Abbie Donnelly secures Britain's inaugural women's marathon bronze at European Championships
Abbie Donnelly earned Great Britain its first women's marathon medal at the European Championships, taking bronze in Birmingham.
In Birmingham, Abbie Donnelly became the first British woman to stand on the marathon podium at the European Championships, securing bronze with a time of 2:27:33. She was edged out by Hungary's Lili Anna Vindics-Toth, who broke away near the end, and Finland's Alisa Vainio, who won gold in 2:22:26, shaving nearly three minutes off the previous record. The British women's marathon squad also claimed team gold, finishing ahead of Italy and Spain, while Natasha Wilson placed fifth and Rose Harvey came in 14th.
Donnelly, a former cross-country runner from Lincolnshire, praised the home-crowd support and the camaraderie with Wilson during the race. Her achievement follows previous successes at European cross-country and half-marathon events, including a team gold in Rome in 2024.
Why it matters
It marks a historic breakthrough for British women's marathon running at the European level.
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