 1 1 7 8 Grit Breuer 400 m / 4 × 400 m relay 1990 2002 5 1 – 6 Heike Drechsler 200 m / Long jump 1986 1998 5 1 – 6 10 Amy Hunt Great Britain 100 m / 200 m / 4 × 100 m relay / Mixed 4 × 100 m relay 2024 2026 5 – – 5
Multiple medallists
A total of 13 men and 17 women have won six or more medals at the competition. Dina Asher-Smith has won the most total medals, with eleven, followed by Irena Szewińska with ten. Matthew Hudson-Smith has won the most medals on the men's side, with nine.
Men NameCountryTotalGoldSilverBronzeYearsMatthew Hudson-Smith Great Britain 9 5 3 1 2014–2026Zharnel Hughes Great Britain86202018–2026Christophe Lemaitre 8 4 2 2 2010–2014Jakob Ingebrigtsen 7 7 0 0 2018–2026Kevin Borlée 7 4 2 1 2010–2022Roger Black Great Britain 6 5 1 0 1986–1994Mo Farah Great Britain 6 5 1 0 2006–2014Harald Schmid 6 5 1 0 1978–1986Pietro Mennea 6 3 2 1 1971–1978Martyn Rooney Great Britain 6 3 2 1 2010–2018Jonathan Borlée 6 * 3 1 * 2 2010–2022Linford Christie Great Britain 6 3 1 2 1986–1994Jimmy Vicaut 6 * 1 3 2 * 2010–2022 * including one medal in the relay event in which he participated in the heats only
Women NameCountryTotalGoldSilverBronzeYearsDina Asher-Smith Great Britain 11 8 2 1 2016–2026Irena Szewińska (Kirszenstein) 10 5 1 4 1966–1978Femke Broeders-Bol 8 6 0 2 2022–2026Fanny Blankers-Koen 8 5 1 2 1938–1950Renate Stecher (Meissner) 8 4 4 0 1969–1974Dafne Schippers 8 4 3 1 2012–2018Sandra Elkasević (Perković) 7 7 0 0 2010–2024Marlies Göhr 7 5 1 1 1978–1986Lieke Klaver 7 3 0 4 2022–2026Gina Lückenkemper 7 2 2 3 2016–2026Myriam Soumaré 7 1 3 3 2010–2014Marita Koch 6 6 0 0 1978–1986Grit Breuer 6 5 1 0 1990–2002Heike Drechsler 6 5 1 0 1986–1998Anita Włodarczyk 6 4 1 1 2010–2024Irina Privalova 6 3 2 1 1994–1998Yevgeniya Sechenova 6 2 2 2 1946–1950
Most golds in a single championships
British sprinter Amy Hunt became the first and, to date (2026) only, athlete to win four gold medals at a single championships; taking the gold at the 2026 European Athletics Championships in the women's 100 metres, the women's 200 metres, the mixed 4 x 100 m relay, and the women's 4 x 100 m relay.
Prior to Hunt's achievement, the most decorated athlete in a single Championship was Dutch legend Fanny Blankers-Koen who achieved four medals, three golds across the women's 100 m, 200 m and 80 m hurdles and one silver, the women's 4 x 100 m relay at the 1950 European Athletics Championships.
Most medals in the same event A total of 24 men and 14 women have won four or more medals in the same event. Sandra Elkasević (Perković) of Croatia is the only athlete, male or female, to win the same event (the women's discus throw) seven times (between 2010 and 2024). Only one athlete of each sex, Matt Hudson-Smith and Dina Asher-Smith, have won four medals in two different events, in his case the 400 metres and the 4 x 400 metres relay, in hers the 200 metres and the 4 x 100 metres relay.
Men NoG/S/BAthleteCountryYearsEvent5 (3/2/0) Igor Ter-Ovanesyan 1958–1971 Long jump5* (3/1*/1) Jonathan Borlée 2010–2022 4 × 400 m relay5 (3/1/1) Kevin Borlée 2010–2022 4 × 400 m relay5 (2/2/1) Matthew Hudson-Smith Great Britain 2014–2026 4 × 400 m relay4 (4/0/0) Steve Backley Great Britain 1990–2002 Javelin throw4 (4/0/0) Colin Jackson Great Britain 1990–2002 110 m hurdles4 (4/0/0) Jakob Ingebrigtsen 2018–2026 5000 m4 (4/0/0) Jānis Lūsis 1962–1974 Javelin throw4 (4/0/0) Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad 2010–2018 3000 m steeplechase4(4/0/0)Armand Duplantis2018–2026Pole vault4(4/0/0)Miltiadis Tentoglou2018–2026Long jump4(4/0/0)Karsten Warholm2018–2026400 m hurdles4(4/0/0)Gianmarco Tamberi2016–2026High jump4 (3/1/0) Dylan Borlée 2016–2024 4 × 400 m relay4 (3/1/0) Mo Farah Great Britain 2006–2014 5000 m4(3/1/0)Matthew Hudson-Smith Great Britain2014–2026400 m4 (3/0/1) Adam Kszczot 2010–2018 800 m4 (3/0/1) Renaud Lavillenie 2010–2018 Pole vault4 (3/0/1) Wojciech Nowicki 2016–2024 Hammer throw4 (3/0/1) David Storl 2010–2018 Shot put4 (2/2/0) Viktor Saneyev 1969–1978 Triple jump4* (1/2/1*) Jimmy Vicaut 2010–2022 4 × 100 m relay4(1/2/1)Bence Halász2018–2026Hammer throw4 (0/3/1) Gerd Kanter 2006–2016 Discus throw4 (0/2/2) Alexander Kosenkow 2002–2014 4 × 100 m relay4 (0/1/3) Lothar Milde 1962–1971 Discus throw * including one medal in the relay event in which he participated in the heats only
Women