Loughborough-linked athletes shine at European Championships

Global sporting events
Doctoral Researcher Abbie Donnelly kisses the bronze medal she won in the marathon at the 2026 European Athletics Championships
Doctoral Researcher Abbie Donnelly kisses the bronze medal she won in the marathon at the 2026 European Athletics Championships. Image courtesy of Alamy

Loughborough’s influence was felt throughout the 2026 European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, with current students, alumni and university-based athletes playing a prominent role in Great Britain and Northern Ireland’s successful campaign on home soil.

GB finished second in the medal table with nine gold, eight silver and two bronze medals, with several Loughborough-linked athletes among those delivering standout performances.

One of the most notable achievements came from current Doctoral Researcher Abbie Donnelly, who became the first British woman to win a European Championships marathon medal, claiming a historic bronze. She also helped Great Britain secure team gold in the women’s marathon competition, adding to a memorable championships for the host nation.

In the field events, Jazmin Sawyers, who trains at Loughborough, won silver in the women’s long jump, continuing an impressive summer after claiming Commonwealth Games gold just weeks earlier.

There were also strong performances in the long jump from Loughborough graduates Molly Palmer, who recorded a personal best of 6.72m, and Archie Yeo, who reached the men’s final.

On the track, Loughborough alumnus Charlie Dobson helped Great Britain’s men’s 4x400m relay team to silver, securing another medal in front of an enthusiastic home crowd.

A host of other Loughborough-linked athletes also represented Great Britain, including sprint star Daryll Neita, distance runner Hannah Nuttall, world champion heptathlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson, fellow multi-eventer Jade O’Dowda, middle-distance internationals Ben Pattison and Jake Wightman, high jumpers Morgan Lake and Joel Clarke-Khan, throwers Lawrence Okoye and Benjamin East, and pole vaulter Owen Heard.

Their performances showcased the breadth and talent of Loughborough’s athletics community, spanning sprints, endurance, jumps, throws and combined events, and underlined the University’s contribution to the success of British athletics on the European stage.

 

Press Release Reference: PR 26/178

Judy Wing

PR and External Communications Lead

Tel: 01509 228697

Loughborough is one of the country’s leading universities, with an international reputation for research that matters, excellence in teaching, strong links with industry, and unrivalled achievement in sport and its underpinning academic disciplines. 

It has been awarded five stars in the independent QS Stars university rating scheme and named the best university in the world for sports-related subjects in the 2026 QS World University Rankings – the tenth year running. 

Loughborough has been ranked eighth in the Complete University Guide 2027 – out of 130 institutions. The achievement means Loughborough remains among a select group of universities that have maintained a top 10 position for more than 10 consecutive years, alongside Oxford, Cambridge, the London School of Economics, St Andrews, Durham and Imperial.

Loughborough was also named University of the Year for Sport in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025 - the fourth time it has been awarded the prestigious title. 

In the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021 over 90% of its research was rated as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally-excellent’. In recognition of its contribution to the sector, Loughborough has been awarded eight Queen Elizabeth Prizes for Higher and Further Education. 

The Loughborough University London campus is based on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and offers postgraduate and executive-level education, as well as research and enterprise opportunities. It is home to influential thought leaders, pioneering researchers and creative innovators who provide students with the highest quality of teaching and the very latest in modern thinking.