Ingebrigtsen wins 5,000m gold on injury return as Hunt takes 100m title at European Athletics Championships

Ingebrigtsen's comeback

Jakob Ingebrigtsen retained his 5,000m title at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, winning his first race in nearly a year after Achilles surgery. The 25-year-old Norwegian clocked 13:15.29, edging Germany's Florian Bremm (13:15.60) in a sprint finish, with France's Etienne Daguinos third in 13:16.09. The victory gave Ingebrigtsen his seventh European outdoor gold, equalling the record held by Croatian discus thrower Sandra Elkasevic. He has never lost at the European Championships.

Ingebrigtsen underwent Achilles surgery, though sources differ on the timing: Reuters reports the operation was in February, while the BBC says January. He returned to training only six weeks before the event. The BBC reported he had been away from the track for 324 days; The Irish Times described it as his first race in 11 months. Ingebrigtsen stayed in the middle of the pack through a slow opening kilometre of 2:45 and did not hit the front until inside the last 20 metres.

With 600m to go, I knew I was going to win. I was just hoping I was not going to get too tired.

Coming from the lowest of lows to be European champion again means the world to me. Not even I believed it could happen coming here.

Hunt takes 100m gold

Britain's Amy Hunt won the women's 100m in exactly 11.00 seconds on the opening night, delivering gold for the home crowd. Poland's Ewa Swoboda took silver in 11.02 and Belgium's Delphine Nkansa bronze in 11.06. Hunt, a 24-year-old Cambridge literature graduate, had won 100m silver at the Commonwealth Games two weeks earlier and world 200m silver in Tokyo. She has set herself the target of four golds this week, with the 200m and two relays still to come.

I want it all, and I think I'm someone who doesn't shy away from what she knows she can do. I knew I could come away with a gold coming into the day.

Irish contingent

Nick Griggs finished eighth in the 5,000m final in 13:21.07 despite losing a shoe with four laps remaining. The 21-year-old from Candour Track Club battled on over the final three laps, finishing ahead of fellow Irish runners Brian Fay (14th, 13:31.15) and Darragh McElhinney (18th, 13:37.62). France's Jimmy Gressier, the world 10,000m champion, finished fourth.

Eighth is solid, but I lost my shoe about a mile out. You never expect yourself to be in that position in a European final.

Nicola Tuthill qualified for Wednesday's hammer throw final, advancing eighth with a best throw of 70.09m. The 22-year-old from Kilbrittain, whose lifetime best stands at 72.73m from June, was not fully satisfied with her qualifying performance. Eric Favors took 10th in the shot put with 19.59m, with gold going to Italy's Leonardo Fabbri at 22.31m. Sarah Lavin was eliminated in the 100m hurdles heats, finishing sixth in a season's best of 13.07 seconds after a turbulent season that included parting with her longtime coach Noelle Morrissey.

Relay and other results

Norway won the mixed 4x400m relay with a championship record of 3:09.62, nearly a second ahead of Britain. The Norwegian team included 400m hurdles world record-holder Karsten Warholm and Henriette Jæger, the fastest woman in Europe this year. Britain's squad of Ben Jeffries, Charlotte Henrich, Toby Harries and Yemi Mary John took silver. Britain's Max Burgin won his 800m heat in 1:45.80 after recovering from a virus that had disrupted his Commonwealth Games campaign 12 days earlier. Ireland's Mark English advanced to the 800m semi-finals, winning his heat in 1:46.96, while Cian McPhillips failed to advance. Organisers said 13,623 tickets were sold for the Monday night session at Alexander Stadium, which seats around 20,000, with 170,000 sold for the week. Sessions from Thursday onward were near sellouts.