ACTION EUROPEAN ATHLETICS UNDER-20 CHAMPIONSHIPS, BORÅS, SWEDEN, JULY 18-21
GB’s Josh Lay agonisingly
missed out on gold in the men’s
event after having what appeared
to be a winning lead with 100m to
go. He was in front at the bell and
powered away over the next 200m,
but Portugal’s Nuno Pereira led the
chase and passed him with 10m
remaining.
The winning time was 3:55.85 as
Netherlands’ Robin van Riel came
by on the Brit’s inside for silver in
3:56.03. Lay, who was fastest on
this season’s times, held on for the
bronze in 3:56.20. His team-mate
Thomas Keen, the European youth
3000m champion, fell in his heat
and did not make the final.
Slovenia’s Klara Lukan gained
gold in the women’s 5000m as GB’s
Izzy Fry finished fourth (16:24.50)
and Grace Brock eighth (16:43.00),
while the men’s title was won by
Spain’s Aaron Las Heras after a PB
of 14:02.76 as Ireland’s Darragh
McElhinney claimed bronze
(14:06.05). GB’s Rory Leonard placed
ninth in 14:28.56.
Poland’s Zofia Dudek (9:30.06)
won the women’s 3000m title
from Portugal’s Mariana Machado
(9:30.66) as GB’s Saskia Millard
(9:33.77) and Eloise Walker (9:45.19)
fininshed in fifth and 11th place
respectively.
In the men’s race, Germany’sElias Schreml took victory after
leading a group of four who were
together at the bell, clocking
8:16.07. Serbia’s Milos Malesevic
was second in 8:16.68 and Turkey’s
Omer Amactan was third 8:17.51 as
the first four set PBs. Britain’s Max
Heyden was fifth with 8:18.73 and
team-mate Ben West was 12th in
8:26.03 as Joe Wigfield’s 8:40.39 in
the first heat was not enough to see
him through to the final.
Germany’s Paula Schneiders
upstaged her team-mate and
the pre-race favourite Josia
Papenfuss to win the women’s
3000m steeplechase. She ran a
PB of 10:08.66 as Claire Palou seta French junior record of 10:12.31
in coming through strongly for
silver. Papenfuss, the fastest junior
in Europe this year, was third in
10:12.42. Britain’s Holly Page was
ninth in 10:29.98.
Turkey’s Murat Yalçinkaya claimed
the men’s steeplechase crown after
clocking 8:58.20 as Britain’s Remi
Adebiyi (9:17.81) and Kristian Imroth
(9:25.19) were 12th and 14th.
The two 10,000m race walk titles
were won by Belarus’ Mikita Kaliada
in 41:10.03 and world under-20
silver medallist Meryem Bekmez as
she led a one-two for Turkey in the
women’s event, clocking 44:44.50
ahead of Evin Demir with 46:38.68.Race walk: Meryem Bekmez led a one-two for Turkey in the women’s event
Murat Yalcinkaya:
steeplechase
winner in 8:58.20Elias Schreml: 3000m win
Klara Lukan:
victory in
the 5000m