Amy Hunt Makes History with Unprecedented Quadruple Gold at the 2026 European Athletics Championships

Great Britain’s Amy Hunt has cemented her legacy as one of the continent’s all-time great sprinters, concluding a week of absolute dominance at the 2026 European Athletics Championships by claiming an unprecedented fourth gold medal. Stepping onto the track at the Alexander Stadium on Sunday evening for the final session of the championships, the 24-year-old anchored the British mixed 4x100m relay team to a stunning victory, setting a new European record in the process.

Hunt’s weekend triumph ensured she became the very first athlete in the 92-year history of the European Athletics Championships to win four gold medals at a single event. Her historic quadruple, encompassing the 100m, 200m, women’s 4x100m relay, and the mixed 4x100m relay, served as the crowning achievement for the host nation in what has been an unforgettable week of track and field in the Midlands.

A Record-Breaking Finale Under the Sunday Lights

The atmosphere inside the Alexander Stadium reached a fever pitch on Sunday night for the inaugural mixed 4x100m relay, a format that heightened the tactical complexity by alternating men and women across the legs. The British quartet, consisting of Jeremiah Azu, Dina Asher-Smith, Zharnel Hughes, and Hunt, faced fierce competition from a highly motivated German squad.

When Zharnel Hughes slapped the baton into Hunt’s palm for the anchor leg, Great Britain was fractionally trailing Germany, whose final leg was being run by Gina Lückenkemper. However, any anxiety among the partisan home crowd was swiftly extinguished. Hunt deployed her trademark late-race acceleration, surging past her German rival with breathtaking ease. The British team crossed the line in a blistering 39.97 seconds, shattering the 40-second barrier to establish a new European record. Germany was forced to settle for silver in 40.11 seconds, while Spain claimed the bronze in 40.42 seconds.

“It’s just a dream come true – I’ll remember this week for the rest of my life,” Hunt declared amidst the post-race celebrations, having struck a defiant pose and held up four fingers to the camera as she crossed the finish line. “I’m over the moon with four gold medals and I’m so glad to share it with some of my best friends in the sport.”

Remarkably, the team had little preparation for the complex changeovers that ultimately disqualified other nations, including the Netherlands and Italy. “Me and Jeremiah practiced our changeover only an hour ago for the first time,” Hunt revealed. “And look how smooth it was. Such professionals.”

The race also carried profound historical significance for Dina Asher-Smith, who ran a flawless second leg. The victory marked Asher-Smith’s 11th career European medal, allowing her to surpass the late Polish sprinting legend Irena Szewińska to become the most decorated athlete in the history of the European Championships.

The Saturday Relay Hat-Trick

Hunt’s Sunday heroics were preceded by another golden performance on Saturday, 15 August, where she secured her third gold medal of the championships in the traditional women’s 4x100m relay. The British women executed a clinical race, demonstrating superior baton exchanges and sheer raw pace to comfortably defeat the rest of the European field.

For Hunt, the Saturday victory was a crucial stepping stone. Having publicly declared her ambition to sweep all four events earlier in the week, the pressure was mounting immensely. Yet, rather than crumbling under the weight of expectation, the Cambridge University graduate appeared to thrive on it, utilising the roaring Birmingham crowd as a catalyst for her exceptional performances.

The Elusive Sprint Double: Individual Brilliance

Before the relay successes of the weekend, Hunt had already established herself as the undisputed queen of European sprinting by securing the highly coveted 100m and 200m double.

Her campaign commenced last Monday in the 100m final. Despite a characteristically slow reaction out of the blocks, a trait that left her trailing at the 50-metre mark, Hunt remained composed. She unleashed a devastating top-end speed over the final 40 metres to overhaul Poland’s Ewa Swoboda and Belgium’s Delphine Nkansa, stopping the clock at 11.00 seconds to claim her maiden major individual title.

Three days later, on Thursday evening, Hunt returned to the track for her preferred discipline: the 200m. Launching out of the curve neck-and-neck with her compatriot Asher-Smith, Hunt found another gear in the home straight. She pulled away convincingly to cross the finish line in a European-leading time of 22.19 seconds. Ireland’s Rhasidat Adeleke produced a late surge to snatch the silver medal in a national record time of 22.28 seconds, while Asher-Smith settled for bronze in 22.29 seconds.

By securing both individual titles, Hunt became only the third woman in history, and the first since Asher-Smith in 2018, to complete the European 100m and 200m double. “Two out of four baby. The 100m is harder mentally and 200m is the hardest physically,” she joked to broadcasters following her 200m triumph, openly outlining her roadmap for the weekend’s relays.

A Hometown Hero’s Redemption Arc

The narrative surrounding Hunt’s quadruple gold is made even more compelling by her arduous journey to the top of the podium. Hailing from Newark in the East Midlands, the 24-year-old was competing firmly in her own backyard.

Her career trajectory has been heavily disrupted by severe physical setbacks. Despite breaking out as a teenage prodigy, a series of debilitating injuries, including a severely ruptured quadriceps that temporarily left her unable to walk unaided, threatened to derail her immense potential. In 2022, when Birmingham hosted the Commonwealth Games, an injured Hunt was confined to the stands on crutches, forced to watch as a spectator.

“I came to Birmingham in 2022 to watch the Commonwealth Games because I was injured on crutches,” Hunt reflected during the championships. “I was sad I couldn’t join in and now I get to be the main star; it’s an amazing full-circle moment.”

Her triumphant return to full fitness saw her claim a silver medal at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo and another silver at last month’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. However, it was at the Alexander Stadium where her immense promise finally metamorphosed into absolute dominance. “I’ve raced here as a 13-14-year-old,” she stated. “I’m a girl from Newark, I’m a Midlands girl. So I just had a feeling that this was going to be my night.”

The Wider Championship Context

While Hunt’s heroics dominated the British headlines, the overall medal table provided immense drama right down to the final event on Sunday evening.

Despite Great Britain’s exceptional haul on the track, which also included a gold for Georgia Hunter Bell in the women’s 1500m (4:07.78), it was Italy that ultimately topped the overall medal standings for the second consecutive European Championships.

The Italians secured their supremacy in the very last race of the week, the men’s 4x400m relay, holding off a fierce challenge from Great Britain’s Charlie Dobson to win by the narrowest of margins. Italy finished the championships with 10 gold medals and 22 overall, closely followed by Great Britain with 9 golds and 19 total medals. Germany secured third place in the standings with 6 golds.

Other notable international highlights included Swedish pole vault phenomenon Armand “Mondo” Duplantis capturing his fourth consecutive European title with a clearance of 6.15 metres, and German marathon runner Amanal Petros setting a new championship record of 2:09:11 on the streets of Birmingham.

Nevertheless, as the floodlights dim on a spectacular week of athletics, the 2026 European Championships will undoubtedly be remembered as the event where Amy Hunt rewrote the record books, delivering a masterclass in sprinting that will be etched into the annals of British sporting history for generations to come.

Amy Hunt’s Historic Quadruple: Event Breakdown