Johnson-Thompson, O'Dowda and O'Connor Open Heptathlon Battle in Birmingham
The 2026 European Athletics Championships are under way in Birmingham, and the women's heptathlon — seven events across two days, points accumulated for each — began with the 100m hurdles on day one. Three familiar names lined up together in that opening race: Britain's Katarina Johnson-Thompson, her teammate Jade O'Dowda, and Ireland's Kate O'Connor. BBC Sport
Johnson-Thompson needs little introduction to anyone who follows the sport. She is a two-time world champion, having won the heptathlon title in 2019 and again in 2023. She also took European silver back in 2018. But the landscape she returns to in Birmingham has shifted since her last continental appearance: Nafissatou Thiam of Belgium was the reigning European champion coming into these championships, while American Anna Hall won the world title in Tokyo last year. European Athletics | World Athletics
The Tokyo story gives this Birmingham field an extra layer. Johnson-Thompson and O'Connor shared the bronze medal at those 2025 World Championships, both totalling 6,581 points — an unusually precise dead heat for a multi-event competition. O'Connor's medal was a historic first for Ireland at a World Championships. The two now find themselves on the same European start list, chasing a title Thiam currently holds. European Athletics
O'Dowda brings her own credentials. A Commonwealth silver medallist in the heptathlon, she complements a British team that also features Johnson-Thompson alongside sprint stars Keely Hodgkinson and Dina Asher-Smith across the championships. Sky Sports
One subplot worth watching is Johnson-Thompson's build-up. European Athletics reported that she had been limited to just a single shot put competition so far in 2026 before arriving in Birmingham — a restriction that matters because the shot put is one of the seven events, and a weak throw there can undo the gains from a fast hurdles race or a big high jump. European Athletics
The heptathlon unfolds over two days: the 100m hurdles, high jump, shot put and 200m on day one, then the long jump, javelin and 800m on day two. The cumulative points total decides everything. No single event wins it — but a single event can lose it.
For British fans, Birmingham offers a home-soil championships with genuine medal contenders across multiple events. For the heptathlon field, the question is straightforward: who succeeds Thiam as European champion? The answer begins to take shape across these seven disciplines, one event at a time.
