21st July 2024

BELSHAW & MCKENNA WIN GLORIOUS GOLDS AS GB&NI END EURO U18 CHAMPS WITH 11 MEDALS

Lyla Belshaw (coach: David Smith, club: Colchester Harriers) and Matthew McKenna (Martin Norman, Walton) stormed to gold as the British team ended the European Athletics U18 Championships in style with their best day in Slovakia – winning a fabulous five medals for an overall total of 11.

Belshaw roared to a Championship record of 4:13.01 minutes to secure a superb gold in the women’s 1500m final – teammate Isla McGowan (Ros Kelling, Banbury) completing a British one-two with silver – while McKenna lived up to his billing as he powered to victory himself in the men’s 800m final.

Shaikira King (John Skevington, Wreake & Soar Valley) would not be denied in the women’s 800m as she came from fourth to take silver while the women’s medley relay team of Nell Desir (Lisa Waddon, Cardiff Archers), Thea Brown (Joanne Harding, Sale Harriers Manchester), Shiloh Omotosho (Sarah Robinson, Basildon) and Kara Dacosta (Stephen Ball, Trafford) rounded off the day with bronze.

Elsewhere there were agonising fourth-place finishes for Regan Corrin (Emma Lowry, Manx) in the men’s high jump and the men’s medley relay team while Dillon Millard (Dave Lee, Taunton) was a valiant sixth in the men’s 2000m steeplechase. That would leave the British team with 11 medals in total and fourth overall.

Going into the final day the British team had been prominent on the podium in the men’s 100m and women’s 3000m – but the best was saved for the women’s 1500m thanks to a superb performance from Belshaw and McGowan, both 16 years old.

The British pair stalked Norway’s Wilma Bekkemoen Torbiornss, arguably the race favourite as the European under-18 leader, as she started setting the pace with less than a lap gone in Slovakia.

It largely stayed that way until the final bend when, reminiscent of her British compatriots on senior teams, Belshaw made a decisive move. Torbiornss had no answer and McGowan came streaming past too to complete a British one-two.

Belshaw stormed to a Championship best of 4:13.01 for the British team’s second gold up to that point while McGowan sealed silver in a personal best 4:14.78 – Torbiornss almost two seconds away in third.

“I definitely thought about winning this race,” said Belshaw. “If I wanted to do that, I needed to be at the peak of my condition. I did many speed sessions with my coach. I am so glad that I hit the championship best.”

McKenna followed Belshaw’s lead with a supreme performance for gold in the men’s 800m final – a race that was so close to being yet another British one-two.

At the bell it appeared as if no one in the field was prepared to take the race out – that before Tom Waterworth ((Derek Darnell, Huntingtonshire) decided to with 300m to go, edging past his British teammate in order to do so.

The British pair approached the home straight in front, neck and neck and looking strong. McKenna would produce a fantastic surge over the final few metres to clearly take gold however Waterworth agonisingly couldn’t hang on.

McKenna even had enough time for an arms wide celebration before the line as he posted 1:52.91 for gold while Waterworth, who looked so good throughout the final, finished an agonising fifth in 1:53.68.

McKenna said: “I have been waiting for this moment for so long. It was a tough race but with a perfect end, I gave everything. It was messy but I always race my own race. I want to keep running races, I want to keep running fast times.

“This time last year I had no idea that I could achieve this. I have my eyes on the LA Olympics 2028, it is a dream. I need to keep winning these competitions. With little baby steps we will see in four years where I will be.”

On the most fruitful day of the Championships for the British team, King started the final evening session in superb style with silver after digging truly deep at the end of women’s 800m final.

With 200m to go it looked as if King would be off the podium, at the back of a fast-moving group of four. However, she was not to be denied and found a superb kick down the home straight after going wide.

In a dramatic finish, all four athletes were in a line with 30m to go with King having not only to keep her balance as she battled but also keep Sweden’s Carmen Cernjul at bay who was looking to edge past in the dying metres.

King’s surge was so narrowly close to being a golden one with just 0.06 separating her from gold medallist Adela Holubova of the Czech Republic as the Brit clocked 2:04.29 for silver.

She said: “I was not expecting that much contact, but you have to deal with it. I was in a very bad position. In the last metres I tried to push to get gold, but I am pretty happy with silver. This is my first international medal.”

In the penultimate event of the Championships, Dacosta, silver medallist in the women’s 400m, powered the British women’s medley relay team to a brilliant bronze. After a solid opening 100m from Desir and a solid 200m from heptathlon silver medallist Brown thereafter, Omotosho set the team up superbly.

A great final exchange after Omotosho’s 300m had Dacosta in a perfect position to get into the medal positions and that is exactly what she did – powering through her 400m to comfortably take bronze for the British team in 2:05.90.

There was tension at the start of the final event of the Championships after a faulty start was called. Joel Masters (Joel Humphries-Cuff, BFT Track Academy) put it behind him though with a great opening 100m before Aron Tugwell (Lisa Waddon, Cardiff Archers) maintained that start on the 200m leg.

Jake Odey-Jordan (Victor Blackett) produced a storming 300m leg to give the British team the lead ahead of Harry Bradley (Darryn McAtee, Newport Harriers) over the final 400m. Bradley ran a fine leg but would be denied a medal-ending finish as the British team placed fourth in 1:52.38.

Elsewhere there was also agonising fourth for Corrin in the men’s high jump final, which kickstarted the British team’s charge on the final day. After a failure with his very first attempt, Corrin sailed through perfectly to 2.05m.

The next height of 2.08m proved just too steep as Corrin tried his best but just narrowly missed out on clearing. He should be able to take some comfort in that 2.05m represented an equal personal best.

Meanwhile in the men’s 2000m steeplechase final Millard battled his way to sixth in 5:57.87 and in the men’s 3000m final in the morning session Oliver MacDonald (Giffnock North) was 18th and Liam Conway (Richard Park, Cambridge & Coleridge) 22nd.

Great Britain & Northern Ireland medal tally

GOLD [3]: Matthew McKenna, Men’s 800m. Katie Pye, Women’s 3000m. Lyla Belshaw, Women’s 1500m.

SILVER [5]: Thea Brown, Heptathlon. Joel Masters, Men’s 100m. Kara Dacosta, Women’s 400m. Shaikira King, Women’s 800m. Isla McGowan, Women’s 1500m

BRONZE [3]: Joel Ajayi, Men’s 100m. Olivia Forrest, Women’s 3000m. Medley Relay, Women’s

Results