Rhasidat Adeleke seals sprint double as team-mates win men’s 1500m and 3000m in Irish gold rush in Tallinn

The penultimate day of the European Under-20 Championships on Saturday (July 17) saw Britain gain their third gold medal of the Championships – and they also won four bronzes – but they were topped by a brilliant day for the Irish who won three golds to go top of the medal table.

Ireland (4, 0, 0) now sit above Germany (3, 2, 4), Britain (3, 1, 5) and Finland (3, 1, 0) though much could change with 18 events on Sunday.

Britain’s Derek Kinlock did not go into the 200m event as one of the favourites. His PB of 21.22 was set two years ago and he was only second in the England Under-20 Championships.

Things began to look up though when he improved his PB to 21.04/1.2 in his heat and then his first sub-21 came in the semi final with 20.97/-0.5 which was the fastest in the round. It was clear he might have to go faster in the final but few expected a 20.72/0.7 for the race of his life.

That have him a one metre win over Ed Kubelik’s Czech under-20 record of 20.82 while Federico Guglielmi took bronze for Italy in 20.98.

It means Britain has won the men’s 100m, 200m and 400m for the first time at these championships since 1995.

He said: “Coming into the championship, I was ranked about 20th so I think that took a lot of pressure off me. I really surprised myself today. I was just trying to maintain form as much as I could like my coach is always telling me.

“I was just telling myself to have fun, and that is what helps to take pressure off me. Seeing everyone else run quickly this week encouraged me to run quicker.”

Louie Hinchliffe was not at his best and finished seventh in his semi final in 21.76/-2.0.

Derek Kinlock runs 20.72 (0.7) to win the men’s 200m at the Euro U20 Champs. ?? ?

He has improved his PB by more than half a second since being in Tallinn. ? @BritAthletics pic.twitter.com/1IlaceWDW7

— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) July 17, 2021

Ireland’s Rhasidat Adeleke completed a very easy sprint double as she improved her Irish senior 200m record and European under-20 lead to 22.90/0.1 and she won by a huge margin of six metres.

After becoming the first athlete to win the women’s 100m and 200m at these championships since Jodie Williams a decade ago, Adeleke said: “I told myself since I am doing the double, I needed to win both. Ireland is definitely starting to rise so watch out for Paris 2024.”

Netherland’s Minke Bisschops (23.55) finished just ahead of Success Eduan, who improved her PB to 23.62 to take bronze. At the age of 16, she should have plenty of championships ahead. Sophie Walton was seventh from lane one in 23.91 after a 23.84/1.4 semi final.

Ireland also took gold in the 1500m through Cian McPhillips’ 3:46.55.

Rick Van Riel took second for Netherlands in 3:46.69 with Henry McLuckie (3:47.15) getting the better of GB team-mate Kane Elliott (3:47.53) for bronze. Joe Ewing was 10th (3:50.66).

Elliott led through 400m in 63.31 and 800m in 2:06.79 and 1000m in 2:37.77. He was still ahead at the bell (2:52.48) but in an exciting four-way finish he was unable to match the Irishman’s finish as McPhillips ran the last 200m in 26.72 and last 400m in 54.05 to win by a metre.

The Irishman, who ran 1:46.13 indoors for 800m in the winter, said: “I could see the shadows of the guys coming after me and I was trying to control and luckily I had a bit extra to hold them off.”

Ireland’s final gold in just over the hour went to Nicholas Griggs in the 3000m.

The early pace was slow – 2:52.57 at 1000m – and he was ahead at 2000m in 5:45.66. He was second at the bell in 7:21.55 and covered the final lap in 55.63 to win clearly from Germany’s Yassin Mohumed (8:18.36) who edged ahead of Britain’s Alex Melloy (8:18.49) in the finishing straight.

The Briton ran 56.53 for his last lap and said: “I’m pleased and happy with the bronze. The young Irish boy was just another class today, but I’m sure I’ll get him eventually. It’s my first time representing Great Britain and getting to stand on that podium will be very special for me.”

