Golds for Spain and Belarus as Euro U23 Champs begin
The first day of the European Under-23 Championships at Tallinn on Thursday (July 8) saw golds for Spain and Belarus and plenty of encouraging British qualifying performances with Holly Mills lying second overnight in the heptathlon.
The first track gold of the day went the way of Spain's Eduardo Menacho who won the 10,000m in hot conditions in 29:19.42 after passing halfway ninth in 14:38.94. France's Florian Le Pallec (29:23.82) and Valentin Gondouin (29:24.40) took the other medals. Britain's American-based Scot David Melville was 19th in 31:11.42 after a 15:05.74 time at halfway. He had run 29:00.26 in cooler conditions in May.
Belarus's Dzmitry Karpuk, a 20.57m performer, won the first field event gold taking the shot title with a classy 20.33m throw with Turkey's Alperen Karahan (19.75m) and Greece's Odysseas Mouzenidis (19.41m) completing the podium.
The throws look like they may will be the best quality events in Tallinn.
Slovenia's defending discus champion Kristjan Čeh, who will be one of the Tokyo favourites with a 70.35m PB, underlined his dominance with a 65.59m qualifying throw.
Ukraine's Myhaylo Kokhan was similarly dominant in the hammer and coming off a 80.78m win in Székesfehérvár a few days ago, the European junior champion was a class apart with a 74.07m qualifier.
Ben Hawkes missed making the final by just 61 centimetres with a 65.06m throw.
Another top class field performer is Netherland's NCAA discus champion Jorinde van Klinken, who is also the reigning European under-20 shot champion and she easily headed qualification with a 61.97m throw.
British senior hammer champion Tara Simpson-Sullivan underlined her medal possibilities qualifying fifth best at 63.27m, with though Germany's European under-20 silver medallist Samantha Borutta, who has thrown 71.08m this season looks favourite after heading qualifying with 65.12m. Anna Purchase also made the final with a 61.59m heave which was tenth best.
Holly Mills lies a clear second after the first day of the heptathlon. She started well with a 13.40/0.7 hurdles win followed by a below par 1.72m high jump, a good 13.62m shot and finished with a best ever 200m - albeit wind-assisted of 24.06/2.5.
Poland's world junior medallist Adrianna Sułek who has qualified for the Olympics has a good 150 point lead though. She was second best to Mills in the hurdles (13.43) but went well clear courtesy of a 1.84m high jump, lost a little ground with a 13.26m shot but was the best in the 200m which she won in 23.69.
Leonie Cambours of France is third on 3554 behind Sulek (3838) and Mills (3688). Jade O'Dowda is only 61 points off a medal in sixth after a 13.81 hurdles, 1.69m high jump, 12.86m shot and a 24.56 200m. Jodie Smith lies 16th (3269).
Jeremiah Azu, second in the England Athletics Under-20 Championships, qualified fastest overall for the men's 100m final with an impressive PB 10.19/1.6 semi-final victory.
Brandon Mingeli also qualified with a 10.45/1.3 second place in his semi though Dominic Ashwell just missed out with a 10.46/1.0 third place.
Eduardo Menacho wins the first title of the European U23 Championships with gold in the 10,000m 🇪🇸
📹 @EuroAthletics #Tallinn2021 pic.twitter.com/WDvMkoFano
— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) July 8, 2021
Kristal Awuah qualified for the women's 100m final with a 11.33/1.3 semi-final win after a 11.41/0.1 heat.
Alisha Rees was fourth in the same semi-final with a 11.57 after a 11.55/1.0 heat.
The fastest qualifiers were Rani Rosius of Belgium who won her semi-final in a wind-assisted 11.16/3.0 and Germany's Lilly Kaden who won her semi-final in 11.28/0.3.
George Mills won his 1500m heat in 3:44.32 while Joshua Lay did likewise taking the next heat in 3:44.90 but English under-23 champion Tiarnan Crorken missed out with a 3:46.31 eighth-placed heat.
British senior trials runner-up Alex Knibbs won his 400m hurdles heat in a fast 50.27 and only the Dutch under-23 record for Ramsey Angela (50.26) was marginally faster. The British Championships winner Alastair Chalmers also qualified for the semi finals with an untroubled 51.21 second place.
Euroepan under-20 800m champion Isabelle Boffey won her heat in 2:04,05 and her predecessor as champion Khahisa Mhlanga was second in her heat in a PB 2:04.04, in a race won by fastest qualifier Delia Sclabas (2:03.83) and the Swiss athlete has previously won under-20 titles at both 1500m and 3000m.
Both Sarah Tait (fifth in 10:06.71) and Elise Thorner (eighth in 10:11.28) qualified for the 3000m steeplechase final with France's Claire Palou (10:03.89) marginally quickest.
Zoe Pollock won her 400m hurdles heat in a PB 57.17 with Sloakian Emma Zapletalová quickest with a 56.84.
Switzerland's Ricky Petrucciani was fastest in the 400m heats with a 45.95 victory. Britain's Alex Haydock-Wilson was third in his heat in 46.70.
Switzerland also headed the women's 400m qualifiers with Silke Lemmens quickest courtesy of a 52.73 heat win. Yasmin Liverpool was a qualifying third in her heat in a 54.45.
Spain's Jaime Guerra headed the men's long jump qualifying with a 7.96/0.4 PB.
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