Brit wins men’s 100m on day two of the European Under-23 Championships at Tallinn as Kristal Awuah and Holly Mills also win medals

Jeremiah Azu was a close second in the English Under-23 Championships to Jona Efoloko but he proved a clear winner in the men’s 100m in Estonia on Friday (July 9) with a 10.25/-0.3 run.

His reaction was a modest 0.165 – the sixth best of the seven starters – but at the finish he was over a metre clear as he won from Sweden’s defending champion Henrik Larsson, who ran 10.36 while Spain’s Arnau Monne, who only qualified for the final as a fastest loser, just beat his compatriot Sergio López to the bronze 10.41 to 10.42. The second Brit in the final Brandon Mingeli finished seventh in 10.55.

He had been an injured seventh in the European Junior final in 2019 after winning his semi final. He said: “It feels so good. It is such a relief because last time I was here I didn’t walk off the track, but I am so grateful that I have done it this time. It was 100% what I came here for. I was only ranked eighth coming into this final, so I have kept under the radar a bit, but I felt I had it in there.”

Kristal Awuah added to Britain’s medal tally in the women’s 100m but after the fastest reaction (0.148) she just lost out to German Lilly Kaden (11.36) and Belgium’s Rani Rosius (11.43) with her 11.44.

Awuah said, “I am not happy with that as I tightened a bit but nevertheless, I did my best. It has been a packed couple of weeks for me with racing at home and here so I am pleased I got here fit and could give it my best.”

Lilly Kaden ?? blasts to the women's 100m title at the European U23 Championships! ? #Tallinn2021

(@dlv_online) pic.twitter.com/7SIN3Dtjly

— European Athletics (@EuroAthletics) July 9, 2021

The third British medal came in the heptathlon. Poland’s Tokyo-bound Adrianna Sulek maintained her clear lead on day two as she reeled off a 6.03m long jump, 40.89m javelin and a 2:12.79 800m gave her a winning 6305 points score.

Spain’s Claudia Conte was fourth overnight but moved up to third with a 6.19m long jump and then up to second with a huge 47.04m javelin throw and finished with a 2:12.93 to give her a PB 6186 score.

Britain’s Holly Mills moved into second with a 6.20m long jump but lost ground with a 37.38m javelin and finished with a 2:16.07 which gave her the bronze by 55 points with a 6095 score.

Jade O’Dowda finished sixth with 6002 points with a 6.14m long jump, a 42.13m javelin and a 2:13.94 800m.

Mills said: ““It was a very long two days. I have done three heptathlons this year and in each one I have had points from different events. After day one which wasn’t so good and, although I really found that 800m tough, I am really pleased and proud of how I bounced back today after a sub-par day one. It showed my grit and of course I am so pleased to get the first medal for the team and get the ball rolling.”

Predictably Doha World Championships fifth-placer Myhaylo Kokhan was a class apart in the men’s hammer as the Ukrainian won with a fourth round 77.88m and four of his measured throws were superior to runner-up Hrístos Frantzeskákis of Greece who threw 75.23m while Sweden’s Ragnar Carlsson took bronze with a 73.85m effort.

? 2017 World U17 Champs
? 2018 European U18 Champs
? 2018 Youth Olympics
? 2019 European U20 Champs
? 2021 European U23 Champs

Yet another age-group hammer title for Mykhaylo Kokhan! ?? #Tallinn2021 pic.twitter.com/KQN3ykqhaN

— European Athletics (@EuroAthletics) July 9, 2021

Another potential Olympic medallist to win easily was the Netherlands’ NCAA champion Jorinde Van Klinken, who won the women’s discus by almost six metres with a 63.02m throw from Helena Leveelahti’s PB 57.09m with France’s Amanda Ngandu-Ntumbataking bronze with a 56.24m.

Tuğba Danişmaz went one better than in 2019 as she won the women’s triple jump with a Turkish record 14.09/1.0 with her second round jump to deny Greece’s Spiridoúla Karídi (13.95/1.0) and Latvia’s Rūta Lasmane’s 13.75/-1.0.

Netherlands’ Jasmijn Lau was third in the 10,000m in 2019 but she improved to win in an European under-23 lead of 32:30.49 with a 3:06 final kilometre and 15:56 second half holding off Italian Anna Arnaudo (32:36.98) and Germany’s Lisa Oed (33:35.99).

Britain’s Eleanor Bolton was a clear third at halfway in 16:43.05 but dropped out of a medal position during the seventh kilometre and ended up eighth in 34:06.67.

