(From L) Croatia's Marino Bloudek, Ireland's Mark English, France's Louey Ouerrat, Kosovo's Leon Thaqi, Spain's Pablo Sanchez-Valladares, Turkey Omer Faruk Bozdag and Italy's Giovanni Lazzaro take the satrt to compete in the men's 800m heat 1 during the European Athletics Championships at Alexander Stadium in Birmingham on August 10, 2026. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP via Getty Images)