Stand … and deliver. On a balmy night in Birmingham, Matt Hudson-Smith powered past the stand bearing his name at the Alexander Stadium and into history by becoming the first man to win three European Championship 400m titles.

And afterwards, as the adrenaline flooded his body and he posed wearing a crown in front of his own stand, the 31-year-old made it clear just how much it meant. “Nobody is going to beat me on this track,” he said. “This is my home. I have been here since I was nine. I know this track like the back of my hand.

“I was in the place I wanted to be, and unfortunately I was bashing arms with the guy next to me,” says Bennett.

“Unfortunately that’s the name of the game … I’m happy to be here.

“Not many people believed in me, for the last however long, so even being here is kind of defying the odds … on another day, maybe I’d have done it, but not today.

“It’s not what I wanted, but I know I can be there … hopefully I get to prove it again soon.”

Last but not least: The men’s 110m hurdles final. Sam Bennett competes for Great Britain.

Neugebauer of Germany leads the decathlon after day one, despite that disastrous run in the 400m heat. The analysts think it wasn’t cramp, just a serious excess of lactic acid. “The ‘lactic’ filled his body from head to toe there,” says pundit Jessica Ennis-Hill on the BBC.

1) Neugebauer 4483pts
2) Tesselaar 4412pts
3) Skotheim 4382pts
4 )Gletty 4323pts
5) Erm 4282pts

Tesselaar wins that third men’s 400m heat with a PB, 47.06sec, then Dario Dester (Italy) and Nino Portmann (Switzerland): But Neugebauer endures a horrible finish, perhaps cramping up, and he almost crawls over the line as he finishes dead last!

The third 400m heat in the men’s decathlon now coming up. Neugebauer of Germany is up now. Tesselaar of the Netherlands is there too.

The 400m heats are ongoing, in the decathlon. And scheduled for 9.47pm BST is the men’s 110m hurdles final.

After the women’s 400m, I couldn’t quite work out if Diallo of Portugal was weeping with sorrow having been beaten into third, or with delight at winning bronze … Now it becomes clear. Hearty congratulations to her.

“I’m so, so happy. I knew I wanted a medal … I always think if I can focus on my processes, then who knows what can happen? I’m so, so happy,” says Newnham.

“I knew being in lane nine, I had to go out hard, which I never seem to do … it wasn’t until I got to the bend that I could assess where I was at …

“I work hard. The training times show that. But it doesn’t matter if you can’t put it out there on the track … I’m just so happy to do a performance that I think replicates that.”

Time for the women’s 400m hurdles final …

Hudson-Smith has his gold medal. And a crown on his head.

“Words can’t describe how much that meant to me … I was watching a BBC newscast, saying I was injured and everything. You lot need to come with the facts.

“The whole point of rounds is to survive … The Dutch guy needed a PB to beat me.

“We’ve got some big races coming up … it’s about conserving yourself … I knew I was the best in the world.

“No one was going to beat me on this track. This is my home. I know this track like the back of my hand.”

Fantini of Italy, the reigning champion, tries to deny Kosonen … but it wasn’t to be.

Kosonen throws 76.28m to finish, and wins gold. Beatrice Llano (Norway) wins bronze.

Back to the women’s hammer …

“What I loved is when he came into the home straight,” says Colin Jackson on the BBC. “He took that deep breath and thought; ‘Right, let’s give it’.”

Hudson-Smith is now situated in, well, the Hudson-Smith stand. Quite right too.

That’s his third European gold medal.

Muhammad Kounta takes silver in 44.40sec. Phijffers wins bronze in 44.41sec.

Hudson-Smith was in the outside lane and took a healthy lead into the final straight. That lead was eroded as the finish line neared, but he did more than enough. Brilliant run.

Jonas Phijffers is the man who beat Hudson-Smith in the semi-final.

The men’s 400m final is imminent. All eyes on Matthew Hudson-Smith.

“I wanted to put down just enough to make sure I got an auto-Q,” says Asher-Smith. “The important thing is to give every competitor the respect they deserve.

“A ninth European medal is a carrot for the final … I sometimes don’t even know what number it is … I’m just trying to stay in the moment and execute.”

Rhasidat Adeleke (Republic of Ireland) wins the third semi-final (22.43sec). Fabienne Hoenke (Switzerland) second. Success Eduan of Great Britain qualifies in third. Three British athletes in tomorrow’s final.

“I felt really good,” says Eduan. “I knew this heat would be fast … I’m just so happy to have made the final … I’m gaining confidence, experience, This is not a full-time thing, I’m still juggling my degree at the same time. It’s not an opportunity I’m going to take for granted.”

“I would give that a good eight, solid eight,” Hunt tells the BBC. “My plan was to put down a really, really hard turn, kill them to 150, and no one was ever going to hang with me … I think that’s my second-quickest time this year, [I was] chilling at the end, so – exciting … see you in the final.”

