Hunt achieves sprint double and relay gold
Amy Hunt has continued a notable week by securing her third gold medal at the European Championships in Birmingham. After achieving a sprint double in the 100m and 200m, Hunt joined Dina Asher-Smith, Success Eduan, and Imani-Lara Lansiquot to win the 4x100m relay. The team finished in 42.05 seconds, marking the fastest time in Europe this season.
Hunt expressed her enjoyment, stating she was having the time of her life alongside her teammates. She highlighted their individual talents, noting Asher-Smith’s medal count, Eduan’s midwifery studies, and Lansiquot’s playwriting. Hunt also mentioned that the week had been a whirlwind and was not yet concluded, anticipating emotional reflection in the following week.
The British women’s relay team’s victory was decisive, finishing more than 10 metres ahead of Switzerland and Poland. Hunt described the quartet as the “fantastic four” and praised the individual strengths each member brought to the track. She specifically acknowledged Asher-Smith as the most decorated European athlete in history.
Asher-Smith’s historic achievement and team success
With this latest gold, Dina Asher-Smith has now accumulated ten medals at the European Championships since her debut in Amsterdam, equalling the record held by Polish sprinter Irena Szewińska. Seven of these medals are gold, placing her alongside Croatian discus thrower Sandra Elkasevic and Norway’s middle-distance athlete Jakob Ingebrigtsen for the joint record in gold medals. Asher-Smith, who studied history at King’s College London, reflected on her achievements, suggesting that the scale of them might fully resonate in the future.
Earlier in the evening, the British men’s 4x100m relay team, comprising Jeremiah Azu, Louis Hinchcliffe, Zharnel Hughes, and Romell Glave, also secured a gold medal. This marked their fifth victory in the last six championships for this event, with a time of 38.45 seconds, ahead of Germany and Belgium. Glave, the 100m champion, anchored the team to victory. The men’s team expressed confidence in their ability to deliver and noted their strong team dynamic, emphasizing mutual support among teammates.
The relay coach, Richard Kilty, reportedly gave the women’s team a straightforward message before their race: “Go out and break their hearts.” The team’s performance, including newcomer Eduan, who is transitioning to full-time sprinting, reflected this approach. Eduan, who is close to completing a midwifery degree, humorously compared delivering a baby to carrying a baton, highlighting the greater responsibility involved in the former.
Other notable performances at the Championships
Beyond the relay events, the championships featured several other significant performances. In the triple jump, Italy’s Andy Díaz secured gold with a leap of 18.15m, which is noted as the fourth furthest in history, surpassing Pedro Pichardo of Portugal by 39cm.
Sweden’s Andreas Almgren delivered a dominant performance in the men’s 10,000m, winning by nearly 20 seconds in a championship record time of 27 minutes 23.44 seconds. Dominic Lobalu of Switzerland took silver, and world champion Jimmy Gressier earned bronze. Germany’s Julian Weber broke Steve Backley’s javelin championship record with a throw of 90.40m, beating compatriot Nick Thumm.
In the women’s 400m, Norway’s Henriette Jaeger claimed gold in 49.04, ahead of Natalia Bukowiecka of Poland and Lieke Klaver of the Netherlands. Ireland also celebrated a gold medal as Kate O’Connor won the women’s heptathlon, dedicating her win to her father and coach, Michael. The men’s 1500m saw an unexpected victory for Stefan Nillessen, who won in 3:35.70. In the women’s high jump, Yaroslava Mahuchikh cleared 1.97m to take gold.
The British relay teams are set to combine for the mixed 4x100m event on Sunday.
Source: independent.co.uk
