Gold crown and mega cash prize up for grabs for top displays in Birmingham's Euro showpiece

There are extra incentives for the cream of European athletics to stand out from the rest of the field in Birmingham this month.

Europe’s top athletes descend on Birmingham this month for the continent’s major event - and now there are more than just medals up for grabs.

Keely Hodgkinson crosses the line to take 800m gold (Petr David Josek/AP).

placeholder image — Keely Hodgkinson crosses the line to take 800m gold (Petr David Josek/AP).

It has been confirmed that the European Athletics Championships, held between August 10 and 16, will feature extra glitzy silverware and cash prizes for leading performances.

Ten leading athletes will be awarded a gold crown for their displays in the Birmingham event, as well as £42,847 - converted from 50,000 euros.

It is the second edition of the gold crown initiative, which was introduced for the last Championships in Rome in 2024.

Among those hoping to land the glitzy crown, as well as adding to her European gold haul, is middle distance track star Keely Hodgkinson.

The 24-year-old is reigning Olympic 800m champion from Paris 2024 and twice a gold medal winner in the European Championships in Rome and Munich, in 2022. She broke the European indoor record this year by setting 1:54.87.

Other 2026 record-setting stars to appear in Birmingham this month are Sweden’s pole-vaulting superstar Mondo Duplantis and Switzerland heptathlete Simon Ehammer.

Women’s long-distance duo Diane van Es, of The Netherlands, and Slovenia’s Klara Lukan are big hopes at 10,000m.

Gold crowned stars from Rome include Duplantis, Norway sprinter Karsten Warholm (Norway), Femke Bol (Netherlands), Jakob Ingebrigsten (Norway), Nadia Battocletti (Italy), Leonardo Fabbri (Italy), Sandra Elkasevic (Croatia), Malaika Mihambo (Germany), Johannes Erm (Estonia) and Nafissatou Thiam (Belgium).