Following yesterday’s first half of the European Athletics Team Championships review, here is the second half of interesting facts that took place over the weekend of 21-22 June across Europe.
N…is for Tiidrek Nurme, of Estonia, who showed his long-distance ability on home soil in the First League in Tallinn by winning the 5000m in 14:14.92 on the Saturday in and then, 24 hours later, finishing second in the 3000m in 8:17.49.
O…is for Olha Saladukha, the Ukrainian triple jump star who for once found herself beaten, losing in the Super League to Russia’s Yekaterina Koneva who won by 22 centimetres with 14.55m. The victory for Koneva set the tone for the European Athletics Championships in Zurich where just four centimetres separated them as Saladuha won with 14.73m.
P…is for the personal best from San Marino’s Eugenio Rossi in the high jump as part of the Athletic Association of Small States of Europe team in the Third League in Tbilisi because his 2.24m was also a national record.
Q…is for quality. Once more, across all four divisions, the amount of personal and season’s bests, let alone championship records, showed the standard that is met at the European Athletics Team Championships.
R…is for Robert Harting, who led from the front as the skipper of Germany, throwing 67.42m to win the discus and then raising the trophy three times in the air as he celebrated their Super League triumph at home in Braunschweig.
S…is for Switzerland, who gained an immediate place back in the First League as they won in Riga with 210 points from Latvia, who joined them in promotion with 206.5.
T…is for Amela Terzic, of Serbia, the European Athletics U23 1500m champion, who achieved a double in the Second League in Riga as she won the 1500m in 4:28.99 and the 3000m in 9:11.64.
U…is for the unknown. Who in Braunschweig could have imagined where Dafne Schippers’ season would have ended up after the Dutch star won the 200m and ran the second leg in this victorious 4x100m relay? She was heptathlon-bound for Zurich, or so everyone thought. The rest is history, as she won the 100m and 200m there.
V…is for the double victory for Belarusian shot putters Pavel Lyzhyn and Yulia Leantsiuk whose triumphs helped their country to winning promotion as champions from the First League in Tallinn with 302.5 points. They are joined in the top division by Norway, who were second with 300, and Finland, with 290.5.
W…is for Alex Wilson who had double sprint glory in the Second League. He won the 200m in 20.93 and then anchored the 4x100m Swiss relay men to their 39.60 win.
X…is for the ‘x’ in the 4x100m relay which in Braunschweig saw Great Britain’s men quartet of Richard Kilty, Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, James Ellington and Adam Gemili win the event and then in Zurich, with Kilty and Ellington swapping places, the same four took gold at the European Athletics Championships.
Y…is for Yoann Kowal who ran a championship record of 8:25.50 as he won the 3000m steeplechase for France in the Super League in Braunschweig.
Z…is for zooming to June and next year’s European Athletics Team Championships where Cheboksary will stage the Super League, Heraklion the First League, Stara Zagora the Second League and Baku the Third League.