So, that is the nature of our sport.
There are medals, there are near misses and there are disappointments.
Face it, you bring the finest athletes from the 51 member strong European Athletics Association, and you are going to have some people who rise to the occasion, and some, who do not. While a clean clearance in the high jump looks easy, it has probably taken twelve to fifteen years of work, injuries and dreams achieved and many foiled.
Here is Stuart Weir’s column on day four of British achievements on Day 4. It might be his most important column of the week. Our sport looks easy, running, jumping and throwing. But those wonderful moments, that final kick that takes one from sixth to second, that flick of the wrist that achieves that close clearance over 2 meters, and that final lean that takes the long jumper over 8.25 meters, all took a lifetime to perfect.
Brits in Action
It is hard to evaluate Friday evening from British perspective. There were medals, there were near misses and there were disappointments. Matt Hudson-Smith won gold in the 400m – see separate post.
WOW!@mattonthefloor becomes European champion with a truly sensational run in 44.78!
The medals just don’t stop!#REPRESENT pic.twitter.com/gU3CzSbQi2
— British Athletics (@BritAthletics) August 10, 2018
Katarina Johnson-Thompson took silver comfortably in the heptathlon. Going into the final event, the 1500m, she needed to beat Nafi Thiam by 13 seconds. With courageous front running she beat the Belgians by 9.5 seconds. Second overall is no shame, Thiam is not the world and Olympic champion for nothing. Johnson-Thompson showed that she could put together a program of events to keep the champion under pressure.
After a fine run in the 800m, @JohnsonThompson clocks 2:09.84, a season’s best to claim European Athletics Championships silver.
Fantastic, Kat!#REPRESENT pic.twitter.com/PbRul5o2U5
— British Athletics (@BritAthletics) August 10, 2018
Meghan Beesley took bronze in the women’s 400H but time lost through injury caught up with Eilidh Doyle.Jake Wightman took bronze in the 1500m but Charlie Da’Vall Grice and Chris O’Hare missed out.
And the medal rush continues with @meghanbeesley claiming bronze in the women’s 400m hurdles final in 55.31!
WOW!#REPRESENT pic.twitter.com/UNhTMOGscY
— British Athletics (@BritAthletics) August 10, 2018
The 800m was a disappointment. There were three women in the final but no medal, although Adelle Tracey in fourth was only 7 hundredths of a second from a medal. Lynsey Sharp and Shelayna Oskan-Clarke were sixth and eighth, having both been prominent in the race at one stage. In the men’s 800m semi-finals there were three British runners but none of Guy Learmonth, Daniel Rpwden or Elliot Giles made the final.
Well done @BritAthletics @adelle_tracey 4th place in 800m final @EuroAthletics championship #Athletics #tomsmeethphotography pic.twitter.com/l366Xd5ymO
— Tom Smeeth (@tomsmeethphoto) August 10, 2018
Andrew Pozzi in the 110m hurdles was sixth in 13.48. The 13.28 which he ran in the semi-final would have been enough for bronze in the final.
Morgan Lake, with a season’s best of 1.97 coming into the competition, cleared 1.91 and failed at 1.94. She tweeted afterwards: “Can’t even put into words how distraught I am. Nothing can excuse that performance”
There were 4 British women in the 200m semis, with Dina Asher-Smith, Bianca Williams and Beth Dobben through to the final with Jodie Williams missing out.
Made it through to the #EuropeanChampionships2018 final! pic.twitter.com/Q3hKzdwmUp
— Morgan Lake (@morgan_a_lake) August 8, 2018
