Hunt achieves 200m triumph
Amy Hunt, a Cambridge graduate, secured her second European Championship gold medal in three days, triumphing in the 200m event. This victory followed her earlier success in the 100m race on Monday. Hunt’s win in the 200m was achieved with a time of 22.19 seconds, making her a double sprint champion at the championships.
The 24-year-old athlete faced a challenging race, having to chase down two-time champion Dina Asher-Smith around the bend. Despite being the overwhelming favourite, Hunt described the race as a struggle, noting she had just enough energy to cross the finish line ahead of Ireland’s Rhasidat Adeleke, who set a national record of 22.28. Asher-Smith earned the bronze medal, finishing just 0.01 seconds behind Adeleke.
After her victory, Hunt addressed a television camera, exclaiming, “Are you not entertained?” in a reference to the film Gladiator. She later revealed that she had been battling health issues this year, including low blood pressure, which had caused her to nearly faint after several 200m races. She described the 200m events as “really scary” and emphasized the bravery required to compete.
Hunt’s ambition extends further, as she is targeting an unprecedented four gold medals at these championships. With two gold medals already secured, she has her sights set on the 4x100m and mixed relays scheduled for the weekend. She expressed her determination to help her team demonstrate their strength as a sprint nation in Europe.
Other notable performances
In other events, Mark English made history by becoming the first Irishman to win an individual men’s gold medal at the European Championships. The 33-year-old doctor from Donegal delivered a strategic performance in the 800m, overtaking Croatian Marino Bloudek in the final stretch to win in 1:45.26. Bloudek secured the silver medal, while Spain’s Mohamed Attaoui claimed bronze.
The Irish contingent celebrated English’s victory, which he described as a moment of “relief” after a lifetime of striving for a title. He mentioned plans to rebook a flight to Sierra Nevada, indicating a change in his immediate schedule to celebrate his achievement.
However, there was disappointment for some British athletes. Max Burgin was forced to withdraw from the 800m race minutes before it began due to an injury sustained during warm-up. This added to a challenging summer for Burgin, who also faced a virus at the Commonwealth Games earlier in the year.
In the women’s 3,000m steeplechase, Elise Thorner, considered the fastest European over the distance in 2026, finished fifth. The race was won by Germany’s Gesa Felicitas Krause. Another German athlete, Lea Meyer, experienced a fall into the water jump while in a medal position, ultimately finishing fourth.
Germany also saw success in the men’s decathlon, where Leo Neugebauer secured gold, narrowly beating his compatriot Niklas Kaul. Neugebauer’s score of 8,611 points was enough to win by 38 points, despite appearing to struggle in the final 50 metres before collapsing over the line.
The decathlon event was not without controversy, as an issue arose during the pole vault on day two. Officials reportedly forgot to raise the bar from 4.70m to 4.80m, leading athletes to believe they were attempting the higher height when the bar remained at 4.70m. European Athletics confirmed that the results from this additional 4.70m round were cancelled, and the competition resumed at 4.80m, with all athletes given the opportunity to attempt the correct height.
Hunt’s focus now shifts to the relay events, aiming to complete her ambitious medal target at the championships.
Source: theguardian.com