Christina Schwanitz aiming for three in a row in big night for host nation

German hopes are on Christina Schwanitz enjoying a big performance.

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What a story it would be if Germany's Christina Schwanitz makes it three European gold medals in a row in the shot put at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin tonight, having returned to the sport this summer after giving birth to twins last year.

The host nation has a number of big hopes but the emotion could be the greatest if Schwanitz can spin and unleash her way to glory again after her European successes in Zurich 2014 and Amsterdam 2016. In Halle in May, in her first event since the German Indoor Championships in February 2017, Schwanitz won with 19.39m and she has steadily improved, reaching a European-leading mark of 20.06m in Nurnberg at the German Championships on 20 July.

It could be a great night for the home nation as Germany's Robert Harting is in the discus final at the stadium where it all began for him with his world title win in 2009. And it will be an memorable evening as the 33-year-old - who collected further world golds in 2011 and 2013, as well as European titles either side of his London 2012 Olympic win - has announced this will be his last major competition.

But his younger brother Christoph failed to make it through qualifying, as did Poland's defending champion Piotr Malachowski.

Reigning Champion Yasemin Can from Turkey will be attempting another 5000/10,000m double, with the longer distance on Wednesday. She could be hard to catch if she makes a break early on but the rapidly improving Lonah Chemtai Salpeter from Israel will be in contention to achieve her first major Championships medal. She won the European 10,000m Cup in London in May in 31:33.03, at the time a world-leading mark.

Greece's European U20 Champion Miltiadis Tentoglou qualified for the long jump final with 8.15m and will face stiff competition from Radek Juska of the Czech Republic.

And, as the decathlon enters its final day, Tom Duckworth aims to become the first British man to win a major decathlon since Daley Thompson at the last European Championships in Germany, in Stuttgart in 1986. Duckworth leads by 95 points with 4380. Germany's Arthur Abele has 4285 and Norway's Martin Roe has 4282.