18 in Birmingham: Everything you need to know about the European Athletics Championships

August 10, 2002, was a special day in the history of Israeli sports. 30 years after the Munich massacre, Alex Averbukh won the European pole vault title at the Olympic Stadium in that city. 24 years later, the European Championships open today in Birmingham, where the expectations for the Israeli team are more modest. Most of the great athletes have finished their careers, and Lonah Salpeter and Blessing Afrifah are injured. Among the 1,500 participants, there will be 18 Israelis. For the first time, the team consists entirely of athletes who grew up in Israel, without naturalized citizens.

Here is a review of the Israeli participants:

10.8 | Adva Cohen (3,000 meters steeplechase). In 2018 in Berlin, the Jerusalem runner surprised everyone by finishing fifth with a new Israeli record. Now, as a professional athlete in the Diamond League, she aims for a top-five finish. Her personal best (9:28.81) is 10 seconds faster than her result in Berlin.

11.8 | Yonathan Kapitolnik (high jump). The 23-year-old jumper is a former world and European youth champion. His personal best is 2.31 m, but he has struggled with instability and pain this season. His current season best is 2.23 m, and his realistic goal is to reach the final.

Sagi Lamidial (110 meters hurdles). For the 21-year-old, this is a crucial career step. His main challenge is to improve upon his national record of 13.77 seconds.

Omri Schiff (400 meters hurdles). After breaking the 50-second barrier (49.82), he experienced a slight dip (season best: 50.67). He will look to challenge his national record in Birmingham.

12.8 | Estel Valanu (discus). The thrower, who balances training with her studies at Harvard, holds the second-best result in the country (59.23 m). With a season best of 57.37 m, she is currently ranked 36th.

13.8 | Gal Arad (200 meters). With Afrifah injured, Arad will aim for a semi-final spot, which is achievable if he runs near his personal best of 20.63 seconds.

14.8 | Matan Ivri (1,500 meters). He has improved his personal record by nine seconds (to 3:34.51). With a strong finish, he could be a surprise qualifier for the semi-finals.

15.8 | Dargie Chekole and Zamenu Moche (10,000 m). Both will attempt to improve their personal bests (27:43 and 27:46 respectively), previously set on the road, on the track.

16.8 | Men's Marathon: Maru Teferi, Gashau Ayale, and Aymero Almeya are all ranked in the top ten. Along with Tadesse Getahon, Yitayau Abuhay, and Bukayaw Malede, they will compete for both team and individual medals.

16.8 | Women's Marathon: Selamawit Teferi aims for a top-ten finish. Maor Tiyouri is ranked 23rd, and a smart race could secure her a spot in the top 15. Mintamer Bikaya was added to the team following Lonah Salpeter's injury.