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Myrte van der Schoot, Lieke Klaver, Eveline Saalberg, and Femke Broeders-Bol crossed the line first in the women's relay, while Eugene Omalla, Keenan Blake, Terrence Agard, and Jonas Phijffers picked up bronze in the men's race on the same day. Between them, the two results pushed the Dutch squad past their previous best and into the record books.
A Golden Finish at Alexander Stadium
The women's quartet clocked 3:21.10, a time that stands as a Dutch record for a single European Championships and marked the team's fifth gold of the tournament. Klaver set the tone early, running the second leg and building a lead of more than a second before handing off to Saalberg, who kept the Dutch out front. It was left to Broeders-Bol to bring it home, and she did just that, fending off a late push from Britain's Emily Newnham in the closing 100 meters. Britain settled for silver, finishing 0.58 seconds behind, with Italy taking bronze.
That gold, combined with the men's bronze, took the Dutch tally to 14 medals overall, comfortably beating the previous record of 12 set at the 2024 championships in Rome. Head coach Laurent Meuwly's squad had already banked 12 medals heading into the final day at the packed Alexander Stadium before adding both relay results to close things out.
Record Numbers and a Historic First
In the final medal table, the Netherlands ended up fourth, collecting five gold, three silver, and six bronze medals. Italy topped the standings with 10 gold, six silver, and six bronze, while host nation Britain finished second overall with nine gold, eight silver, and two bronze. Germany rounded out the top three with six gold, 10 silver, and five bronze.
This wasn't the first time the Dutch women had topped the podium in this event, having also won in 2022 and 2024. For Broeders-Bol, Klaver, and Saalberg, it was their third European title in the relay. Vanessa Mercera and Nina Franke, who featured in the heats alongside Van der Schoot and Saalberg, also picked up gold medals as part of the winning squad.
Beyond Europe, this Dutch relay unit has built a reputation as one of the best in the world, having won outdoor world gold in 2023, indoor world gold in 2024, and Olympic silver in Paris that same year. Meanwhile, the men's bronze carried its own significance, marking the first-ever European Championships medal for the Dutch men's team in this event, with Italy taking gold and Britain claiming silver.
