Jakob Ingebrigtsen became the most successful male European athlete in Rome on Wednesday. GETTY IMAGES

Jakob Ingebrigtsen achieved the title of the most successful male European athlete, alongside Armand 'Mondo' Duplantis securing his third pole vault championship and Marcell Jacobs thrilling the crowd with a second gold as part of the Italian relay team, at the 2024 European Championships in Rome on Wednesday.

In an electrifying night of track and field featuring top global competitors, the enthusiastic crowd at Stadio Olimpico witnessed outstanding performances. Notably, Olympic champion Ingebrigtsen, aged just 23, secured his third consecutive 1500/5000m double by setting a championship record of 3 minutes 31.95 seconds in the 1500m.

With these six gold medals, he surpasses Europe's leading male athletes, including Mo Farah and Roger Black from Britain, as well as Harald Schmid from West Germany, all of whom achieved six European medals, albeit with five golds and one silver.

"I just do my best in every race and sometimes it goes out very well," said Ingebrigtsen. In a display of dominance, Olympic and two-time world champion Duplantis ruled the pole vault, extending his own championship record to 6.10m for gold and making near attempts at his world record of 6.24m. 


Jakob Ingebrigtsen became the most successful male European athlete after securing a sixth outdoor gold medal. GETTY IMAGES
Jakob Ingebrigtsen became the most successful male European athlete after securing a sixth outdoor gold medal. GETTY IMAGES



Italy topped the medal standings with 11 golds, nine silvers, and four bronzes, totalling 24 medals overall. France, Britain, Norway, and Switzerland each secured four golds. Reflecting Italy's strong performance, Olympic champion Jacobs concluded the event by helping the 4x100m relay team secure victory after retaining his 100m title earlier in the week.

Jacobs, alongside Matteo Melluzzo, Lorenzo Patta, and Filippo Tortu, clocked 37.82 seconds for the win, celebrated with Italian flags as they embraced President Sergio Mattarella, government officials, and federation members amid enthusiastic cheers from the partisan crowd. Similarly, Dina Asher-Smith, winner of Britain's women's 100m, anchored her country's 4x100m relay team to victory in 41.91 seconds.

Keely Hodgkinson defended her 800m title in style, clocking 1:58.15 to claim her second gold for Britain, ahead of Slovakia's Gabriela Gajanova. Germany's Malaika Mihambo leaped to victory in the women's long jump with a world-leading 7.22m, ranking as the third best result in European Championships history.


Keely Hodgkinson defender her 800m title for Great Britain in the Italian capital on Wednesday. GETTY IMAGES
Keely Hodgkinson defender her 800m title for Great Britain in the Italian capital on Wednesday. GETTY IMAGES



In the relays, Femke Bol anchored the Dutch women's 4x400m team to gold in 3:22.39, securing her second gold and third medal of the championships. Ireland took silver in a national record of 3:22.71, with Rhasidat Adeleke adding to her medal collection after winning silver in the 400m and gold in the mixed relay.

"I wanted to give all my own for our team and we took this amazing victory," said Bol. "I feel a lot of enthusiasm: my teammates did a great job and I made sure to complete their job." Alexander Doom, the 400m champion, added to his success by anchoring the Belgian quartet, comprising Jonathan Sacoor, Robin Vanderbemden, and Dylan Borlee, to victory in the men's 4x400m relay with a time of 2:59.84. They finished ahead of Italy and Germany.

Dominic Lobalu of Switzerland continued his strong performance, following up on his 5000m bronze with a gold in the 10,000m, finishing in 28:00.32. Meanwhile, Czech Olympic silver medalist Jakub Vadlejch prevented Germany's Julian Weber from securing back-to-back European javelin titles with a winning throw of 88.65m.