As the curtain came down on the 10 days of athletics action at the Olympic Stadium in Rio, it is time to congratulate all European athletes and teams for their splendid efforts and results.
Once more the strength of European Athletics came to the forefront with 36 medals won; 11 golds, 10 silvers and 15 bronzes.
It has been quite a summer, with Rio following on from the sensational European Athletics Championships in Amsterdam which for so many set the tone of what was to follow in Brazil.
“The level of competition over the 10 days of athletics has been extremely high with great performances no matter where you looked,” said President Svein Arne Hansen, who was present in Rio for the duration of Games and active on social media throughout.
“New stars were born such as Belgium’s Nafissatou Thiam who triumphed in the heptathlon at the age of 21, while others like Mo Farah cemented their place in history following his distance double-double over 5000m and 10,000m.”
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Proud & Honoured as always to present medals #LastNight #Athletics #Rio2016 pic.twitter.com/m8Jl1HAjkI
— Svein Arne Hansen (@SvenPres) August 20, 2016
Out of the 48 European Athletics Member Federations present in Rio, 18 won at least one medal.
“The figures are impressive and we hope to see even more federations winning medals in four years time.
“Well done to Great Britain, Croatia, Germany, Poland, Spain, Belgium, Greece and the Slovak Republic for bringing back gold medals and for providing us with the most thrilling moments from Brazil.
A big Obrigado to @Rio2016_en for welcoming the world. You can be very proud #Grateful #Athletics
— Svein Arne Hansen (@SvenPres) August 21, 2016
“I would like to once more thank our gracious hosts in Rio for these unforgettable Games, and I very much look forward to the rest of the athletics season.”
Indeed there is still so much more to come this year, with European Athletics Permit races, all leading towards October and the time to honour our stars. Selecting European Athletes of the Year and Rising Stars, for the prestigious Golden Tracks awards, will not be a simple task with so many great athletes to choose from.