It had been dubbed a race for the ages and so it proved as Audrey Werro outstripped home favourite Keely Hodgkinson to claim the European 800m title in Birmingham on Friday.
An electric evening session at a sold-out 23 000-capacity Alexander Stadium was also one of records.
There was a record fourth 400m hurdles continental title for Karsten Warholm and a fourth for Italy's Gianmarco Tamberi in the high jump, while his teammate Nadia Battocletti bagged a historic double distance double.
The women's 800m was the final event of the night and the excitement was palpable as the athletes were introduced one-by-one with fireworks.
Olympic champion Hodgkinson went out strong, but Switzerland's Werro proved to be stronger as she has for much of this season, reeling in her British rival and dominating the race to claim victory in a championship record of 1min 54.81sec.
Audrey Werro 🇨🇭 wins 800m GOLD at the European Championships in a Championship Record of 1:54.81!🥇
— Track & Field Gazette (@TrackGazette) August 14, 2026
🥈 Keely Hodgkinson 🇬🇧 1:55.01
🥉 Femke Broeders-Bol 🇳🇱 1:55.54 (=NR) pic.twitter.com/DevW97tRTc
Femke Broeders-Bol continued her astonishing transition from the 400m hurdles, in which she is twice a former world champion, with bronze.
There was another championship record by the irrepressible Warholm in the 400m hurdles as he totally dominated the race to sweep to victory in 46.63sec.
"I don't take any medal for granted but today was extra special for me as nobody has ever won four in a row," the 30-year-old world record holder said.
"I was so locked in today. In championships the medals always matter more than the times."
Germany's Emil Agyekum took silver in 47.87, with Turkey's Ismail Nezi claiming bronze in 48.26.
Warholm's gold was his second of these championships, the hurdler having been part of the Norwegian quartet that won the 4x400m mixed relay on Monday.
🚨 🇳🇴 CHAMPIONSHIP RECORD 🇳🇴 🚨
— SprintForge (@Tweeterfinger1) August 14, 2026
🥇 Karsten Warholm 🇳🇴 is the European Champion in the men's 400mH for the 4th consecutive time in 46.63s CR!! 🔥 🔥
🥈 Emil Agyekum 🇩🇪 in 47.87s.
🥉 Ismail Nezir 🇹🇷 in 48.26s. pic.twitter.com/ovVqSeIQhX
A third gold beckons if the 30-year-old features for the Norwegian men's team in the 4x400m relay that brings the curtain down on these championships on Sunday.
DOUBLE ITALIAN GOLD
There was double joy for Italy.
Reigning champion Battocletti, who won the 5 000m on Tuesday, bagged a historic second successive distance double by winning the 10 000m in 31:41.17.
Il cambio di passo di Nadia #Battocletti è di una bellezza stordente. Meravigliosa💙 #Birmingham2026 pic.twitter.com/yiGbaNr7Ud
— Simone Salvador (@simonesalvador) August 14, 2026
Since her first double in Rome two years ago, Battocletti has established herself among the world's very best, claiming Olympic and world silver medals and confirming her status as Europe's outstanding women distance runner.
Uniquely, the Italian is the reigning European champion on the track, road and cross country.
Dutch veteran Maureen Koster claimed silver, with Belgium's Jena van Lent taking bronze.
There was also a fourth Euro title for her teammate Tamberi.
Tamberi kept his nerve in a tight battle with Ukraine's world indoor champion Oleh Doroshchuk, the latter failing to clear the winning 2.32m height.
OROOOOO
— Tintintin (@t1nt1nt1) August 14, 2026
GIANMARCO TAMBERI È CAMPIONE EUROPEO PER LA QUARTA VOLTA, LA TERZA CONSECUTIVA. FAVOLOSO BRONZO DI MATTEO SIOLI AL SUO PRIMO EUROPEO.
Tamberi viene da due anni difficili. Quest'anno aveva saltato massimo 2,23m, oggi ha fatto 2,32m.
FANTASTICA DOPPIETTA PER L'ITALIA pic.twitter.com/QVctzjyMmp
Another Italian, Matteo Sioli, took bronze.
Tamberi sparked ecstatic scenes, even managing to get the raucous sell-out crowd to sing happy birthday to his daughter Camilla.
Germany's Owen Ansah followed up on his 100m bronze by winning gold in the men's 200m in 19.95sec.
Ansah, facing calls from his country's anti-doping agency for a four-year ban for refusing to undergo a doping test last month, fired out of a strong bend to reel in Britain's Zharnel Hughes.
Hughes, the 2022 Euro champion, ended up with silver in 20.16sec, with bronze shared between Swiss defending champion Timothe Mumenthaler and Italian veteran Fausto Desalu.
World silver medallist Jorinde van Klinken of the Netherlands claimed victory in the women's discus with a best of 67.67m.
It was the first time since 2010 a new champion was crowned in the event after seven-time European champ Sandra Elkasevic announced she would not be competing this season.
Germany's Shanice Craft took silver with 65.72m and Sweden's Vanessa Kamga bronze (64.61).