Butchart has his eyes on a shiny medal in Poland
Flying Scot Andrew Butchart yesterday qualified fastest for today’s 3,000m final at the European Indoor Championships in Poland – and immediately set his sights on a medal.
Butchart put in a measured 7:46.46 effort in which he never dropped outside the top three, moving beyond Spain’s Adel Mechaal in the home straight to take top spot.
After qualifying, Butchart said: “It felt good. It went exactly how I wanted it to go. The floor felt pretty smooth and my legs should be pretty fresh for tomorrow.
“The main thing is to be as fresh as I can for the final and hopefully I can come back tomorrow and get the win.
“When we went out quick, I knew some people would struggle with it, so I tried to keep clear.
“When it’s like that, you can look around a bit and enjoy the moment, so that was nice. I want to bring home a medal. The shinier, the better.”
However, there was disppointment for fellow Scot Guy Learmonth in the 800m as he missed out on qualification but team-mate Jamie Webb won his semi-final.
Meanwhile, British athletes added three more medals last night. The most dramatic came in the women’s 1,500 metres, where Holly Archer celebrated winning silver, only to be disqualified, then reinstated on appeal by the British team.
There was pushing and shoving throughout a scrappy race but Cambridge athlete Archer was singled out alongside Spain’s Agueda Munoz, who was also penalised.
A counter appeal was eventually rejected, and Archer said: “That was the longest wait ever. It was supposed to be half-an-hour but it turned into three hours. I feel absolutely delighted. To come so close and then get it taken away, I’ve been on a roller coaster, but I’m really happy to finally get that silver.”
British captain Jodiewilliams and pole vaulter Holly Bradshaw both collected bronze medals.
Williams has made the move up from the shorter sprints to 400m and was rewarded with her first individual medal at a major event since 2014 behind exciting young Dutch winner Femke Bol.
Williams, 27, ran a personal best of 51.73 seconds, and said afterwards: “It’s crazy. I came here to do a job and it’s job done. Last time I came to European Indoors I got fourth so I had to upgrade that.
“I’m really happy. I got a bit boxed in, so I got a bit worried for a second. I knew I could do it. I just dug in and I’m really glad.”
There is a strong possibility of female success in the final of the 800m after the young trio of Keely Hodgkinson, Isabelle Boffey and Ellie Baker all qualified for the final.
Baker said: “I’m so happy. It just shows how dominant our GB middle distance girls are. I’m so proud of them as well as myself. I can’t wait for us to put on a show for everyone tomorrow.”
Andrew Robertson was disappointed to miss out on a medal in the men’s 60m final, finishing fourth in a slower time than he ran in both the heats and semi-finals. Italy’s Lamont Marcell Jacobs was a clear winner in a world-leading 6.47secs.
Andrew Pozzi carries strong British hopes of a medal as the reigning world indoor champion in the 60m hurdles and is looking to regain the title he won in 2017.
He stormed through the first of five heats in 7.52s, the joint-fastest time of the morning, and said afterwards: “It was a really good time. I had a great reaction from the blocks, which I’ve been missing from the indoor season, so that was really encouraging.”
In the women’s event, there were good runs from sisters Cindy Sember and Tiffany Porter, who safely qualified for the semi-finals. Sember’s time of 7.99s was her fastest since 2017 while Porter clocked 8.04s.