Jeremiah Azu claims European 100m silver in Birmingham

Former Cardiff Met student Jeremiah Azu has added another major international medal to his collection after claiming silver in the men’s 100m at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham.

The Welsh sprinter produced a time of 10.16 seconds at Alexander Stadium on Tuesday night, finishing behind Great Britain teammate Romell Glave, who took the European title in 10.09. Germany’s Owen Ansah completed the podium with bronze in 10.19.

For Azu, the result represents an upgrade on the bronze medal he won over 100m at the 2022 European Championships in Munich and adds another major honour to an increasingly impressive career.

Speaking after the final, Azu said the focus at this stage of his career is increasingly on delivering when medals are on the line.

“I’m at the stage in my career where I want to win medals. I just fell a little bit short of that at commies, but yeah, nice to get a medal here.”

The result came just weeks after Azu represented Wales at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, where he reached his second successive Commonwealth 100m final before finishing fifth.

Reflecting on that disappointment in Birmingham, Azu said he had been able to take positives from his performance in Glasgow despite missing the podium.

“It was a tough one with commies because I actually put a good race together. Even if I did PB, I would have had to run substantially faster.

“You want to go there and win medals, but if you put together a race, no mistakes, which I felt I did, upon reflection I’ve come away and I’m happy with it, as much as I wanted to win a medal for Wales.”

Back in a Great Britain and Northern Ireland vest in Birmingham, Azu successfully negotiated the rounds before lining up alongside Glave in the final.

Azu made a strong start and held an early lead before Glave powered through to take victory. The pair's gold and silver made it the third British one-two in the history of the European Championships men’s 100m, following similar results in 1998 and 2018.

Azu was full of praise for his British teammate after the race.

“We’ve been racing each other all year. He won trials, won here. He’s had a phenomenal season. All you can do is take your hats off to him because he’s put the work in.”

Despite a headwind of 0.4m/s and a winning time some way outside the athletes' personal bests, Azu was clear about what matters most at major championships.

“The times don’t really matter. It’s about winning the races.”

That mentality has increasingly defined Azu's career.

The former Cardiff Met student, who studied Sport Conditioning, Rehabilitation and Massage while developing through the Cardiff Archers environment, has established himself among the leading sprinters in international athletics.

He helped Great Britain win Olympic 4x100m bronze at Paris 2024 before enjoying a remarkable 2025 indoor season, becoming both European and World Indoor 60m champion.

Azu believes there is still more to come outdoors, particularly if he can combine the strongest elements of his performances into one complete race.

“This year has been quite a funny year. I’ve had great starts and great finishes and I need to put them together. So I think going into next year, we need to find a way to blend them.

“That’s just part of the journey.”

There was also a particularly special moment away from the track in Birmingham.

With his family among those supporting him inside Alexander Stadium, Azu revealed that his young son recognised him competing for the first time.

“He noticed me for the first time, which was amazing, and I think I’m going to remember that for the rest of my life. That was super special.”

Silver in Birmingham continues a remarkable period for Azu and adds another major championship medal to the story of one of Cardiff Met's most successful recent sporting alumni.

And having progressed from European 100m bronze in 2022 to silver in 2026, the ambition for what comes next is clear.