Hodgkinson & Asher-Smith in GB squad for Europeans

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Hodgkinson & Asher-Smith in GB squad for Europeans

Split image of Great Britain athletes Keely Hodgkinson and Dina Asher-SmithImage source, Getty Images
ByAdwaidh Rajan

BBC Sport journalist
  • Published

Keely Hodgkinson, Dina Asher-Smith and Katarina Johnson-Thompson have been named in Great Britain’s 98-strong squad for the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham.

The trio were among a number of high-profile British athletes who skipped the ongoing Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Olympic champion Hodgkinson (800m) and Asher-Smith (100m) will look to defend their European titles at Alexander Stadium next month, when Britain hosts the championships for the first time.

Johnson-Thompson, who was forced to withdraw from the 2024 edition with an injury, will return to compete in the heptathlon, having claimed silver at the Paris Olympics.

Birmingham-born Matt Hudson-Smith, the 400m Olympic silver medallist and a four-time European champion, will take part in the men’s 400m at the venue where he has a stand named after him.

Georgia Hunter Bell, a 2024 European silver medallist and world indoor champion, will compete in the women’s 1500m alongside 2022 champion Laura Muir.

The GB squad also includes former 1500m world champion Jake Wightman and world indoor 400m champion Amber Anning.

Jake Heyward, who set a new one-mile Welsh record at the London Diamond League this month, is part of the squad but Scotland’s Josh Kerr, who set a world record in the same race, has opted out.

“To compete at a major championship is always a tremendous achievement, and it makes the occasion even more special with the event taking place on home soil,” said performance director Paula Dunn.

“This team reflects the strength and depth of talent we have across track and field, bringing together established international medallists alongside an exciting group of emerging athletes.

“I have every confidence that this team will rise to the occasion.”

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Meanwhile, Norway’s two-time Olympic gold medallist Jakob Ingebrigtsen appears set to make his return from injury at next month’s championships, which run from 10 to 16 August.

Ingebrigtsen has not raced in 2026 after having Achilles surgery earlier this year, but strongly hinted at his participation with a post on Instagram, external that read: “I’ve heard Birmingham is nice this time of year.”

The 25-year-old has enjoyed significant success at the European Championships, winning the 1500m and 5,000m double at each of the past three editions – in Berlin, Munich and Rome.

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