Amy Hunt crowned herself the fastest woman in Europe as the first-ever European Athletics Championships to be staged on British soil got off to a golden start in Birmingham.
Clocking a time of 11.00s, Hunt (Marco Ariale) pushed through in the final stages of the women’s 100m to stamp her name on a maiden individual continental medal and title.
It came on a night that also saw the Novuna GB & NI team clinch a brilliant mixed 4x400m relay silver.
Hunt made her intentions clear by going sub-11 when winning her semi-final and held her nerve to land a brilliant victory in the showpiece.
“I am so proud of myself, at the end of the day it is all about getting the gold medal,” she said.
“It’s not about the execution and how far back I was at 30m to go, I am not going to remember that in a few years’ time, just that I won a fabulous gold.
“As I crossed the line I could have screamed, I could have cried.
“Everyone knows I am not that emotional and not that good at showing my emotions, but this win is incredibly special to me, with it being the first [European Championships] in the UK.”
Defending champion Dina Asher-Smith (Blackheath & Bromley, Michael J Ford) finished fifth in the final, equalling her season’s best of 11.10s.
Hunt’s triumph came just moments after the quartet of Ben Jefferies (Bristol and West AC), Charlotte Henrich (Invicta East Kent, Nigel Stickings), Toby Harries (Brighton Phoenix, David Sadkin) and Yemi Mary John (Woodford Green with Essex Ladies, Alan James) opened Britain’s medal haul in Birmingham as they roared to mixed 4x400m relay silver.
With Norway taking the top spot in a Championship record time, John held off a charging Netherland’s team in the final lap to take second in a time of 3:10.47.
Scott Lincoln (City of York AC, Dale Stevenson) narrowly missed out on European silverware with a fourth-place finish in the men’s shot put final.
A best throw of 20.81m in his second attempt was enough to see him jump into the medal spots before Sweden’s Wictor Petersson overhauled him by 16cm for bronze.
Elsewhere in the finals, James West (Tonbridge AC, Helen Clitheroe) finished 12th in the men’s 5000m in a time of 13:24.63.
Elise Thorner (Wells City Harriers, Helen Clitheroe) qualified for Thursday’s women’s 3000m steeplechase final after winning her heat in a time of 9:32.40 and will go in third fastest, while Charlotte Payne (Newbury AC, Ian Payne) is into the women’s hammer final finishing in 10th, courtesy of a best mark of 68.89m in qualifying.
Emma Nwofor (Thames Valley Harriers, Linford Christie) missed out on progressing in the women’s 100m hurdles after clocking 13.04s, just three-hundredths of a second off a place in the semi-finals.
Charlotte Sutcliffe (she/her)
Communications Officer
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END
| Morning Session | ||||
| TIME BST | EVENT | HEAT | ATHLETE | QUALIFICATION |
| 10:33 | M High Jump | Q A+B | Kimani JackJoel Clarke-Kahn | 2.26m or Top 12 |
| 10:45 | W 400m Hurdles | SF 1 of 3 | Emily Newham | Top 2 + 2q |
| 11:01 | W 400m Hurdles | SF 3 of 3 | Lina Nielsen | Top 2 + 2q |
| 11:54 | M 110m Hurdles | H 3 of 3 | Sam Bennett | 12q |
| 12:05 | W 800m | H 1 of 4 | Keely Hodgkinson | Top 3 +4q |
| 12:13 | W 800m | H 2 of 4 | Erin Wallace | Top 3 +4q |
| 12:21 | W 800m | H 3 of 4 | Jemma Reekie | Top 3 +4q |
| 12:40 | M 400m Hurdles | H 1 of 3 | Josh Faulds | 13q |
| Afternoon Session | ||||
| 19:05 | W Pole Vault | Q A | Gemma Tutton | 4.55m or Top 12 |
| 19:10 | M Hammer Throw | Final | Jake Norris | |
| 19:25 | W 5000m | Final | Hannah NuttallInnes FitzgeraldIndia Weir | |
| 19:55 | W 100m Hurdles | SF 1 of 3 | Marcia Sey | Top 2 + 2q |
| 20:16 | M Long Jump | Final | Archie Yeo | |
| 20:32 | M 100m | SF | Romell GlaveJeremiah AzuLouie Hinchliffe | Top 2 + 2q |
| 21:00 | M 400m | SF 1 of 3 | Matthew Hudson-Smith | Top 2 + 2q |
| 21:08 | M 400m | SF 2 of 3 | Ben Jefferies | Top 2 + 2q |
| 21:16 | M 400m | SF 3 of 3 | Charlie Dobson | Top 2 + 2q |
| 21:30 | W 100m Hurdles | Final | Marcia Sey | |
| 21:47 | M 100m | Final | Romell GlaveJeremiah AzuLouie Hinchliffe | |
