Pattinson and Burgin reach men’s 800m final in Day 3 morning session at Birmingham 2026
by 12th August 2026
Max Burgin and Ben Pattison booked their places in the men’s 800m final in the morning session of Day 3 of the Birmingham 2026 European Athletics Championships.
Burgin (Halifax Harriers, Ian Burgin) won his semi-final in a time of 1:44.73 seconds, while Pattison (Basingstoke & Mid Hants, Dave Ragan) came second in his semi-final, which saw the Championship Record broken.
Elsewhere, Zara Obamakinwa (Blackheath & Bromley Harriers AC, Mark Chapman) came 20th in the women’s discus throw qualifying, and three hurdlers competed in the men’s 400m hurdles semi-finals.
Burgin bided his time in the first of the men’s 800m semi-finals, before moving clear of the pack and streaking away for a comfortable victory.
“I got a little push from behind, but I think it gave me a little spurt, a bit of momentum,” the 24-year-old said.
“It’s good to test that sort of capability because it can all come down to that in a championship.”
Meanwhile, Pattinson needed a late rally to claim the last automatic qualifying spot in a blistering fast second semi-final, finishing second in a time of 1:43.72 seconds. Ireland’s Mark English won it in 1:43.49 to break a Championship Record which had stood since 1978.
Pattison said: “Today was the day to get it right and I managed to do that, my legs felt really good in that race and I’m looking forward to the final.
“I think it just explains 800m running around the world, especially in Europe, it’s just levels above where it used to be.
“My heat the other day was harder than my final in 2022. It’s great being part of it because everyone is raising the bar, so you either have to go with it or get left behind.”
Both will return to the Alexander Stadium to contest the final at 9:28pm on Thursday.
Zara Obamakinwa continued her development on the senior stage with 20th place in the women’s discus throw qualifying.
In a season where she has broken the British women’s U23 record, Obamakinwa recorded a best throw of 55.17m and missed out on progression to the final.
She said: “This season has had its ups and downs. I tried my best today, and unfortunately it wasn’t my day, but it’s coming.
“There are lessons, I know what went wrong, I couldn’t rotate my left foot, and I’m not sure why, I’ve got to go figure that out.
“We’re trying, I gave it a good go, this is my first ever individual experience and it’s been really fun.”
Jake Minshull (Coventry Godiva Harriers, James Wright), Joshua Faulds (Rugby & Northampton AC, James Wright) and Alastair Chalmers (Guernsey AC, Matt Elias) failed to progress out of a stacked field in the men’s 400m hurdles semi-finals.
Minshull was the best performer in the midday heat, placing fifth in his semi-final and 11th overall with a time of 48.73.
“It was tough,” he said. “I know coming into this race it was going to be like a final, so I was going to have to give it my all.
“But unfortunately, I just didn’t have that today. I would have had to run a PB to make it through to the final. I knew I could have done that, but it just wasn’t there today.”
Faulds also finished fifth in the third semi-final of the morning session, posting a time of 49.26, while Alastair Chalmers was seventh in his semi-final in 49.71.