Great Britain’s Relay Success
Amy Hunt secured her third gold medal at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, contributing to Great Britain’s victory in the women’s 4x100m relay. This win marks her third title in six days, following earlier triumphs in the 100m and 200m events. Hunt, who described her teammates as “superwomen,” is now aiming to become the first athlete to win four gold medals at a single edition of the championships, with the mixed 4x100m relay scheduled for Sunday.
Her teammate, Dina Asher-Smith, also made history by earning her seventh gold medal at the championships, a decade after her first. This achievement places the 30-year-old alongside Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Croatian discus thrower Sandra Elkasevic in the record books for the most gold medals. Asher-Smith also matched Polish sprinter Irena Szewinska’s overall record of 10 medals at the championships after securing a 200m bronze medal on Thursday.
The GB women’s quartet, which included Imani-Lara Lansiquot and Success Eduan, finished the 4x100m relay in 42.05 seconds. This placed them more than a second ahead of Switzerland (43.12) and Poland (43.15), who took silver and bronze respectively. Hunt expressed her enjoyment of the event, stating, “That was stunning to come together. I had the time of my life.”
Just 15 minutes prior to the women’s victory, the British men’s 4x100m relay team also secured a gold medal. Romell Glave anchored the team to victory in 38.45 seconds, outpacing Germany (38.64) and Belgium (38.70). The men’s team, comprising Jeremiah Azu, Louie Hinchliffe, and Zharnel Hughes, maintained a lead for most of the race, receiving significant cheers from the crowd at Alexander Stadium. This marked Hughes’ fifth European gold medal, bringing him level with other successful British male athletes at the championships.
Other Events and Medal Standings
The two relay successes increased Great Britain’s medal count to 12, including six gold medals, as the host nation continued its pursuit of table-topping Italy heading into the final day of competition. Italy currently leads with 17 medals (eight gold, four silver, five bronze), while Germany has 15 medals (four gold, seven silver, four bronze), and the Netherlands also has 12 medals (four gold, three silver, five bronze).
In other events, Great Britain’s 40-year wait for a men’s 1500m title continued, despite strong performances from Jake Wightman and Jake Heyward. Stefan Nillessen of the Netherlands won gold in three minutes 35.70 seconds, with Sweden’s Samuel Pihlstrom and Ireland’s Andrew Coscoran taking silver and bronze. Wightman finished sixth (3:37.18), while Heyward (3:36.40) and Arlo Ludewick (3:36.65) placed fourth and fifth, respectively.
The heptathlon saw Ireland’s Kate O’Connor secure European gold, backing up her Commonwealth title. Katarina Johnson-Thompson finished 21st overall, and Jade O’Dowda placed 13th for Great Britain. In the women’s 400m final, Amber Anning withdrew due to an injury sustained during her warm-up, while Yemi Mary John finished fifth in 51.12 seconds. Norway’s Henriette Jaeger claimed a dominant victory in 49.04 seconds.
In the women’s high jump final, Morgan Lake cleared 1.88 metres for eighth place. The event was won by Yaroslava Mahuchikh of Ukraine, who achieved a first-time clearance over 1.97m. Andy Diaz of Italy won the men’s triple jump with an effort of 18.15m, with Pedro Pichardo of Portugal taking silver and Italy’s Andrea Dallavalle claiming bronze. The championships continue on Sunday.
Source: bbc.co.uk