Nielsen smashes PB to make 400m hurdles final on Day 2 morning session of Birmingham 2026

Lina Nielsen delivered a huge personal best to qualify for the women’s 400m hurdles final alongside Emily Newnham in the morning session of Day 2 at the Birmingham 2026 European Athletics Championships. 

Nielsen (Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers, Jack Green) produced the third-best time of the day at Alexander Stadium with a 54.04 seconds showing, 0.39 seconds quicker than her previous best. 

Elsewhere, defending women’s 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson (Leigh Harriers & AC, Trevor Painter) sailed through the heats, while Joel Clarke-Khan (Thames Valley Harriers, Deirdre Elmhirst) and Kimani Jack (Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers, Ryan Bailey) were the top two qualifiers in the men’s high jump. 

In her second race on the blue track in Birmingham, having come through the opening round on day one, Nielsen finished second in her heat to make the final. 

“My coach, Jack Green, has just brought me back to life this year,” she said. “I am a fighter, I am a believer. He has taught me everything that I need to know about the event.   

“I have got the fight and the strength at the finish. I am just so, so pleased I have come to a championships and be able to fight.

“There have been so many championships that I have been sick or overtrained or undertrained for, so to come to a championship knowing there is more in the tank and that I don’t need to be afraid of anything is such a superpower.” 

Commonwealth silver medallist Emily Newnham (Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers, Nick Dakin) also progressed to Wednesday evening’s final, finishing second in her heat in a time of 54.32 seconds. 

Keely Hodgkinson was the fastest qualifier in the women’s 800m heats, laying down a marker with 1:57.28 seconds. 

She said: “The first round is always a bit tricky. The semi-finals are where you have to step up, but given the depth we have in the women’s 800m, I had to give 100 per cent, which I have never done before in the heats.  

“The race felt good, I was feeling comfortable. I was happy to step out onto the track and be in a rhythm that I’m used to. I’m safely through to the next round, and that’s all that matters.” 

She will be joined in Thursday’s semi-finals by Jemma Reekie (Kilbarchan AAC, John Bigg), whose time of 1:58.45 saw her finish fourth in her heat and progress as one of the fastest non-automatic qualifiers.

Erin Wallace (Giffnock North AC, Trevor Painter) did not progress after placing fifth in her heat with a time of 2:01.10.

Joel Clarke-Khan and Kimani Jack will both be in the men’s high jump final on Friday after each clearing all four heights they attempted first time to top their respective qualifying groups, with Clarke-Khan placing first and Jack second overall. 

“In terms of Friday, the hard work’s done, now I’m just going to go out and enjoy it,” Clarke-Khan said. 

“I want to appreciate every second and every minute of being out there because these are the moments that you train for, the moments that you dream of. I am over the moon, really.” 

Josh Faulds (Rugby & Northampton AC, James Wright) was the final top qualifier of the day for the Novuna Great Britain & Northern Ireland Team, progressing in the men’s 400m hurdles heats. 

Faulds won the first heat of the event in a time of 48.90 to make it through to the next round on Wednesday morning. 

Commonwealth silver medallist Samuel Bennett (Basildon AC, Steven Surety) progressed to Wednesday’s men’s 110m hurdles semi-finals after producing the third-fastest time in the heats with 13.57 seconds into a 2.0m/s headwind.