Athletics

The Great Britain and Northern Ireland 4x100m men’s relay team broke the European Championship record and Jake Wightman (coach: Geoff Wightman; club: Edinburgh AC) claimed 800m silver as Great Britain & Northern Ireland finished second in the medal table in Munich.

In the penultimate event of the night, the men’s quartet of Jeremiah Azu (Helen James; Cardiff), Zharnel Hughes (Glen Mills; Shaftesbury Barnet), Jona Efoloko (Clarence Callender; Sale Harriers Manchester) and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake (Ryan Freckleton; Newham & Essex Beagles) put together a faultless race to break the European Championship record, clocking 37.67s.

Bronze medallist in the 100m Azu flew out of the blocks and handed European 200m champion Hughes, who gave the British team a slim lead at the second changeover. Efoloko ran an excellent bend and provided Mitchell-Blake with a metre buffer, allowing him to storm to the title.

Hughes, who claimed his second gold medal of the championships, said: “I feel really proud of myself. To come out here with the guys again and get the job done was most important, hit the check marks and get the baton round as smoothly as possible. To come away with my second gold medal of the championship tonight is an amazing feeling for me.”

Mitchell-Blake added: “It’s a great feeling first and foremost to come out with the gold and to get a championship record is a bonus along with the win. It’s testament to the guys who ran in the heats, Tommy [Ramdhan] and Harry [Aikines-Aryeetey] who got us here. It’s a true team effort and it’s nice to end a third championship with a gold.”

Wightman added the European 800m silver medal to his 1500m World Championship gold and Commonwealth Games bronze medals, with teammate Ben Pattison (Dave Ragan; Basingstoke and Mid Hants) taking a well-earned sixth spot.

A steady start to proceedings saw the field hit the bell at 52.06s through the opening lap with Wightman and Pattison well placed in the middle of the pack and looking strong.

Wightman made his move with 200m to go, moving into lane two and stealing a march on World Indoor champion Mariano Garcia (ESP), but the Scot found himself edged out in the final metres, clocking a season’s best 1:44.91 with Pattison stopping the clock in 1:45.63.

Wightman reflected: “I came into this really wanting to add to my world 1500m title just because I feel like that would’ve been a great way to end the season. I felt in shape to do it and I got very close, but I’ve got a gold, a silver and a bronze on the season so at least I’ve got a full set.

“I knew that I needed to be a lot closer than I was through the rounds. Garcia finishes very strong and I felt as though I was in the right place and I was wiling him to come back. When you’re running like that the gaps don’t change much and I thought I had the strength to help me through but I didn’t quite have enough and towards the end it never really came back.”

The women’s 4x100m relay squad of Asha Philip (Amy Deem; Newham & Essex Beagles), Imani-Lara Lansiquot (Stuart McMillan; Sutton & District), Ashleigh Nelson (Leon Baptiste; City of Stoke) and Dina Asher-Smith (John Blackie; Blackheath & Bromley) sadly did not get the baton round.

Team captain Nelson reflected afterwards: “We’re a team. We win together we lose together whatever happens out there when we come back in, we talk about it and we sort it out. We’re a team and that’s the start and finish of it.”

Asher-Smith added: “We’re a team, we have seen it all. We’re such a strong squad and I feel we know what we’re capable of, we have a phenomenal time in us and unfortunately this is why the relays, and the hurdles are everyone’s favourite events because there’s so many factors to get right.

“We’ve been so consistent over the years, we’re global medallists and were reigning champions and that doesn’t come without being excellent. Things happen and it’s unfortunate but it’s OK, we just grow from it.”

Morgan Lake (Robbie Grabarz: Windsor Slough Eton & Hounslow) rounded off her women’s high jump competition with a best effort of 1.90m, good enough for equal seventh position.

Lake made light work of the opening heights, showing a clean card up to 1.90m, which she cleared at the third time of asking with an excellent leap. Despite three good attempts at 1.93m, Lake was unable to improve on her mark, bowing out of the competition.

Lake reflected: “I’m just super, super disappointed really. It’s my fourth European Championships, and I really thought this would be the time that I would start to medal and fulfil my potential but it’s just not there at the moment.