Hunts wins in 22.38sec. Very impressive and very comfortable, easing up before the line. Jaël Bestué second in 22.69sec, Boglárka Takács third in 22.77sec.

Hunt is up next, competing in the women’s 200m semi-final.

Payne throws 70.12m and moves fifth in the second round of the hammer throw.

Kosenen throws 74.97, and leads.

Dina Asher-Smith eases to victory in the first women’s 200m semi-final: 22.49sec.

Gémima Joseph of France second (22.68sec), Dalia Kaddari of Italy third (22.96sec).

Here’s the first women’s 200m semi-final …

“I have to believe I am ‘it’ … even though it sounds so cocky … I have to believe in my own success, and create my own mythology around my own success,” Amy Hunt told the BBC in an interview before the championships. “Because at the end of the day, I’m stood alone on the start line.”

The men’s 110m final is at 9.50pm BST, the concluding event on the track tonight.

Jakub Szymanski of Poland takes it. Sam Bennett (Great Britain) with a fine run in second, 13.26sec, the same time as Szymanski and a personal best. Superb.

Now for semi-final three …

Jason Joseph (Switzerland) takes it in 13.38sec. Elie Bacari was winning, but alas, fell at the fourth-last hurdle. Thomas Wilkes (France) was second, qualifying in 13.40sec.

Time for the second men’s 110m hurdles semi.

Payne throws 68.96m with her first hammer.

Just Kwaou-Mathey of France wins in 13.33sec. Milan Trajkovic (Cyprus) second. Zeno van Neygen runs a PB in third, 13.41sec.

“I felt amazing going into it … it’s disappointing … I expected better from myself,” says Ojora of Great Britain, having finished fifth.

Time for the men’s 110m hurdles semi-final (1/3). Tade Ojora of Great Britain is in lane eight.

Fantini (Italy) smashes her first throw: 74.35m.

Kosonen throws a rather ordinary 69.76m. It was a foul before that by her compatriot Tervo.

The women’s hammer throw final is beginning as I write.

Look out for Krista Tervo and Silja Kosonen of Finland, Charlotte Payne of GB, and Anita Wlodarczyk of Poland.

First Denise Lewis, now Sally Gunnell. The BBC are really spoiling us with these guests.

Meanwhile Amy Hunt will be back in action in 40 minutes, in the women’s 200m semi-finals.

Neugebauer had two failures in the high jump, recently, but then nailed his third attempt. Tesselaar now clears 1.93m and looks suitably pleased.

“He is the favourite, and I think by a couple of tenths,” says Denise Lewis of Matthew Hudson-Smith and the 400m final that is due at 8.50pm UK time.

“But he has to manage that excitement. He is home, everyone wants to see him lift that title … he has to manage that first 200, and not go out like a man possessed.”

Hudson-Smith can become the most decorated male European athlete tonight.

“It’s an ecstatic feeling to be here, after the hard work I’ve put in the last weeks and months,” Romell Glave tells the BBC after his 100m gold last night. “I’ve been dreaming of this moment since the start of the season … having that consistency through the season can bring great rewards … With hard work, everything is possible”

“Yesterday was a super special moment,” adds the silver medallist, Jeremiah Azu. “I’ve worked for years to achieve something like this. To do it in front of a home crowd tops it all off. We work so hard, we race all around the world, but to have a moment like that in front of the British fans is amazing.”

Hudson-Smith was second in his semi-final last night. I reckon he’ll pull it out of the bag tonight, though. Jonas Phijffers of the Netherlands was the victor.

There are four golds on offer this evening: women’s hammer, men’s 400m, women’s 400m hurdles, and the men’s 100m hurdles.

Matthew Hudson-Smith will be in action the men’s 400m at 8.50pm.

The solar eclipse, as you might expect, is also visible in Birmingham. Fans at the venue are getting a bit distracted.

What are you most looking forward to this evening?

Email me!

In just over an hour, meanwhile, the women’s hammer throw final will begin.

Leo Neugebauer of Germany leads the men’s decathlon after the shot put that took place earlier today. He has 2819pts. Jeff Tesselaar (Netherlands) is currently in silver-medal position (2690pts). Sander Skotheim (Germany) is in bronze with 2638pts.

The men’s high jump is due to start in five minutes or so.

For good measure here are Sean’s reports from Monday:

And Tuesday:

On Marcell Jacobs’ right arm there is a tattoo of the Roman colosseum and a gladiator: a reminder of his fighting spirit and what Italy’s capital means to him. But in the swirling bearpit of a European championships 100m final, the former Olympic champion’s body dramatically broke down.

That was the first shock. The second was the sight of two Britons, Romell Glave and Jeremiah Azu, blasting through to take gold and silver.

Obviously, you are going to be fully focused on this blog, but you can also follow all things eclipse here: