From a string of shattered records to the emergence of exciting young talents, athletics had it all in 2018.
Europe continued to provide star performances across the globe, with a series of notable displays in the European Indoor Championships, European Athletics Championships and the Diamond League.
As Glasgow 2019 now comes rapidly into focus, here’s a whistle-stop look back at some of the standout displays in 2018, and what it could mean with regards to March’s action.
A new world order
One of the prominent themes from 2018 was the establishment of a new world order, with Usain Bolt’s retirement in 2017 opening the door to American sprint duo Christian Coleman and Noah Lyles in the sprint stakes.
World 60m indoor record holder Coleman posted 9.79s en route to 100m glory in the season finale in Brussels, while compatriot Lyles recorded 19.67s in the 200m in Zurich to end a memorable campaign.
Meanwhile in Europe, Great Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith came of age to win triple gold in the European Championships in Berlin and be named Women’s European Athlete of the Year in Lausanne this October.
Dina Asher-Smith is the women’s European Athlete of the Year!
Asher-Smith became the first woman in 28 years to win a sprint treble at the European Championship and leads the 2018 world lists over 100m and 200m.#GoldenTracks pic.twitter.com/TPc8Y5ocA2
— European Athletics (@EuroAthletics) October 26, 2018
Also recognised in Lausanne was French decathlete Kevin Mayer, who scooped the men’s award after posting a new world decathlon record of 9126 in Talence and lifting the world indoor title in Birmingham.
Both look well placed to make further strides globally in 2019, alongside a whole host of other top European talent.
World decathlon record-holder Kevin Mayer is the men’s European Athlete of the Year!
Mayer took the world decathlon record up to 9126 in Talence and was also crowned world indoor heptathlon champion in Birmingham.#GoldenTracks pic.twitter.com/QNEXYSTrNN
— European Athletics (@EuroAthletics) October 26, 2018
Young stars shine bright
Asher-Smith was far from the only European youngster to make her mark in 2018.
Indeed, one of the more remarkable performances of the year came from Norwegian teenager Jakob Ingebrigtsen in Berlin.
Aged just 17, Ingebrigtsen became the youngest ever male gold medallist at a European Championships when he ran 3:38.10s to win the 1500m title at the Olympic Stadium.
Buoyed by his victory over the shorter distance, Ingebrigtsen then defied fatigue to win the 5000m the following day in a golden 24 hours for Norwegian running.
Ingebrigtsen’s success was mirrored by two other European young guns in Sweden’s Armand Duplantis and Belarus’ Elvira Herman, both of whom were recognised as Rising Stars at the Golden Stars in Lausanne.
Pole valuter Duplantis lept to a championship record of 6.05m in Berlin, beating off competition from Timur Morgunov and French stalwart Renaud Lavillenie, while Herman claimed the European 100m hurdles title in Berlin in a time of 12.67s.
Stage set for Glasgow 2019
The scale of the European achievement in 2018 did not end there, however.
Turkish sprinter Ramil Guliyev secured back-to-back Diamond League wins in the 200m in Oslo and Stockholm before roaring to a European Championship record of 19.76s in Berlin.
In the pit, Portuguese long-jumper Pedro Pablo Pichardo also enjoyed a stellar year, posting a world leading 17.95m in Doha and winning the Diamond League season finale in Brussels.
And with indoor form a key pointer ahead of Glasgow 2019, the world record of 3:01.77s set by the Poland 4×400 men’s relay team at the World Indoor Championships in Birmingham bodes well for a world-class spectacle in the same event at the Emirates Arena this March.
With European athletics in such fine fettle across the board, at this stage few would bet against Glasgow 2019 being one of the most memorable championships in recent memory.
The European Athletics Indoor Championship Glasgow 2019 is guaranteed to give the Scottish crowd unmissable entertainment. The full competition schedule is now live on www.glasgow2019athletics.com with tickets available across all events