An in-depth preview of the this year’s edition of the event, including which athletes to watch out for and how to keep in touch with all the action.
An incredible 550 British athletes will be competing in the European Masters Championships in Madeira (October 8-19).
The events have six different venues with the main base at Ribeira Brava but the distance track races are at Camara de Lobos, some throws are at a military base at Funchal and the 10km and half-marathon are elsewhere in the capitol.
The walks are at Machico while the cross-country is at altitude at Chao das Feiteiras.
With what is the biggest UK team since the World Masters in Gateshead in 1998, Britain are unusually the best represented team in the Portuguese Island with Germany and Spain the next most represented nation.
When the championships were last held two years ago in Pescara in Italy, Britain (108 golds, 93 silver and 77 bronze) finished second in the medal table to the hosts (162, 105, 124) but were well clear of Germany (83, 82, 72).
With 100 more athletes this time, Britain look well placed to top the medal table and they should certainly fare better in the sprints than March’s World Masters indoor championships in Florida where a strong USA team dominated and some British big hitters were absent.
While it didn’t work out in Tokyo for Britain’s senior athletes, given the high numbers competing in individual events, the relays are bound to be a major source of medals as are the team events in the distance races.
Many Brits will be defending their European titles but also some wil try to add golds here to those won in Pescara and Florida.
Northern Ireland’s Dave Clarke, who in Italy won the M60 1500m, but in America took M65 golds at 800m, 1500m and 3000m, is favourite for the M65 1500m and 5000m.
Throwers John Moreland (M65 discus) and Paula Williams (W50 shot) are others who are on for winning at all three though both also won golds at the two 2024 championships at the World Masters outdoor and European Masters Indoors, where they also hold Winter outdoor throws.
Former Commonwealth Games Pole Vaulter Irie Hill, who won W50 gold in Pescara as well as in Florida in the W55s, and won both titles in 2024, hasn’t actually lost a major championships vault since 2008 and she will be a big favourite yet again in Madeira.
Joe Appiah has dominated hurdles over recent years and he defends his M50 100m hurdles crown while also being world champion from 2024 and the reigning World and European indoor 60m hurdles champion.
Andrea Jenkins, who won the W45 hammer at both Pescara and Florida, turned 50 just prior to the championship and moves into a new age-group and she should also fare well in the weight where she is the W45 world outdoor champion.
Steve Peters, Britain’s greatest ever masters sprinter, defends his M70 100m and 200m titles and tops the world rankings courtesy of his respective 12.75 and 26.16 times and he is also entered for the 400m.
One of Britain’s most successful ever masters throwers Evaun Williams, who won the W85 shot, hammer, javelin and weight and weight pentathlon in Pescara is entered for those five and the discus in Madeira. In Sweden in the 2024 World Masters she won five golds.
Others who won in Pescara and are defending their titles are W65 multi champions Jill Harrison at 1500m and 5000m and Jane Horder at 200m, 80m hurdles and 300m hurdles and W85 and M80 sprinters Dot Fraser and Allan Long at 100m and 200m.
Tennyson James (M65 100m hurdles), Iris Holder (W80 triple jump), Mike Coogan (M50 200m), Kirstie Booth (W45 steeplechase) and Virginia Mitchell (W60 400m) also return to defend their titles.
Emily McMahon (W70 80m hurdles) moves up to the W75s.
US-based Guy Dirkin, a 56.40m discus thrower in the 1975 AAA Champs, also returns and will be keen to make amends for Florida where he failed to register a legal throw in March. He threw a European ranking-topping throw of 46.49m in the world record throwing venue of Ramona in April.
Other British defending champions entered include M45 and M50 400m hurdlers Darren Towart and Neal Edwards, M40 and M45 110m hurdlers Michael Louise and Mensah Elliott, W65 long jumper Carole Filer, 20km walker Maureen Noel and M35 high jumper Lloyd Powell.
Olympic 50km walker Ian Richards defends his M75 5000m walk title while Neil Tunstall is back in the M60 100m hurdles.
Nikki Sturzaker who won the W50 800m in Pescara is only entered for the 5000m in Madeira.
Betty Stracey (W80 800m) and Kath Stewart (W80 100m and 400m) also return but their chances are greatly increased as they both move into the W85s.
Jenny Reay, who won the W65 10km and 10,000m in Italy and the World Masters cross-country in 2024, goes for those three events in Madeira plus the half-marathon and 5000m.
While a few British multi winners from Pescara are not returning such as W45 Zoe Doyle, W55 Lucy Elliott, W75 Angela Copson, M65s Colin Feechan and Paul Forbes and M80 Martin Ford, there are plenty of other prospective medallists who weren’t in Pescara adding to GB’s strength.
Two years ago Copson won the W75 800m, 1500m, 5000m and 10,000m but those events are more than covered by multi W75 world record-holder Sarah Roberts and additionally she is entered for the 200m, 400m and cross-country!
Roberts, who is the reigning world W70 outdoor champion at 800m, 1500m and 5000m won world W75 indoor titles in Florida at 400m, 800m, 1500m and 3000m.
Another multi champion and record-holder competing is W60 Clare Elms though she makes her first appearance in the championships since winning six W55 golds in the 2019 event.
This time focusing on longer events after setting world records in the summer at 1500m and mile, she competes in the 5000m, 10,000m, cross-country and 10km.
She won world titles in Florida at 1500m, 3000m, 10km and cross-country as well as two team golds.
