No Femke Bol? No problem. The Netherlands collected their third successive women’s 400m title as Lieke Klaver stormed to the first individual title of her career, sending the Omnisport Arena into raptures at the Apeldoorn 2025 European Athletics Indoor Championships on Saturday.
Silver medallist two years ago behind Bol and again to her training partner and international team mate at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships, she also has a glittering collection of Olympic, world and European 4x400m relay gold medals.
But with Bol opting out of the chance of a hat-trick of individual 400m titles to focus on the relays in Apeldoorn, it gave Klaver a golden opportunity at a home championships.
Expectations were high among a sea of orange in the packed out stadium, but Klaver met the moment in superb style, winning gold in a European lead of 50.38, just holding off the hard charging Henriette Jæger of Norway by 0.07.
Adoring crowd
Looking tense at the start, she went hard from the gun, racing into the lead at the break and holding a two metre advantage at the bell. But Jæger refused to the follow the script and closed ominously onto Klaver’s shoulder on the back straight.
She continued to press right to the line, but Klaver maintained her immense stride and took a much deserved gold. She looked shocked at the finish, but when the result sunk in, danced her way round the track waving to an adoring crowd.
Paula Sevilla took bronze, equalling the Spanish national record of 50.99 held outright by Sandra Myers since 1991.
Molnar takes first Hungarian track title for 40 years
The men’s race also saw another winner taking a first individual international title. Unbeaten in 2025 and European leader Attila Molnar of Hungary was the pre-event favourite.
Running from lane six, he went out strongly and seized the lead at the bell with his biggest threat Poland’s Maksymilian Szwed in hot pursuit and France’s Jimy Soudril third.
It remained that way right through the finishing straight when Molnar started to fatigue, but with the Pole rapidly closing in, the line came just in time and the Hungarian won by 0.06 in 45.25. Szwed’s 45.31 was a Polish record and bronze medallist Soudril could be content with bronze and a personal best of 45.59.
Molnar’s victory was the first track title at these championships for a Hungarian athlete since György Bakos won the men’s 60m hurdles in Piraeus in 1985. Anita Marton won women’s shot put titles in the field in 2015 and 2017.
Azu blazes to 60m gold
Great Britain’s Jeremiah Azu, 100m bronze medallist at the Munich 2022 European Athletics Championships, was another athlete winning his first senior international title in the men’s 60m with a European lead and personal best of 6.49.
Born in Rotterdam, Azu has looked right at home at these championships from the press conference through to the final. And having overcome the bitter disappointment of false starting in the heats in last year’s Paris Olympics, he enjoyed sweet redemption in a country he spent their first three years of his life.
Azu set out his stall in earlier in the evening, blazing to victory in the second semi-final with 6.52. It was the fastest across three heats by 0.05 and separated him from the field as the man to beat in the final.
Sweden’s Henrik Larsson, bronze medallist two years ago in Istanbul, seem to get the best start in the final. But Azu was right there alongside him and stormed through for gold. Larsson upgraded to silver this time in a Swedish record of 6.52.
Great Britain’s Andrew Robertson, fourth in Torun 2021, won his first senior individual medal at aged 34, clocking 6.55 for bronze.
Wide open 800m finals beckoning
After two closely contested semi-finals, the women’s 800m still looks a wide open contest. In the first race, long-time leader Daniela Garcia of Spain was swallowed by the pack as the pace quickened at the bell.
European U20 champion Audrey Werro pulled clear with France’s Clara Liberman following firmly in her footsteps. Italy’s Eloisa Coiro moved through to third on the back straight as Garcia tried to rally back.
Werro won in 2:01.76 with Liberman 0.03 behind and Coiro grabbed the final qualifying place, clocking 2:02.02, just 0.14 clear of Garcia.
In the second semi-final, 2023 silver medallist Anita Horvat of Slovenia went to the front, setting a modest early pace. With 300m to go, Poland’s Anna Wielgosz took over in the lead. Switzerland’s Rachel Pellaud and Sweden’s Wilma Nielsen also moved through as Horvat seemed to tire.
But around the final turn, Horvat found a little extra and moved alongside Pellaud and Nielsen. Wilegosz took a clear victory in 2:03.29. And in a frantic chase to the finish, Horvat regained second in 2:03.48, with Pellaud also qualifying in 2:03.53, with Nielsen just missing out (2:03.55).
The men’s 800m also promises to be a fascinating final. In the first semi-final, Poland’s Maciej Wyderka, Ireland’s Cian McPhillips, Netherlands’ Ryan Clarke and Spain’s European leader Elvin Josué Canales formed the lead group through to the bell.
At that point Canales and Clarke accelerated away and Wyderka and McPhillips began to toil. Though seemingly safely bedded into qualification positions, the Dutch and Spanish athlete still enjoyed a spirited elbow to elbow tussle for the victory, won by Clarke by 0.04 in a personal best of 1:45.65.
Italy’s Catalin Tecuceanu came through with a late burst to take the third and final place in Sunday’s final in 1:46.12.
