SOLID PERFORMANCES FROM DAY THREE AT THE EUROPEAN TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS IN MADRID

The Great Britain & Northern Ireland team delivered a string of big performances and solid points as the third day of the European Athletics Team Championships wrapped up with standout wins, personal bests and a string of podium finishes to leave GB & NI in fifth position.

Here’s how the action unfolded:

Alastair Chalmers (Matt Elias, Guernsey) clocked 48.64 in the 400m hurdles to finish 2nd overall, edging Switzerland’s Julien Bonvin by just two hundredths. His result added 15 points as Czechia’s Vít Müller took the win in 48.46.

Summing up what it meant to compete today he said; “I came over hurdle ten and thought I need to do this for the team rather than for myself which was pretty crazy. I am pretty happy I did that and I knew I had another gear to catch the Swiss guy, and I did that.”

Team Captain Lawrence Okoye (Zane Duquemin, Croydon) opened his discus series with a strong 65.83m, which held up for 3rd place overall. He held off Spain’s Diego Casas and Lithuania’s Andrius Gudžius to secure 14 points as Sweden’s Daniel Ståhl won with 68.36m.

“It was solid, it is a step in the right direction. I am throwing consistently at decent distances, distances that put me in the mix. I know I have the big one coming; it is just a matter of time before I get it out. I just need to keep persevering.”

Anna Purchase (Mo Saatara, Notts) found her rhythm in the hammer with a best of 71.41m, claiming 3rd behind Poland’s Anita Wlodarczyk (73.34m) and Finland’s Silja Kosonen (73.09m). She secured another 14 points for GB & NI.

“That was very exciting, it was a crazy competition having to get that third throw in to get the points and place third. A little bit of a tough competition as I know there is more there but it was really fun. It is super cool to be in a team environment!”

Lina Nielsen (Tony Lester, Shaftesbury Barnet) produced a fighting run in the 400m hurdles, clocking 54.90 to finish 3rd overall. She held off Germany’s Elena Kelety by just one hundredth to add 14 points, with Portugal’s Fatoumata Binta Diallo taking the win in 54.77.

Tade Ojora (Joanna Hayes, Windsor Slough Eton & Hounslow) added more points over the barriers with a season’s best 13.36 (-0.4m/s) in the 110m hurdles. That run saw him finish 3rd overall, just ahead of Spain’s Enrique Llopis and Poland’s Jakub Szymanski, adding 14 points as Switzerland’s Jason Joseph won in 13.24.

The GB & NI men’s 4x100m quartet ran 38.33 to finish 3rd overall behind the Netherlands (37.87 CR, EL, NR) and Germany. The team of Romell Glave, Adam Gemili, Jona Efoloko and Eugene Amo-Dadzie edged Italy and Spain to secure 14 points as the relays rounded off the evening’s programme.

Second leg runner, Gemili said; “It is always a pleasure when you get to put on this jersey and run, I feel really honoured and lucky to be in this team and being round these guys it is inspiring even at my age and I just tried to do my job.”

Abigail Ives (Luke Gunn, Basildon) ran 2:00.48 in the 800m to place 6th overall on her international debut. The U20 athlete stayed in touch with Poland’s Anna Wielgosz and Germany’s Smilla Kolbe, banking 11 points as France’s Anaïs Bourgoin took the win in a championship record 1:58.60.

“It was definitely interesting, it didn’t go how I thought it would, I thought it would be a little bit quicker from the get go, but I think that was a really good taste of championship racing. I am happy with it.”

Kimani Jack (Julian Reid, Shaftesbury Barnett) cleared a lifetime best of 2.21m in the high jump on his senior international debut. That mark stood up for 7th place overall after a tense countback battle, adding 10 points as Czechia’s Jan Štefela won with a huge PB of 2.33m.

“This morning I was a little bit nervous, and I am not really too used to that and it was an interesting feeling. I called my Dad and he told me to focus on getting points for the team, which is the most important thing, and focus on the things I have been learning in training with my coach, and that is what I went out and did.”

The GB & NI women’s 4x100m team clocked 43.00 to finish 8th overall, just ahead of Greece (43.26 SB). The team was made up of Alicia Barrett who had run earlier that day in the 100m hurdles, Rachel Bennett, Desiree Henry and Aleeya Sibbons. That added 9 points to the team total as the Netherlands stormed to gold in a championship record 42.02.

Georgina Forde-Wells (Lukasz Zawila, Woodford Green Essex Ladies) landed a best of 13.26m (-0.1m/s) in the triple jump to take 10th place, edging Ukraine’s Viktoriia Baranivska to add 7 points. Germany’s Caroline Joyeux won the event with 14.42m.

Samuel Khogali (Lukasz Zawila, Woodford Green Essex Ladies) made his senior international debut in the long jump with 7.69m in round three to place 11th overall. He beat Portugal’s Gerson Baldé and Hungary’s Mátyás Németh to claim 6 points as Greece’s Miltiadis Tentoglou won with 8.46m (CR, WL).

Alicia Barrett (Lewis Samuel, Sheffield & Dearne) clocked 13.43 (+1.0m/s) in the 100m hurdles, finishing 8th in her heat and 16th overall. She contributed 1 point as Switzerland’s Ditaji Kambundji and the Netherlands’ Nadine Visser both clocked 12.39 to win.

With more finals to come, GB & NI’s points haul keeps them firmly in the hunt as the team battles for a strong overall finish in Madrid.