Team-mate Will Barnicoat was sixth (8:20.36) and Duncan Robinson 12th (8:26.33).

A fourth gold medal for Ireland ?? in just over 24 hours in Tallinn!

Only 16, Nicholas Griggs uncorks a last kilometre of 2:31 to run away from the field the 3000m! ?

? That title also takes Ireland to the top of the medal table! ???#Tallinn2021 pic.twitter.com/eW6zVbknYx

— European Athletics (@EuroAthletics) July 17, 2021

Finland’s world junior hammer world record-holder Silja Kosonen added a two and half metre championship record to her list of honours. She broke that record initially with a 70.47m opener before improving to a 71.06m in the third round.

Rose Loga of France (67.70m) was an isolated second with Belarus’s Maryola Bukel taking bronze with 63.25 not far ahead of Britain’s Charlotte Payne’s 62.13m.

Finland also won the women’s 3000m and Britain again finished fourth as less than a second covered the top four. Ilona Mononen won in a PB 9:15.66 just ahead of Sofia Thogersen, who has just turned 16 and set a European under-18 lead of 9:16.43 inches ahead of Norway’s Ina Halle Haugen (9:16.47) and Megan Keith (9:16.50) who set a PB.

The Finn won with a 65.40 last lap with Keith covering the final circuit in 65.91 and final kilometre in 2:56.

There was little doubt that world youth record breaker Sasha Zhoya would win the men’s 110m hurdles. The multi-talented Frenchman – he has vaulted 5.56m and run 200m in 20.68 – looks a potential star for Paris 2024.

He won his semi-final in a marginally wind-assisted 12.98/2.4 which is superior to the 12.99 world under-20 record held by Wilhelm Belocian and Damion Thomas.

Despite by far the slowest reaction time (0.196) he still dominated and his 13.05 easily broke his compatriot Belocian’s championships record of 13.18 and he won by two metres from Matthew Sophia (13.26).

Britain’s Joseph Harding had the quickest reaction time (0.136) but ended up seventh in 13.87.

A joy to watch! ?

Sasha Zhoya ?? glides to the European U20 110m hurdles title in Tallinn in a championship record of 13.05! #Tallinn2021 pic.twitter.com/OcMVrNaUll

— European Athletics (@EuroAthletics) July 17, 2021

Switzerland’s Ditaji Kambundji couldn’t quite match her 13.01 championships record from her semi final but her 13.03 still saw her win 100m hurdles gold by around four metres from Polish pair Weronika Barcz (13.42) and Marika Majewska (13.46).

The Swiss also rolled to a 800m victory. Audrey Werro was third at 400m in 60.14 but pick up the pace significantly and was clear at 500m (1:14.96) and five metres clear at 600m in 1:30.53. Though she slowed dramatically in the last 200m (32.59) she had prised enough of a lead and she won easily from Ukraine’s Svitlana Zhulzhyk (2:04.02) and another Swiss Valentina Rosamila (2:04.08).

Of course European under-20 record holder Keely Hodgkinson has her eyes of another 800m final this summer and was absent.

Israel’s Jonathon Kapitolnik improved his European under-20 high jump lead to 2.25m but was not always in control. He was back in fourth place when he only cleared 2.17m at the third attempt but up to second when he cleared 2.19m.

He still trailed at 2.21m when Poland’s Mateusz Kolodzieski got over at the third attempt when the Israeli failed his first attempt. The Pole seemed to strengthen his grip on gold when he made 2.23m at his first attempt which Kapotolnik then passed but a superb 2.25m gave him the gold as that height was beyond the Pole.

Britain’s Sam Brereton was leading when he maintained his perfect record with a PB equalling first-time clearance at 2.17m but he was unable to jump higher and he won the bronze on countback.

He said: “It was a tough competition. It’s the third time I’ve jumped 2.17m this year, so it’s a bit annoying to not get further, but I got the medal and this is what I came here to do. The other boys were pretty unbeatable today.”

GB team-mate Dominic Ogbechie equalled his season’s best of 2.13m to finish ninth.

