Aleksander Shustov of Russia won the men's high jump with a clearance of 2.33m on Thursday night.

Aleksander Shustov kept gold in Russia’s hands in Barcelona’s Olympic stadium tonight as he followed Yaroslav Rybakov in 2002 and Andrey Silnov in 2006 as the European men’s high jump champion.

In a competition affected by vertical rain and booming thunder, Ivan Ukhov ensured Russia finished one and two for the first time, giving Europe’s dominant high jump nation its fourth and fifth medals in this event in the championships’ history. With Sergey Klyugin’s bronze from 1998, Russia has now won medals in the men’s high jump at all of the last four championships.

Shustov’s winning height, 2.33m, matched the PB he set at the Russian championships this year, while Ukhov, a man who dislikes competing in the wet, finished second with 2.31m, 3cm below his world lead, to add European silver to his world and European indoor titles.

Martyn Bernard overcame a heel injury to grab bronze for Britain, just as he had at the European indoors three years ago.

The 25-year-old danced around with an umbrella during the warm-up as ‘Singing in the Rain’ sailed out from the PA system. He’d failed to qualify for the final in Göteborg four years ago, but was dancing again tonight as he claimed third with 2.29m, winning a medal on count back over Sweden’s Linus Thornblad – Britain’s fifth in this event.

Ukhov, the favourite here, must have had thoughts of last summer as the thunder that had been rolling around Montjuic for half an hour before the competition burst into pouring rain. The colourful 24-year-old was favourite to win the world title in Berlin too but finished 10th in another rainy final, later blaming the conditions for his plight.

Any sense that the wet conditions might favour the Britons were quickly dashed, however, when Tom Parsons failed at the opening height of 2.19m, his medal dreams washed away in less than 15 very damp minutes.

Only his team-mate Bernard elected to pass the first round, wisely perhaps for the drenched ground was clearly affecting the jumpers. He entered at 2.23m but only cleared on his third attempt.

The Pole Sylvester Bednarek and Slovakia’s Peter Horak went out at that height and Ukhov had problems. The long-haired Russian wasn’t relishing the wet and took two attempts to clear a height some 12cm below his best before rushing back to the shelter of his umbrella as rain bounced off the track.

At 2.26m the list of athletes with clean records had already shrunk to two as only Shustov and Thornblad went over each height first time. However, as the sun began to break through, Ukhov now found his form, also clearing easily at 2.26m while the Italian Marco Fassinotti and Konstandinos Baniótis of Greece went out.

Shustov and Thornbald endured their first failures at 2.29m, a height only the four principles eventually cleared as the third Russian, Aleksey Dmitrik, perished. Ukhov also danced with destruction, failing twice before arching his back over the bar on his third attempt while Bernard went into the lead with a first-time clearance.

It was obvious now the medals would be decided at 2.31m, but all four failed first time. Thörnblad was close, but Ukhov was even closer and he soon moved into poll position with a second time clearance.

As Thörnblad and Bernard’s bids faltered, the pressure was now on Shustov who kept him dreams alive by scraping over on his third try.

There was to be no dream ending for Thörnblad though. The Swede was attempting to follow in the footsteps of 2002 and 2006 silver medalist Stefan Holm, but he had to settle for fourth thanks to his one failure at 2.29m.

With just two men left, Shustov now took the initiative, leaping clear at 2.33m.

Ukhov decided to take his first jump just as the second heat of the 200 semi-finals was running, as if he could rise clear when no one was looking. It didn’t work.

Ukhov, now in second, had nothing to lose by asking for the bar to be raised to 2.35m. Only he had leapt that high before. But not this time. It was silver for the world indoor champion, while Shustov, a World Student Games champion three years ago, took a celebratory last leap at 2.35m.

“At the beginning it was not going well because of the rain, but I found the courage to jump higher,” said Shustov.

“I talked to my coach and gave my best. When Ukhov cleared 2.31m, I was thinking of skipping my third attempt but the coach insisted not to do it. It was the right decision. And finally I won the gold.”