Italy is the team to beat in Madrid this weekend as the Azzurri bring out their big guns in defence of the title they won two years ago in Poland
When Italy stormed to victory in the European Team Championships in Silesia, Poland, in 2023, it was their first-ever triumph in the event. This week in Madrid, though, they aim to prove it wasn’t a one off by successfully defending their crown as kings and queens of European athletics.
Italian athletics is on a high right now and building on the success of hosting the European Championships in Rome 12 months ago. In Madrid this week – from June 26-29 – their squad includes athletes such as shot putter Leonardo Fabbri, long jumpers Larissa Iapichino and Mattia Furlani, distance runners Nadia Battocletti and Yeman Crippa, sprinters Marcell Jacobs and Eseosa Desalu, hammer thrower Sara Fantini and hurdlers like Lorenzo Simonelli and Ayomide Folorunso.
The striking Conica track at the Estadio Vallehermoso Stadium in Madrid might be the unusual shade of green, but the colour on the top of the podium in a number of events is likely to be blue.
Two years ago Italy beat hosts Poland by 24 points as Germany finished third, Spain fourth and Great Britain fifth.
A bit like their national football team, Germany can never be discounted and they have a long history of success in this event. Spain, meanwhile, should put up an even better show than two years ago due to them being the host nation.
READ MORE: Italy win 2023 Euro Team Champs
For Great Britain, gone are the days when many of the country’s leading athletes ensured the European Cup, as it was known, was one of their big early-season goals. Back then, athletes like Seb Coe, Steve Cram, Linford Christie, Kriss Akabusi, Colin Jackson, Sally Gunnell, Roger Black and other stars were regulars. Nowadays, it is classed as more of a “development event” for the Brits and the chance to give up-and-coming athletes an international senior debut.
Still, the GB team this week contains several British No.1 athletes in their events, such as shot putter Scott Lincoln, hammer thrower Lawrence Okoye and long jumper Jazmin Sawyers. Don’t forget either, one of Britain’s most famous victories in this event came in Gateshead 25 years ago when a self-proclaimed “B team” beat Germany by half a point to the overall title following a flurry of last-minute, big-name withdrawals. It is also the kind of event where a low-ranked athlete who over-performs can be more important than a relatively big-name athlete who wins as expected.
In total, 16 teams will compete for the honours in this first division contest this weekend. They are: Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine.
The event can be watched live via Eurovision Sport here.
You can watch the second and third division action, which is in Maribor, Slovenia this week, here.
The timetable and results for Madrid can be found here. There is pole vault action on Thursday evening and then busy evening programmes on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Highlights include:
Women’s 400m where Femke Bol of the Netherlands takes on European 400m champion Natalia Bukowiecka (née Kaczmarek) of Poland with Britain’s in-form Emily Newnham in the mix.
Olympic champion long jump champion Miltiadis Tentoglou of Greece faces world indoor champion Mattia Furlani of Italy and Simon Ehammer of Switzerland.
Women’s shot put sees Olympic champion Yemisi Ogunleye of Germany against European champion Jessica Schilder of the Netherlands.
Nadia Battocletti is a major Italian star now after claiming Olympic 10,000m silver and European 5000m and 10,000m titles last year. In Madrid she tackles the 5000m.
Marcell Jacobs, the 2021 Olympic 100m champion from Italy, faces a strong line-up that includes Eugene Amo-Dadzie of Britain.
Yeman Crippa, another leading Italian, is in a competitive 5000m with Dominic Lobalu of Switzerland and Niels Laros of Netherlands.
European long jump gold medallist Malaika Mihambo of Germany takes on European indoor champion Larissa Iapichino of Italy, plus in-form French athlete Hilary Kpatcha, in an event that sees Jazmin Sawyers of Britain continue her fine comeback from Achilles surgery.
Leonardo Fabbri of Italy will be a strong favourite in the men’s shot but watch out for Britain’s Scott Lincoln, who is increasingly making an impact on the international stage.
The women’s sprint hurdles includes Pia Skrzyszowska of Poland, Nadine Visser of Netherlands, Ditaji Kambundji of Switzerland and Giada Carmassi of Italy.
Prepare for the unexpected, too, because this competition two years ago that saw Jolien Boumkwo’s efforts in the sprint hurdles go viral after the Belgian shot putter stepped up to replace an injured team-mate.
The Great Britain and Northern Ireland team in full is as follows…
Women: 100m: Aleeya Sibbons; 200m: Rachel Bennett; 400m: Emily Newnham; 800m: Abigail Ives; 1500m: Revee Walcott-Nolan; 5000m: Calli Hauger-Thackery; 100m hurdles: Alicia Barrett; 400m hurdles: Lina Nielsen; 3000m steeplechase: Sarah Tait; Long Jump: Jazmin Sawyers; Triple Jump: Georgina Forde-Wells; High Jump: Emily Borthwick; Pole Vault: Gemma Tutton; Shot Put: Serena Vincent; Discus: Zara Obamakinwa; Hammer: Anna Purchase; Javelin: Bekah Walton; 4x100m: Desiree Henry, Imani-Lara Lansiquot
Men: 100m: Eugene Amo-Dadzie; 200m: Toby Harries; 400m: Sam Reardon; 800m: Tiarnan Crorken; 1500m: Archie Davis; 5000m: David Mullarkey; 110m hurdles: Tade Ojora; 400m hurdles: Alastair Chalmers; 3000m steeplechase: Will Battershill; Long Jump: Samuel Khogali; Triple Jump: Efe Uwaifo; High Jump: Kimani Jack; Pole Vault: Owen Heard; Shot Put: Scott Lincoln; Discus: Lawrence Okoye; Hammer: Jake Norris; Javelin: Daniel Bainbridge; 4x100m: Romell Glave, Jona Efoloko, Adam Gemili; Mixed 4x400m: Evan Blackman
Paula Dunn, the UKA performance director, said: “With 42 athletes representing the Great Britain and Northern Ireland team, including several senior debutants and established international performers, this event plays a crucial role in their development and season plans. Competing in Madrid against Europe’s best will be a key milestone for many as we look ahead to the World Championships later in the year. I am confident that this team will rise to the challenge and look forward to supporting the squad in Spain.”
The event can be watched live via Eurovision Sport here.
Follow AW’s coverage on our social media channels and website too.
