Bukowiecka takes 400m silver at European Athletics Championships as Jaeger sets Norwegian record

400m final in Birmingham

Natalia Bukowiecka won silver in the 400m at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham on Saturday evening, finishing second behind Norway's Henriette Jaeger. The 23-year-old Norwegian dominated the second half of the race, crossing the line in 49.04 seconds to set a new national record and leave the field well behind. Bukowiecka timed 50.04, holding off the Netherlands' Lieke Klaver (50.15) by 0.11 seconds on the home straight. Czech runner Lurdes Gloria Manuel, who had beaten Bukowiecka at the indoor World Championships in Toruń earlier this year, faded to fourth in 50.86.

Bukowiecka, 28, entered the final as the fastest semifinalist after winning her heat in 49.57, a season best. She had declared before the final that she would not give up her gold easily, having won the title in Rome two years earlier with 48.98. Her Polish record stands at 48.90, set during a 2024 season in which she also broke Irena Szewińska's long-standing mark and took Olympic bronze in Paris. This season, she has been in slightly weaker form.

Bukowiecka's reaction

After the race, Bukowiecka struggled to process the result. She told TVP Sport that the closing metres were among the hardest she had ever experienced.

I think I've never had such a hard race in my life. I thought I'd make it to the finish. I gave everything I had. It really cut my legs off, during the race I didn't have the strength to lift my legs. That very rarely happens to me.

She also pointed to the cold conditions as a factor, while acknowledging Jaeger's superiority on the day.

Jaeger was better, but if it had been warmer... I'm not saying I would have won, but the times would have been better.

Despite the disappointment of not defending her title, Bukowiecka emphasised the difficulty of staying at the top year after year.

It's hard to stay at the top and win medals every year, and I'm managing to do it. I want to be happy about that, but I believe I'll still run faster this season.

Jaeger's breakthrough

For Jaeger, the 49.04 run marked her first senior European title. Her previous achievements include silver at the indoor European Championships in Apeldoorn, bronze at the indoor World Championships in Nanjing in 2025, and gold at the European U23 Championships in Bergen. She broke the field open on the second half of the race, leading onto the home straight with a clear gap that only widened through the line. Manuel had set the early pace but could not sustain it, dropping back as Jaeger pulled away.

Poland's medal tally

Bukowiecka's silver brought Poland's total to five medals at the 2026 European Championships: four silver and one bronze. Ewa Swoboda opened the account with silver in the 100m on Monday, followed by Pia Skrzyszowska's silver in the 100m hurdles on Tuesday. Jakub Szymański took bronze in the 110m hurdles on Wednesday. On Saturday, Katarzyna Ździebło added silver in race walk before Bukowiecka's podium finish.

Robert Korzeniowski, four-time Olympic champion in race walking, commented on social media.

Natalia Bukowiecka joins the group of our silver stars of the European Championships in Birmingham. Certainly Natalia and all of us would like to hear, as two years ago in Rome, the Mazurek Dąbrowski, but let's wait until the European Championships in Chorzów 2028, appreciating what our star achieved today and respecting at the same time the sporting class of the Norwegian Henriette Jaeger.

Bukowiecka's next appearance is scheduled for the Kamila Skolimowska Memorial in Chorzów on 23 August.