European Athletics Championship

Freddie Clemo

With the Paris 2024 Olympics fast approaching, excitement was building at the European Athletics Championships in Rome. The competition, which marked the 26th edition of the championships, took place from 7 to 12 June 2024 and attracted talent from across the continent. 

This year, 1,500 athletes from 48 nations battled it out for the medals. Great British athletes proved their Olympic readiness, winning 13 medals across the track and field, with over 70 athletes participating. Winning four golds, four silvers, and five bronzes, Team GB placed third overall on the medal table. Hosts Italy topped the medal table, with France just behind them. 

There were personal bests across the board and some stand-out performances from the British field. Here is a round-up of the best bits. 

Endurance Running

Endurance running both on the track and the road proved a successful discipline for Brits at the championships, with an impressive seven medals won. 

Keely Hodgkinson Retains Her Title 

Nicknamed the ‘queen of middle distance’, fan-favourite Keely Hodgkinson easily cruised through her 800m heats. She took the win in the final by a close margin, with a time of 1:58:65, retaining her European title. Hodgkinson was battling illness at the time, so her impressive result left fans excited to see her on top form for the Olympics. 

Ciara Mageean Overtakes Brits to Make History 

“Even six months ago I would have thought you were crazy if you told me I’d win a European silver.”

Brits Jemma Reekie and Georgia Bell battled it out for much of the 1500m. But Ciara Mageean slipped between them with less than 100m to go and made history for Ireland. Mageean snagged the win in a time of 4:04.66. In a post-race interview, Mageean said: “Even six months ago I would have thought you were crazy if you told me I’d win a European silver. I was unranked, unsponsored, my PB in the 1500m was 4:06. To see where I am now [a PB of 4:00.41], I am very proud of myself and I am excited for the future.”

Bell took the silver medal, an incredible feat considering she started the year unsponsored and unranked. This medal sees her achieve her first major championship podium of her entire career after making her come back to competitive track in January of this year. 

First Senior Medal for Mills

George Mills secured his first senior international medal in the 5000m, a well-deserved silver in a time of 13:21.38. 

Olympic Qualification for Lizzie Bird

In the 3000m steeplechase, Lizzie Bird battled to take the silver medal and achieve Olympic qualification, running a time of 9:18:39.

Megan Keith Continues to Shine 

In the 10,000m, Scotland’s Megan Keith secured an impressive bronze in only her third time racing the distance on the track. This medal followed her magnificent win and Olympic qualification at the Night of the 10,000m PB’s in May. Patrick Dever, another favourite from the infamous Night of the 10k PBs, led most of the men’s race but didn’t have the speed in the closing stages, finishing in sixth place. 

Half Marathon Success

The half marathon was team gold for Calli Hauger-Thackery, Clara Evans, Abbie Donnelly and Lauren McNeil. Hauger-Thackery, who secured her place in the Olympic marathon last October, was the first Brit, achieving a bronze medal at 1:08:58. Donnelly came shortly behind in sixth, with a time of 1:09:57. 

Honourable Mention: Spanish Athlete Loses Medal for Celebrating Prematurely

Viewers were amused by Laura García-Caro’s 20km race walk mishap. Ukraine’s Lyudmila Olyanovska snatched away the bronze medal after the Spaniard celebrated early. García-Caro already had a Spanish flag in hand; looking ecstatic, she pumped her fist in triumph five metres from the finish line, only to be overtaken by Olyanovska. García-Caro acknowledged her mistake but looked at the positives in a post on Instagram: “4th in Europe and ticket to my second Olympics. Yes, sometimes people make mistakes at the [most] inappropriate time.”

Sprints

Dina Asher-Smith is Back on Top 

“I’m in great shape at the moment and felt really good today so I was confident I had what it took.”

Dina Asher-Smith returned to dominance in the 100m, taking the gold in 10.99. She waited six years for the return to victory after winning the title in 2018. In a post-race interview, Asher-Smith said: “I’m in great shape at the moment and felt really good today so I was confident I had what it took. I didn’t plan to run it that way but if that’s what it took then that’s what it took.” In the men’s race, Romell Glave achieved his first senior medal, a bronze, with a time of 10:06. 

Daryll Neita’s Excruciating Silver 

Daryll Neita endured an agonising wait as the photo finish confirmed she had narrowly missed out on gold in the 200m. Her time was just 0.01 seconds. Despite her disappointment, she took home the silver in an impressive 22:50. 

Charlie Dobson and Laviai Nielsen Impress in the 400m

The 400m saw Charlie Dobson impressive supporters, earning a silver medal with a PB of 44:38, earning him a place on the top 10 all-time European list. Laviai Nielsen in the women’s field impressively broke her PB in both the qualification and the final. She came sixth in the final with a time of 50:71. 

Relay glory for the women 

The women’s 4x100m saw an impressive lineup of Dina Asher-Smith, Desiree Henry, Amy Hunt, and Daryll Neita take the lead and win the gold medal. They completed the lap in an astonishing 41.91 seconds.

Jumps

Pole vault success

Molly Caudery continued to fly in the pole vault at the European Champs following her success as the 2024 World Indoor champion. She had high hopes for the competition, and despite coming away slightly disappointed, she cleared 4.73m to win bronze, her first GB senior outdoor medal. 

With impressive performances across the board, the GB field certainly proved their strength heading into the Olympics. 

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Featured image courtesy of Nicolas Hoizey on Unsplash. No changes were made to this image. Image licence found here.

First-Class English Literature grad from Edinburgh University, currently completing my NCTJ at News Associates and living in Sussex.

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