The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Medal rush continues for GB&NI with pole vault joy
Silver for Mitchellblake and bronze for Bradshaw as British medals just keep on coming at the Olympiastadion
Two more medals came Britain’s way at the European Championships in Berlin as Nethaneel Mitchell-blake stormed to silver and Holly Bradshaw took bronze in the pole vault.
London’s Mitchell-blake lined up with team-mate Adam Gemili in the 200m final and raced to second, pipping Switzerland’s Alex Wilson to the post by milliseconds with a time of 20.04.
Turkey’s Ramil Guliyev set a new Championships record at 19.76 and Gemili ran a season’s best time but could only finish fifth.
“It came down to a race for second place if I’m being honest with you,” said Mitchell-blake. “I am a realist in this sport but to get a medal – that is what matters at the end of the day and it being silver, it’s not too bad.
“I didn’t have time to think I was moving too quickly. I caught myself in an awkward position coming off the curve but in race mode you have just got to fix it when you are doing it, you can’t think about it too much.
“I had to claw my way back from about fifth to second and I successfully did it. I wasn’t sure when I crossed the line but when I saw I was second I was happy.”
The 200m lifted the packed-out Olympiastadion to their feet while inside the track Bradshaw was jumping her way to a European bronze medal.
The British record holder hit her mark with her first two jumps and cleared 4.75m on the third attempt to take third place behind Greece’s Nikoleta Kiriakopoulou, second, and goldmedallist Ekaterini Stefanidi.
Liverpudlian Katarina Johnsonthompson also leads the heptathlon overnight in Berlin as she edged ahead of long-standing nemesis Nafi Thiam after the first four events.
British long jumpers Jazmin Sawyers, Shara Proctor and Lorraine Ugen made history in the majestic Olympiastadion as three British women reached the European Championships final for the first time in almost half a century.
Great Britain and Northern Ireland have not achieved that feat since in Athens 49 years ago, with Sawyers qualifying ninth overall after a finalround attempt of 6.64m.
“We wanted all three of us in the final, you’ve got to have all three in the final to have a British 1-2-3,” said Sawyers, who competes for City of Stoke AC.
“Qualifying is always difficult. I never seem to have an easy time in qualifying, I wish I could just do it in one jump but I am through and that is all that really counts. I have got two days now until the final.”
World No.1 Ugen was the first of the three to surpass the 6.67m automatic qualifying mark with a second-round effort of 6.70m after a foul first up, good enough for fourth overall.
Ugen said: “Now I know what my runway is going to be, I can start from that point on Saturday and hopefully get the rest of the six jumps in legally. Qualifying is all about doing enough to get through.
“I am feeling alright. I was expecting all of us to make it through, the British girls are really strong right now.”
On an excellent day for Great Britain in Germany all three 800m runners made it to Friday’s semi-finals as Elliot Giles, Guy Learmonth and Daniel Rowden came through their heats.
Lasswade Athletic Club’s Learmonth finished fifth in a rapid heat won by Poland’s Mateusz Borkowski, but his time of 1:46.75 saw him qualify as a fastest loser.
“I felt a bit flat,” said Learmonth, 26. “I felt like I was trying to cover everyone’s move when I should have just ran my own race and then sat and kicked, which was the plan.
“I just wasted energy going around trying to cover everything but anyway I’m through, I’ll just rest up and get ready for tomorrow. It’s been a bit of a scare but I’ll be fine by tomorrow.
“I got here on Sunday and have been wanting to get going for a while, anyway I’m through, tomorrow’s a new day and I’ll be ready to go.”
Learmonth starts in the first semi-final tonight, while fellow Edinburgh stars Chris O’hare and Jake Wightman compete in the 1,500m final, Beth Dobbin is in the 200m semifinals and Lynsey Sharp goes for 800m gold.
In the 400m, Anyika Onuora and Amy Allcock missed out, but Laviai Nielsen smashed her personal best for the second time this week with a 51.21 – the fastest qualifier for today’s final.
Dave King also made it to today’s 110m hurdles semi-finals but Paisley high jumpers David and Allan Smith were unable to make it through qualifying.