Petros and Vainio shatter marathon records to claim European titles
Germany's Amanal Petros and Finland's Alisa Vainio each set new championship records while winning the men’s and women’s marathons at the 2026 European Athletics Championships in Birmingham.
On the final day of the 2026 European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, Amanal Petros of Germany crossed the finish line first in the men’s marathon, establishing a new championship record. In the women’s race, Alisa Vainio of Finland also broke the existing record to secure gold. Both athletes delivered historic performances that eclipsed previous marks for the event.
Why it matters
The new records raise the standard for European marathon running and spotlight emerging talent.
In this story
marathonchampionship recordEuropean Athletics Championshipsgold medalBirminghamAmanal PetrosAlisa Vainio