Ellie Stevens, who won W40 world titles in America in the 800m, 1500m, 3000m and 10km here additionally goes for the half-marathon and 5000m and 10,000m instead of the 3000m.
The busiest British athlete though will be Dash Newington who won the W40 high jump and pole vault in Florida.
She is also entered in the long and triple jumps, all five throws plus the weight pentathlon, the three walks, the heptathlon, the two hurdle races and the 200m and 400m and her 18 events meant an entry fee of almost 700 euros!
Other British world indoor champions entered are Richard White (M65 400m), Keith Hutchinson (M45 800m), Mark Symes (M55 800m and 1500m), Ron Cattle (M75 10km), Allison Wilder (W35 triple jump) shot putters M50 Steve McCauley and M65 Michael Hausler and walker Susan Payne.
Additionally Suzanna Wise, who won the W35 shot and hammer, also competes with Britain probably having the strongest throws contingency after Germany.
John Wright didn’t compete in Pescara or Florida but did win the M65 sprint triple in the 2024 World masters and this year he has been in even better form setting a world records of 12.15 and 24.47 as well as running 56.51 at 400m.
Helen Godsell, who won the 60m and 200m double at last year’s European Masters indoors, starts favourite in the W70 sprints having set UK records of 15.05 and 31.81.
Last year Andrew Ridley won a world masters M60 800m and 1500m double with Rob McHarg also medalling in both.
Indoors McHarg out-kicked Ridley to set a world 1500m record of 4:20.32 in the British champs and this summer Ridley has set a world outdoor best of 4:21.21 and both go in the 800m and 1500m.
In Florida, Dean Richardson was team manager but here he contests the M50 800m and 1500m having won the longer event in the 2023 world masters indoors.
Former world W65 1500m champion Anna Garnier runs the W70 800m, 1500m and 5000m having set a world age-group mile record in July.
Multi former world champion Darren Scott contests the M55 100m, 200m and decathlon.
Christine Harrison-Bloomfield, who competed for GB in the 1999 World Championships at 200m, competes in the W55 sprints while 1997 European Junior 5000m champion Simon Mugglestone competes in the 10,000m and cross-country.
Former English Schools champion Warwick Dixon competes in the six throwing events in the M90 age-group.
However, he is not the oldest Briton competing as 92-year-old Colin Spivey competes in the 400m, 800m, 1500m, 5000m and javelin with nearly all his previous competing experience being in parkrun,
He is guaranteed medals should he finish in any of the track events but is one of eight participants in the javelin alongside Dixon.
You can follow all the action every day on the Athletics Weekly website and digital channels.
The top-ranked European outdoor athletes entered for Madeira (though some may not be competing specifically in that event) over all age-groups using age grading according to mastersrankings.com is listed below:
Men
100m: John Wright GBR 12.15 at 66 – 97.46%
200m: John Wright GBR 24.47 at 66 – 98.26%
400m: Juan Anaya ESP 51.86 at 55 – 96.29%
800m: Hassan El Azzouzi ITA 2:05.55 at 57 – 96.24%
1500m: Andrew Ridley GBR 4:21.21 at 61 – 96.33%
5000m: Peter van der Velden NED 15:51.83 at 56 – 94.22%
10000m: Van der Velden 34:47.73 at 56 – 89.92%
100H: Joe Appiah GBR 14.07 at 54 – 97.56%
400H: Jakub Adamczyk POL 53.76 at 45 – 95.29%
3000SC: Jerome Chiquet FRA 9:47.97 at 50 – 92.27%
HJ: Marco Segatel ITA 1.75m at 63 – 95.51%
PV: Jonas Asplund SWE 4.65m at 52 – 92.89%
LJ: Gianni Becatti ITA 5.83m at 62 – 92.63%
TJ: Wolfgang Knabe GER 12.16m at 66 – 96.99%
SP: Andy Dittmar GER 18.57m at 51 – 93.07%
DT: Roland Heiler GER 34.86m at 86 – 88.77%
HT: Fabian Zoltan HUN 65.93m at 56 – 93.05%
JT: Neil McLellan GBR 65.11m at 46 – 81.35%
Women
100m: Nicole Alexis FRA 13.73 at 65 – 95.47%
200m: Angelique Hogeveen-Smit NED 26.81 at 57 – 94.14% 400m: Virginia Mitchell GBR 65.68 at 62 – 94.45%
800m: Anne Gilshinan IRL 2:28.13 at 61 – 96.61%
1500m: Clare Elms GBR 4:56.85 at 61 – 98.4%
5000m: Elms 18:11.08 at 61 – 97.86%
10000m: Elms 38:46.9 at 61 – 94.99%
2000SC: Kirstie Booth GBR 6:53.35 at 47 – 100.39% 80H: Jane Horder GBR 13.77 at 68 – 97.6%
300H: Maria Moroni ITA 47.17 at 56 – 98.45%
HJ: Monica Buizza ITA 1.49m at 59 – 91.87%
PV: Brigitte van de Kamp NED 2.84m at 65 – 82.41%
LJ: Renata Novosel CRO 5.00m at 57 – 89.62%
TJ: Andrea Szirbucz HUN 11.01m at 53 – 88.9%
SP: Tetiana Nasonova UKR 14.85m at 48 – 88.47%
DT: Janina Lapieniene LTU 35.10m at 64 – 85.2%
HT: Merja Korpela FIN 58.75m at 44 – 88.78%
JT: Vanda Srbova CZE 34.08m at 71 – 96.78%
