France’s Jimmy Gressier was one of the standout individual European performers at the inaugural World Athletics Road Running Championships in Riga, Latvia on Sunday (1).
The nine-time gold medallist at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships demonstrated his versatility and ability across all distances and surfaces with a fifth-place finish in the half marathon in a lifetime best of 59:46 in just his second race at the distance.
In a race which produced a Kenyan clean sweep led by Sebastian Sawe in 59:10, Gressier was the leading non-African finisher in fifth and the Frenchman also moves up to fifth on the European all-time half marathon list.
"It's just my second half marathon so I am very happy, especially with the personal best. During the race I just focussed on myself, on my place, I didn't watch the [time] as it was a world championships," said Gressier, who added he has half-an-eye on the European record of 59:13 which stands to Julien Wanders.
With two finishers inside the top-10, Great Britain claimed a bronze medal in the women’s team race in the half marathon.
Spearheaded by early leaders Calli Thackery and Samantha Harrison who finished seventh and ninth in 68:58 and 69:26 respectively and backed up by Clara Evans in 22nd in 70:53, the British triumvirate pipped South Africa for bronze by 11 seconds based on cumulative times - 3:29:15 to 3:29:16 - behind Kenya (3:22:25) and Ethiopia (3:27:55).
Despite Paula Radcliffe triumphing individually at three editions of the World Half Marathon Championships, this was just Great Britain’s second team medal at this distance after individual winner Liz McColgan led the Brits to team silver at the inaugural World Half Marathon Championships in 1992.
And Calli Thackery also follows in the footsteps of her father Carl who won individual and team bronze at the 1993 World Half Marathon Championships.
"I have been trying to get under the 69 minutes for quite a long time, so I am delighted to do it in a Championship race," said Thackery.
Elson strikes for a surprise silver in the road mile
That was Great Britain’s second medal of the day after Callum Elson won a surprise but superb individual silver in the men’s road mile.
With more than a dozen athletes still in contention for the title with the finish-line just beyond the Monument of Freedom in sight, the Brit struck early into a strong headwind and was rewarded for his aggressive running.
Elson was run down in the last 50 metres by 20-year-old Hobbs Kessler from the United States who won in a world record of 3:56.13 but Elson held on for silver in 3:56.41, just ahead of former world record-holder Sam Prakel (3:56.43) and France’s Mael Gouyette (3:56.57).
“When we were coming into the final 100m, I just thought: ‘if you don’t give it a go and try to win, you are going to go to bed and regret it’. So, I thought, ‘strike now and give it everything’. I just about held on for a medal. I was fading badly so another 50 metres I would have been in a world of trouble,” said Elson.
Elson’s time of 3:56.41 was the fastest time ever recorded by a European on a record eligible course but outside the European record target time which has been set at 3:52.5.
In the women’s 5km which opened the programme, Italy’s Nadia Battocletti looked more than at home as she committed to the leading group which contained the likes of world 5000m bronze medallist Beatrice Chebet who opened Kenya’s title haul in 14:35.
Behind a phalanx of Kenyans and Ethiopians, Battocletti was an excellent fifth in an Italian record of 14:45, just one second shy of Sifan Hassan’s European 5km record in a women’s only race.
Her long-time rival in the age-group ranks, Slovenia’s Klara Lukan was tenth in a national record of 15:25.
France's Etienne Daguinos was the leading European finisher in the men's 5km in sixth in 13:25. Awet Kibrab equalled the Norwegian record of 13:28 in eighth and Sweden's Jonas Glans was tenth in an outright national record of 13:32.
The inaugural European Running Championships take place in Brussels-Leuven on 12-13 April 2025.