Gemili wins gold after run of his life in Zurich
Rooney also claims victory in the 400m
ADAM Gemili capped another wonderful night for Great Britain at the European Championships, securing the 200 metres crown with the second sub-20 seconds run of his life.
This was a special evening of athletics at the Stadion Letzigrund, where the biggest crowd of the week bore witness to five British medals.
Martyn Rooney got the ball rolling by leading home a UK one-two in the 400m, recovering from the disappointment of missing out on a Commonwealth Games medal to win gold ahead of precociously-talented teenager Matthew HudsonSmith.
Laura Weightman followed that up by producing a fine run to win bronze in the 1,500m, with the medal rush continuing in the 200m sprints as Jodie Williams won silver and Gemili took gold.
Just a fortnight after taking silver over 100m in Glasgow, the 20-year-old footballer-cumsprinter boosted his burgeoning reputation in Zurich by adding another medal to his collection.
Much was expected of Gemili after qualifying for the final quickest and he did not disappoint, with his 19.98 seconds run the fastest European time of the year and one which saw him become the first ever Briton to twice go under 20 seconds.
Jodie Williams set a new personal best in winning 200 metres silver as Great Britain celebrated yet another women’s sprint medal.
Up until Wednesday, no female British sprinter had won a medal on this stage since Kathy Cook’s 200m silver in 1982.
Ashleigh Nelson’s surprise bronze in the 100m ended that hoodoo, with Jodie Williams hammering home the point by securing a podium finish last night.
The Commonwealth Games silver medalist was one of three young, exciting British sprinters in the line-up at the Stadion Letzigrund, where Glasgow bronze medalist Bianca Williams and world junior 100m champion Dina Asher-Smith were also in action.
The former impressively finished fourth – just 0.10 seconds off a medal – but teenager AsherSmith pulled up injured around the bend.
The Netherlands’ Dafne Schippers won the race, and completed a 100m and 200m double, with a world-leading 22.03secs, but Jodie Williams held her own and crossed the line in a PB of 22.46s.
She said: “I’m so happy to come away with two silver medals in the two major championships this summer. I was chasing Dafne down but she’s crazy fast so I can’t complain with silver.
“I thought I could get even more out of myself tonight but I was so tired. It’s so amazing to have three Britons in the final, and we’re back for the relay tomorrow.
“This season has been better than I could have asked for after injury.”
There was a touching moment after the race when Jodie and Bianca went back to help Asher-Smith back up the track, having noticed the 18-year-old had not finished due to a hamstring complaint.
She said: “I have a love and hate relationship with it and this was one of the hate days.
“I’m happy to have made the final and got a personal best but I’m really disappointed that happened around the bend.”
Rooney recovered from the disappointment of missing out on a Commonwealth medal by leading home a British onetwo, where teenager Matthew Hudson-Smith underlined his undoubted talent by taking 400 metres silver.
Having won all three semifinals, there had always looked a strong chance of British success over this distance at the Stadion Letzigrund.
The fact Belgium’s Jonathan Borlee did not start increased those odds of success and they did not disappoint, despite a jit- tery start by Hudson-Smith. It had looked like the 19 year old, who so impressively anchored England to 4x400m glory in Glasgow, would not have a shot at glory for a false start but, after a nervy wait, avoided disqualification.
Hudson-Smith was instead shown a yellow card for not being stable in the set position – a punishment that did not appear to distract him.
The teenager produced a wonderful race, setting a new personal best of 44.75 seconds to win silver behind team-mate Rooney’s European lead of 44.71secs.
Mark English secured Ireland’s first medal of the European Championships, winning 800 metres bronze. The 21-year-old Donegal man came into the race ranked fourth in Europe, having run a season’s best of one minute 45.03 seconds at the Diamond League event in New York. It is a time English equalled at the end of a remarkable race.
France’s new middle distance star Pierre-Ambroise Bosse looked on course for gold after starting at a blistering pace, but tailed off dramatically, finishing last.
Poland secured a one-two thanks to fine runs by Adam Kszczot and Artur Kuciapski, with English following them home.
Elsewhere, Olympic gold medalist Greg Rutherford, who added the Commonwealth title in Glasgow, secured automatic qualification for tomorrow’s final with a leap of 8.03m in his second effort of the night.
The Commonwealth champion was joined in the final by British team-mates Chris Tomlinson and JJ Jegede after the pair managed 7.89m and 7.81m respectively.
Two Scottish women take centre stage for British medal hopes today when Games silver medalists Eilidh Child and Lynsey Sharp go in the finals of the 400m hurdles and 800m.