The records in a competition that is newly part of the European Games came from Femke Bol of The Netherlands and Norway’s rising talent Havard Ingvaldsen, who ran 49.82 seconds and 44.88 respectively in the women’s and men’s 400 metres, and home athlete Ewa Swoboda, who won the women’s 100m in 11.09.

Swoboda bettered the mark of 11.11 set by Bulgaria’s Ivet Lalova-Collio in 2015.

Bol set the first sub-50 clocking in this event at these Championships in eclipsing her own mark of 50.37 from 2021.

Ingvaldsen’s time was just 0.02 shy of the national record he set at the Oslo Diamond League meeting on June 15 and enough to take 0.11 off the Championship mark set by Belgium’s Jonathan Borlee in 2010.

The 20-year-old, who has bettered the mark of 44.87 set by Olympic 400m hurdles champion and world record holder Karsten Warholm, said he was "a bit shocked" at his time today.

Italy are set on winning a title they missed by 2.50 points in 2021 at the same Silesian Stadium after being unable to field a high jumper after soon-to-be joint Olympic high jump champion Gianmarco Tamberi injured himself in warm-up.

Their initial pre-eminence was confirmed when their European indoor champion earned their fourth victory in the 12 scheduled events as he equalled his personal best of 10.13 in the men’s 100m.

That followed contributions of maximum points from Sara Fantini in the women’s hammer throw, Nadia Battocletti in the women’s 5,000m and Tobia Bocchi in the men’s triple jump.

They will go into tomorrow’s action with 141 points, followed by Britain - highly consistent but without a win today - on 131.50, Poland on 127, The Netherlands on 125 and Germany on 121.50.