“When you get a third attempt at a height like that (1.90m) it does take a lot of energy out of you. Using all that emotion means it is hard to get yourself up for the next height. I need to work on getting those first attempts and calming myself and going for the next one.”

Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Cindy Sember (Jeff Porter; Woodford Green Essex Ladies) took eighth place in the final of the women’s 100m hurdles, clocking 13.16s (-0.1) as teammate Jessica Hunter (Scott Grace; Shaftesbury Barnet) bowed out in the semi-finals.

Sember made light work of her semi-final, cruising to victory in 12.62s (0.1), the fastest qualifier of all. In the final, Sember got out brilliantly but clattered into the second hurdle that saw her drop well behind the leaders. She regained her composure but could not reel the field in.

Hunter finished eighth in her semi-final, crossing the line in 13.43s (0.3). Hunter looked to be progressing well in the early stages but came undone as she hit hurdle seven and faded out of the race.

In the 10,000m, Emile Cairess (Alan Storey; Leeds City) rounded off his maiden European Championships with an 11^th place finish, pipping teammate Marc Scott (Jerry Schumacher; Richmond and Zetland) finished 12^th, while Sam Atkin (Mike Collins; Lincoln Wellington) was forced to withdraw with seven laps to go.

Scott sat right on the shoulder of early leader Jimmy Gressier (FRA) throughout the opening laps, with Atkin and Cairess flanking him as the laps wore on and the pace ebbed and flowed. Cairess took the pace on through the 6,000m mark but quickly dropped back behind the leaders following his spell in the lead.

With around five laps to go, Cairess and Scott found themselves fading off the leading group, coming home in 28:07.37 and 28:07.72 respectively, the latter being Scott’s first 10,000m race of the season.

Cairess reflected: “That was rubbish. It’s easy to be in the right place when the race isn’t going yet but when the guys aren’t pushing it, but as soon as it got moving I couldn’t and I felt like my legs didn’t have anything from the beginning. Training has been way better than this.

“It wasn’t good for me I was hoping for much better, I just didn’t feel it and it was hard work. I wanted it to be a fast race because I thought I was, no I know I am in good shape. I didn’t want loads of people there at the end, but my legs weren’t cooperating at the end. But it can’t always go your way!”

Great Britain and Northern Ireland medal tally (20):

Gold:  Keely Hodgkinson 800m

Gold:  Matthew Hudson-Smith – 400m

Gold: Zharnel Hughes – 200m

Gold: Laura Muir – 1500m

Gold: Men’s 4x100m relay

Gold:  Men’s 4 x 400m relay

Silver: Dina Asher-Smith – 200m

Silver: Eilish McColgan – 10,000m

Silver: Jake Heyward – 1500m

Silver: Zharnel Hughes – 100m

Silver: Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake – 200m

Silver: Jake Wightman – 800m

Bronze: Jeremiah Azu – 100m

Bronze: Lizzie Bird – 3000m Steeplechase

Bronze: Daryll Neita – 100m

Bronze:  Alex Haydock-Wilson – 400m

Bronze: Eilish McColgan – 5000m

Bronze: Lawrence Okoye – Discus

Bronze: Jazmin Sawyers – Long Jump

Bronze: Women’s 4 x 400m relay

Laura Muir (coach: Andy Young; club: Dundee Hawkhill) took 1500m gold and Zharnel Hughes (Glen Mills; Shaftesbury Barnet) led a British 1-2 in the men’s 200m as Great Britain & Northern Ireland added five medals to their tally on a brilliant night in Munich.

Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake (Ryan Freckleton; Newham & Essex Beagles) added silver in the 200m, which was matched by Dina Asher-Smith (John Blackie; Blackheath & Bromley) in the 200m, while Lawrence Okoye (Zane Duquemin; Croydon), sealed a historic bronze medal in the men’s discus final.

World bronze medallist and Commonwealth champion Muir sat at the back through the first 600m before moving to the head of the field, taking them through the bell in the lead.

The Scot kicked as the field entered the final lap, opening up a large lead on the rest and gritted her teeth down the home straight, pulling away from Ciara Mageean (IRE) to retain her title in 4:01.08.

Muir said: “It looked hard on paper but actually doing it in person, never again. It was an amazing opportunity and a very unique one that we’d ever get three Championships in a year, let alone in five weeks in the summer, it’s just insane.

