Scots lands fourth medal of the summer behind German as Sawyers returns to the podium with final jump

On Thursday night (August 18) the start of the European Athletics Championships programme was delayed by a severe weather warning as the storms approached. Once the action did get underway, though, it was the performance of Konstanze Klosterhalfen which brought the thunder in Munich.

A huge roar from the home crowd greeted the German as she won a surprise gold in the women’s 5000m, while there was an historic moment for Eilish McColgan to celebrate as she captured her fourth major medal in 15 days.

Not only did the Scot compete in a record sixth Championships final in a single year, she also became the first British athlete – male or female – to gain a distance double at the European and Commonwealth 5000m and 10,000m in the same year.

The first half of the race was nothing special – initially featuring 75-second laps and then a 3:05.51 opening kilometre from Karoline Grovdal. The Norwegian’s three expected rivals – Klosterhalfen, Yasemin Can and McColgan (first and second in the 10,000m earlier in the week), immediately moved to the front.

A 72.27 lap through to 1400m dropped a few athletes but further circuits of 73.00 and 73.33 still saw 19 athletes together at 2000m in 6:07.50.

The race sprang into life at halfway (7:38.80), though, when Can surged and completed a 70.44 lap up to 2600m to open a gap.

Just as she had in the 10,000m, the Turkish athlete was now fully committed and she ran a blazing 66.92 up to 3000m (9:02.32). Only Klosterhalfen (9:03.72) McColgan (9:04.03) with 67-second laps of their own, were now seemingly in contention for the medals as Grovdal dropped out.

Can produced further laps of 70.44 and 69.93 but she was unable to stretch the lead further and at 4km (11:58.02) it was down to less than a second to the German (11:58.98) who was sensing an opportunity as McColgan (12:00.09) began to lose contact.

The crowd roared as the German regained contact on the penultimate lap and then surged past with 600m to go. At the bell (13:43.58) she had a five-metre gap and a 66.89 closing lap pulled her six seconds clear from Can, who won her fifth European outdoor track medal.

Klosterhalfen was timed at 14:50.47 and covered the second half in 7:11.45 (14:22 pace). Though she won a European under-23 1500m title in 2017 and a world bronze in 2019, as well as twice having won European Indoor 3000m silver medals, this was her first major title.

McColgan, having summoned another remarkable effort, held on for bronze in 14:59.34. Britain would easily have won the team event, with European Indoor 3000m champion Amy-Eloise Markovc producing a 66.43 final circuit to make up five seconds and catch Calli Thackery who had the race of her life to finish sixth as the pair dipped across the line in 15:08.75 and 15:08.79 respectively.

It has been an amazing summer for the Scot, who has won Commonwealth 10,000m gold and 5000m silver in Birmingham, as well as European 10,000m silver and now 5000m bronze in Munich.

“Everyone thought I was mad wanting to do the double or three, but I’ve got four medals and four medals more than I did at the start of the year and I’m just so proud,” she said. “Of course I’d love to win a European title but it was always going to be a tough ask after the Commonwealth Games.

“Someone said to me the other day ‘Would you sacrifice your Commonwealth Games gold for a European title’ and honestly I wouldn’t. Speaking to Paula Radcliffe yesterday she was like ‘no, you’ve made the right decision, you’ve had your moment’. It was a home crowd with my family and it was Koko’s [Klosterhalfen] moment today. I said to her ‘this is your crowd, this is your moment’ and she deserves it.

“I had mine in Birmingham. It was really special and I would never take that back and we have another two years until the Europeans and I’m sure there’ll be another gold there one day, but a silver and a bronze, I had nothing else today. I was looking around thinking ‘I just need to get to the line and not lose this medal’. I’m very tired but proud.”

Vuleta denies Mihambo as Sawyers saves best for last

Germany had been expected to win gold in the long jump through the three-time global champion Malaika Mihambo who was seeking to defend her European title. However, despite the fervent crowd support and a 7.03m leap, she had to settle for second.

Double world indoor champion Ivana Vuleta regained the European title she last won in 2016 with a superb 7.06m opener (0.3) and her only other legal jump was a second-round 6.98m. After the heartache of narrowly missing out on a Commonwealth medal, Britain’s Jazmin Sawyers returned to a major podium by taking bronze with a final round leap of 6.80m (1.0).

Mihambo started slowly with a 6.71m opener before a 7.03m (-0.5) in the second round fell just short. She carried on trying and produced fourth and sixth-round efforts of 6.95m and 6.99m which just fell short but she accepted her defeat with grace.

For most of the competition it seemed Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk would take bronze as she had efforts of 6.76m, 6.74m and 6.74m and she went into the final round in third.

But Sawyers – who opened with a solid 6.69m but struggled  thereafter – produced what she needed when it mattered to overtake the Ukrainian who had a final effort to respond.

Bekh-Romanchuk attacked with everything and clearly jumped around seven metres but it was a foul and she was full of frustration and anger on missing out on a medal.

The marvellously consistent Sawyers had won European silver back in 2016 and she has been eighth in the last two Olympics and was ninth in Eugene. Her compatriot Jahisha Thomas finished 10th with a 6.37m leap.

“I’ve finally got a medal again, I’m so happy,” said Sawyers. “My goal for the summer was to get a medal at every champs and I was starting to think ‘have you failed at your entire goal?’ and I knew I was good enough to get a medal today.

“All the way through the comp I kept getting it wrong, not jumping right, fouling, but I knew I had it in me. I was standing at the top of the runway on that final jump thinking ‘you cannot leave here without a medal’ and the 6.80m comes up and I lose my mind.

“Maryna was next to jump. In Berlin four years ago, the same thing happened and she moved up into silver and knocked me into fourth and I’m stood there going ‘what’s she going to do?’. But I held onto it and I’m so happy.”

Thiam comes out on top again

Nafi Thiam added a second European heptathlon title to her second Olympic and her 2022 world title to confirm her position as the event’s most decorated athlete.

The Belgian had been on target for Jess Ennis’ championships record of 6823 points overnight but a poor 6.08m long jump ended that possibility and she finished with a 48.89m javelin throw and a 2:17.95 800m to score  6628 points, over 300 points down on her Eugene score of 6947.

Poland’s Adrianna Sulek, fourth in Eugene, finished the second day with marks of 6.55m in the long jump, 42.86m in the javelin and a 2:09.49 800m moved her into second on 6532 points.

Switzerland’s Annik Kalin just missed out on silver as she faded down the straight in the 800m with 2:13.73 after good last day marks of 6.73m in the long jump and 46.72m in the javelin.

Her score was a Swiss record 6515, adding around 50 points to her Eugene sixth-place score and matched her European Junior bronze from 2019.

Jade O’Dowda finished a fine seventh so soon after her Commonwealth bronze. Her last day marks were 6.27m in the long jump, 41.21m in the javelin and 2:12.03 in the 800m, the latter mark movng her up two places.

Holly Mills pulled out after the long jump as did Eugene silver medallist Anouk Vetter, both suffering from injuries.