Ukraine’s Artur Felfner improved his PB and the world under-20 lead to a 78.41m as he won the javelin gold by well over five metres from Finn Onni Ruokangas (73.06m) and Lenny Brisseault of France (72.62m). Britain’s Thomas Holmes excelled to take fourth place in a PB 70.70m.

Just as in the recent European Under-23 Championships, Britain seem to be picking up significant number of fourths and fifths and Sophie Ashurst finished fifth in the pole vault with final time clearances at both 4.02m and 4.10m. Up ahead Germany’s Sarah Vogel set a European under-20 lead with a PB 4.30m as Emma Brentel of France (4.20m) and Lisa Gruber of Austria (4.15m) took the other medals.

On a day of Irish success, Paul McGrath, who doesn’t sound particularly Spanish, gave Spain a win in the 10km walk in 42:32.19 as Turkey’s Mert Kahraman (42:37.83) and Authorised Neutral Athlete Dmitriy Gramachkov (42:39.25) finished within 30 metres.

McGrath was a close fifth at halfway (22:13.86) and he covered the second half almost two minutes quicker as he built pace over the last four kilometres with successive kilos of 4:08.49, 3:59.31, 3:56.22 and 3:53.30.

A rather modest steeplechase race was exciting though as Germany’s Olivia Gurth’s 3:05 final kilometre and 70 last 400m gave her victory over Hungary’s Greta Varga by just two hundredths of a second in 8:59.15. Turkey’s Sevvel Ozdogan was a clear third in 10:07.84.

Germany’s Steven Richter, a disappointing sixth in the shot here, was the best of the discus qualifying with a near PB 63.83m.

Turkey’s Pinar Akyol very easily headed the shot qualifying with a 16.97m throw, 1.38m up on the rest though the final was a little closer as her 16.80m gave her victory over the Dutch Alida Van Daalen (16.56m).

Germany’s Nina Chioma Ndubuisi set a world under-18 lead of 15.71m in third. Britain’s Nana Gyedu was unable to get anywhere near her 15.02m PB form in qualifying and her 13.97m saw her 16th best, 33 centimetres short of a place in the final.

Turkey also topped the men’s 400m hurdles qualifying with Berke Akcam’s 50.45 easily the best with Adam Booth running a 51.38 PB for fourth in his semi final also making the final.

Mikaelle Assani topped the women’s long jump qualifying as the German set a top-class world under-20 lead of 6.64/0.4. It went less well for Britain’s Funminiyi Olajide who had three no jumps.

Serbia’s Adriana Vilagos of Serbia topped the javelin qualifying with a 60.62m throw.

Perhaps inspired by Karsten Warholm, Norway’s Andrea Rooth was the best 400m hurdles qualifier with 57.81.

They also topped the men’s 800m semi-finals with Ole Jakob Solbu (1:48.30) finishing just ahead of Britain’s Daniel Howells (1:48.47) who was second best on the day and looks a good medal prospect tomorrow. Henry Johnson (1:49.73) also made the final comfortably (1:49.73).

In the 4x400m Britain’s men were able to rest their individual champion Edwards Faulds and fourth placer Charlie Cavell and they still won their heat at a canter as Brodie Young (47.25), Sam Reardon (46.07), Reuben Henry-Daire (47.32) and Daniel Joyce (48.10) combined for the fastest time with the gold medal looking a formality if they get the baton round.

Seeing as they top the world under-20 rankings it was perhaps surprising that Britain did not field a women’s team here with Germany fastest in 3:38.55.

The triple jump qualifying was topped by Sweden’s Gabriel Wallmark European under-20 lead of 16.01m with Britain’s Daniel Falode looking like a medal chance as his 15.67m season’s best was the fourth best mark. Bera Ajala though missed out by centimetres on a final place with a 15.04/1.5 leap.

Belgium’s Jente Hauttekeete has a huge overnight lead in the decathlon with 4341 points. He had the best high jump of 2.09m and was in the best three in the other four events.