“I thought ‘you know what, I’ll give it a go’ and my aim was to medal in all three which I’ve done and to win the Commonwealths and to win here I’m so happy. This was the hardest one.

“On paper it was the easiest, one event only two rounds, so physically it was the easiest but it was so tough mentally. It was the most difficult race I think I’ve ever run and credit to all the other athletes that have done the three because it’s so difficult.”

Teammate Katie Snowden (Herne Hill) ran an excellent race behind the medallists, coming home in fourth spot in 4:04.97 with Ellie Baker (Jon Bigg; Shaftesbury Barnet) finishing well for eighth place in 4:05.83.

There was double delight in the men’s 200m as Hughes reclaimed the 200m title, leading home Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake in a British 1-2, with Charlie Dobson (Benke Blomkvist; Colchester) fourth.

Coming off the bend, the British trio were three abreast and it was anyone’s race for the taking. Hughes moved through the gears and opened up a slender advantage over his rivals, clocking a season’s best 20.07s (-0.3), with Mitchell-Blake clinging on for silver in 20.17s (-0.3) and Dobson fading to fourth in 20.34s (-0.3).

Hughes assessed: “Gold, wow, what a way to end the European Championships. It’s not over yet because the relay is to come but individually, I’m over. I’m grateful and so happy. Thanks to everyone for the messages, the coaching staff, every single person who has been involved.

“Mostly the European Championships was more of a mental game than physical because we knew we were fit so we made sure my mental strength was on par and I thought I did a great job.

“For me it was all strategy. Once I got lane three, I said to myself I’ve been behind here before so get out good enough and maintain. Once I got to 120m I made my move and held my composure and crossed the line with a gold medal.”

Mitchell-Blake added: “It’s been a long time since I’ve got an individual medal and at the end of the day that’s what we’re remembered for. It’s been a great year for me.

“I’ve moved back home and have a great coach in Ryan Freckleton, thanks to my sponsors for supporting me, British Athletics and the missus back home, the backbone. Without them I wouldn’t be here and it’s a great feeling to reward them all with a medal.

“It was really unfortunate to cramp at a home championships when I thought I had a medal but as soon as that passed, I got my mind on the relay and winning gold at the Europeans. If I’m going to lose to somebody, it’s this man here [Hughes]. He’s a great competitor and a great friend so testament to where British athletics is at right now.”

In the final action of the night, Dina Asher-Smith took women’s 200m silver in 22.43s (0.4), with teammate Jodie Williams (Stuart McMillan; Herts Phoenix) finishing fourth in a season’s best 22.85s (0.4).

Asher-Smith got off to a blistering start and was neck and neck with Mujinga Kambundji (SUI) coming into the home straight, with Williams well in contention out in lane eight. With 80m to go, Kambundji moved away from the Briton and despite Asher-Smith’s best efforts to reel her in, she had to settle for silver, with Williams fourth, 0.13s outside the medal places.

After the race, Asher-Smith said: “I’m not super happy but Mujinga put together a better race. She’s been improving for ages and congratulations to her but I’m not super happy. I thought I was, and I know I am in better shape than that but at the same time I came second so it is what it is.

“It went pretty good. I was focused and I ran my race plan. I’m sure my coach will have some stuff to say but yeah, I came second. It’s been up and down but it’s been a good year for me. I’m still running and wanting to chase PBs.

“My next target is to run 10.7s so I look forward to chasing that into September, but it’s been up and down. I’m happy to be here but not so happy with a silver, but I have to take it.”

In the field, Lawrence Okoye, competing at his first European Championships in more than a decade, secured his second international medal of the summer by becoming the first British man to win a European medal in the discus, taking bronze with a season’s best 67.14m.

Okoye’s monster opening effort was a massive season’s best for the Croydon man and had him sat in third spot at the halfway point of the competition by just two centimetres. A foul and two more 60m-plus efforts followed and despite the best efforts of Sweden’s Simon Pettersson, Okoye hung on to claim a spot on the podium.

“It’s been a tough year for me in a lot of ways and to do what I did today just meant the world to me,” an emotional Okoye said. “It’s not something that I can describe. To medal in this field after some of the things I’ve been experiencing, I couldn’t really hold it back.

