Germany’s Amanal Petros and Finland’s Alisa Vainio delivered historic performances at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, both smashing championship records to secure gold in the men’s and women’s marathons on Sunday. The event showcased exceptional depth in European long-distance running, with both champions executing masterful tactical races.
In the women’s division, Alisa Vainio, who placed an impressive fifth at last year’s World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, dominated the field with an extraordinary solo performance. The Finnish runner broke away early, maintaining a relentless pace that her competitors could not match. Vainio crossed the finish line in a spectacular time of 2:22:26. This performance shaved nearly three minutes off the previous championship record of 2:25:14, which had been set by France’s Christelle Daunay in Zurich in 2014. Vainio’s victory represents a major milestone for Finland’s athletic program, demonstrating her capability to perform at the highest level on the continental stage. Hungary’s Lili Anna Vindics-Toth claimed the silver medal by running a personal best of 2:27:21, while Great Britain’s Abbie Donnelly secured the bronze medal in 2:27:33. In the women’s team competition, Great Britain took the gold on home soil, followed by Italy with silver and Spain with bronze.
The men’s marathon was equally historic, led by Olympic silver medalist Amanal Petros. Representing Germany, the Eritrean-born athlete finished the course in 2:09:11, claiming the European title and breaking the previous championship record of 2:09:51 set by Belgium’s Koen Naert in Berlin in 2018 by a margin of 40 seconds. Petros faced intense competition, particularly in the final stretch of the race. Italy’s Pietro Riva, who won the European silver medal in the half-marathon in Rome two years ago, took the silver medal in 2:09:18. Riva narrowly edged out Ethiopian-born Israeli runner Gashau Ayale, who finished just three seconds behind to claim the bronze medal in 2:09:21.
National team depth proved decisive in the overall standings. Israel captured the men’s team gold medal, placing four of their athletes in the top 12 finishers. Germany earned the team silver, and France walked away with the bronze. According to official reports compiled by AFP, the double record-breaking showcase in Birmingham highlights a significant shift in European marathon standards, setting a high benchmark for future international championships.