Only eight of the 14 starters finished the 20km walk and gold went to the 2017 European Junior silver medallist Jose Manuel Perez in 1:25:06, 44 seconds clear of Ireland’s David Kenny (1:25:50) with Italian Andrea Cosi taking the bronze medal in 1:26:05. The Spaniard pulled away from Kenny at 17km.

The women’s walk with a far better 18 finishers was won by Turkey’s Meryem Bekmez taking gold in 3:08 from France’s Pauline Stey (1:34:47) and Spain’s Antia Chamosa (1:35:04).

Both Alex Knibbs (50.00) and Alastair Chalmers (50.11) qualified easily for the 400m hurdle final with second places in their heats though Netherland’s Ramsey Angela underlined his position as favourite with a 49.17 PB to easily be the fastest.

Zoe Pollock was unable to replicate her 57.17 PB form from the heat and finished fifth in 58.49 in her semi final as Switzrland’s Yasmin Giger again proved fastest with a 55.99 win in her race.

Yasmin Liverpool finished last in her 400m semi final in 56.27 as the Czech Republic’s former World Youth champion Barbora Malíková was fastest with 52.41.

British senior hurdles champion Tade Ojora won his 110m hurdles heat in 13.68/-0.4 and European Junior champion Josh Zeller was second in his in 13.80/0.0 behind the overall fastest Spain’s Asier Martínez (13.64), who won the European Team Championships this year and has a 13.31 PB this summer.

Ojora went faster in the semi finals winning in 13.62/-0.4 with Zeller second in his heat in 13.68/-1.3 with again the Spaniard fastest in 13.54/-1.3.

France’s World Youth silver medallist Cyrena Samba-Mayela, who has a 12.73 PB, was the quickest in the 100m hurdles heats with a 12.98/-0.3 victory.

Britain’s Jenna Blundell (2nd 13.43/-0.4) and Anastasia Davies (4th 13.45/0.5) also easily qualified for the semi finals where Davies (third in 13.52/0.8) made it through to the final by two thousands of a second. Blundell was an unavailing fourth in her heat (13.67/-2.2) as this time Poland’s Pia Skrzyszowska was fastest (13.10/0.8).

The 2017 European junior silver medallist Molly Caudery easily qualified for the pole vault final finishing equal first in qualifying courtesy of first-time clearances at 4.05m and 4.20m.

Erin Wallace tied in her 1500m heat with her 4:17.225 time being inseparable even down to the thousandth of a second with Poland’s Klaudia Kazimierska. Spain’s Agueda Muńoz won the other heat in 4:15.69 for the fastest overall time.

Shock British senior javelin champion Rebekah Walton continued her good form with a PB 54.27m which saw her qualify second best to Germany’s European Junior silver medallist Julia Ulbricht who set a 55.77m PB. She became our first javelin finalist for 18 years.

Joel Khan was one of 12 qualifiers for the men’s high jump final as he cleared 2.15m with his final attempt.

The men’s 800m heats saw all three Britons comfortably qualify for the final though none won their heats.

Teenager Ben Pattison, the European junior silver medallist who finished like a train to finish fourth in the Olympic Trials in a PB 1:45.93, was a close second in his heat in 1:46.81 to Netherlands’ Djoao Lobles, who has the same PB as Pattison and ran the day’s fastest of 1:46.73.

Thomas Randolph (1:48.04) and European Junior bronze medallist Finley Mclear (1:48.16) also finished second in their heat.

As in the heats, Swiss Ricky Petrucciani was fastest in the 400m semi-finals with a 45.72 win as Britain’s Alex Haydock-Wilson missed out with a 46.40 clocking in fourth.

Britain’s sole representative in the men’s 200m heats, the reigning champion Shemar Boldizsar won his heat in 21.04/0.1 though the fastest time came from Switzerland’s William Reais who ran 20.81/0.2.

The women’s 200m heats saw both Kiah Dubarry-Gay (3rd 23.73/0.6) and Georgina Adam (2nd 23.80/0.5) qualify for the semi finals with France’s European Junior silver medallist Gemima Joseph the quickest with 23.14/-0.4. Amber Anning did not start her heat.

Finn Topias Laine provided the only 80 metre throw in the men’s javelin qualifying with a 80.67m effort.

Portugal’s Simao Bastos set a PB 8:43.71 to head the steeplechase qualifying.