“To produce that first round in this standard of competition, I tried to replicate it and didn’t quite get back there again. Everybody that throws discus knows I’ve had a big throw in me for a long time and it felt great to get it out. Obviously, I wish I could have gone a bit further, but this is hopefully the start of big things for me.

“I think the Commonwealths showed me what’s possible and it opened my eyes to a whole new world. Being on that podium there’s no feeling like it and I just wanted to get back there again. I said back then that would be a breakthrough moment for me and it looks like it has been.”

Naomi Metzger (Aston Moore; Trafford) leaped out to an impressive 14.33m (1.0) in the women’s triple jump for sixth position in a hotly contested competition.

Metzger’s best effort came in round one and had her placed in sixth spot at the halfway point. Metzger backed up her effort with 14.22m and 14.25m attempts, but could not improve further, having to settle for a top six finish.

“I wasn’t that far off a medal which is good considering I came 12th last time,” Metzger said after her competition. “If I came 6th this time, hopefully I’ll win next time! Before the Commonwealth’s that would have been a 10cm PB so I really can’t complain with the distance. I’m still very proud of myself.

“The end of the season has been very pleasing. It was a bit rocky at the start of the season. I’ve got more confidence now. I need to keep that belief, keep training hard, and I’m sure I can jump even further next year.”

In the 3000m steeplechase, Phil Norman (Tomaz Plibersek; Woodford Green Essex Ladies) claimed ninth spot, owed in large part to a resurgent final lap of the race.

Norman was well placed early on, running a sensible first half of the race, keeping pace with the leaders, but the damage was done with just over two laps to go as Italy’s Osama Zoghlami quickened the tempo. Hitting the bell in 13^th position, the Briton produced a strong last lap charge, picking off four athletes in the process to secure ninth place in 8:33.05.

The Woodford Green athlete assessed: “That was a bit of a mixed bag really, I was disappointed with the result. I think I needed to be a bit braver and get right up at the front. I was in the bunch and was stuttering quote a lot as a result and not hurdling efficiently.

“By the time I thought about getting out of there it was a bit too late and the pace had picked up already. I’d had to make a big effort to get up there. I was happy with how I ran there, but I was just expecting a bit more tonight.”

Away from finals action, world 1500m champion Jake Wightman (Geoff Wightman; Edinburgh) and Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Ben Pattison (Dave Ragan; Basingstoke) made safe progress into the men’s 800m final, but compatriot Daniel Rowden (Matt Yates; Woodford Green Essex Ladies) missed out.

Pattison and Wightman kept themselves close to the leaders through the opening 400m, with the field reluctant to make a breakaway as the lap wore on. Coming off the final bend, Wightman powered into second position to ensure automatic qualification for the final in 1:46.61, with Pattison bagging a non-automatic qualifying spot, finishing fourth in 1:46.95.

Wightman reflected: “I didn’t run good there. I think the one thing I am taking from it is I must be pretty fit because tactically I was all over the place, but I was still able to get through. I hope I don’t get lane one in the final as I didn’t run too well from there!

“I wasn’t good. Tactically I wanted to run it as close to perfect as possible and I thought I would be alright but I was very, very far from perfect. I’ve made a lot of mistakes in competitions but the fact I still got through is quite a confidence boost for me.”

In the first semi-final, Rowden was forced to front run the race early on and was at the head of the pack through the first 400m. As the pace quickened in the final 150m, Rowden was run out of things, finishing fifth in 1:48.80.

Great Britain and Northern Ireland medal tally (14):

Gold:  Matthew Hudson-Smith – 400m

Gold: Zharnel Hughes – 200m

Gold: Laura Muir – 1500m

Silver: Dina Asher-Smith – 200m

Silver: Eilish McColgan – 10,000m

Silver: Jake Heyward – 1500m

Silver: Zharnel Hughes – 100m

Silver: Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake – 200m

Bronze: Jeremiah Azu – 100m

Bronze: Daryll Neita – 100m

Bronze:  Alex Haydock-Wilson – 400m

Bronze: Eilish McColgan – 5000m

Bronze: Lawrence Okoye – Discus

Bronze: Jazmin Sawyers – Long Jump