Britain's 800m runners continued the UK dominance of European track running as they won eight golds at the European Masters in Madeira on Saturday (October 18) in a record-breaking morning which saw four British records and two world records.

Britain also dominated the relays and picked up further golds in the pole vault, discus and 20km walk.

With 23 golds on Saturday, Britain are sure to top the medal table with the 4x400m relay and half marathon and the final few field events to come on the final day on Sunday (October 19).

Britain have 114 golds 91 silver and 65 bronzes to Germany's 98, 88 and 74 with France third with 61, 52 and 59.

The British highlight at 800m was achieved by Rob McHarg who broke the official M60 world record with 2:07.65 to follow his world indoor records at 800m and 1500m in the winter.

Second in Madeira to Andrew Ridley in the 1500m who also beat him in last year's World Championships at both 800m and 1500m, here he set a furious pace.

Through the bell in 63 seconds, he kept pushing and only Ridley could follow and it was still in the balance as they swung into the straight. However, his rival was unable to get by and he powered through the line in 2:07.65 compared to the official record of 2:08.56 by American Nolan Shaheed.

To confuse matters though Ridley is listed as the European record-holder with a hand-timed 2:08.1 from 2024 and a few weeks earlier had run a 2:07.45 (ahead of McHarg's 2:08.01) but the photo finish failed and it was never ratified! Spain's Jose Llorente was a distant third (2:13.30).

Starting at an unusual hour for a 800m race at well before the scheduled 9am, Sarah Roberts was the first Briton to win over two laps as she gained a near 30 second victory in the W75 plus 800m in 3:05.12.

She had already won W75 golds 1500m, 5000m, 10,000m and 10km and finished second in the cross-country and 400m as well as two team golds and more medals followed in the relay.

It was close for second with Spain's Pepa Quintana second in 3:34.54 just ahead of Brit Carolyn Gale (3:35.52).

Two minutes after Roberts crossed the line, Britain won a second gold in the race as cross-country champion Betty Stracey (5:23.18) defeated Greek Smaragda Mandyla (5:39.36) in the W85 race held within the event.

A further few minutes later, 1500m champion Anna Garnier, who had narrowly lost the 5000m to former Brit Alison Bourgeois, sprinted to W70 gold in 3:01.38. Swede Lilly Wizen was second in 3:02.60 with the Swiss Bourgeois third after leading early on.

The final British women's gold came in the W40 race as Ellie Stevens had to fight hard to win her fifth individual gold having already won at 1500m, 5000m, 10,000m and 10km.

After Stevens led into the final straight, Ireland's Bronwen McDonald edged by 30 metres out but Stevens battled back to win in 2:14.79 to her rival's 2:14.98. Stevens runs the half-marathon on the final day. Faye Sharpley set a PB in fourth of 2:19.73.

Shortly after as the action swung to the men's older athletes came a gold in the men's M85 plus race. France's Jean-Louis Esnault came close to his M85 world record with a 3:01.44 clocking to win gold but third across the line was M90 champion Colin Spivey.

Already the winner of the 400m and 1500m in British records (plus a fast 5000m in extreme heat) he ran a UK M90 record 4:17.60 to take 16 seconds off the previous best in his first ever 800m and he won gold by 20 seconds from France's Jean Pierre Wermuth (4:37.20).

Charlie Thurstan, who this year became only the second British M50 to break two minutes outdoors with a near UK record 1:58.96, was an impressive M50 winner.

He ran 2:00.93 here and was chased home by 1500m champion Dean Richardson (2:02.20) who ran his fastest outdoor 800m for over a decade.

Britain also won gold in the next race. 1500m champion Paul Grange who has gone a clear second all-time in the M45 age group this year with a 1:54.24 clocking last month, destroyed the field by three seconds with a 1:56.67 clocking. Poland's Karol Gorny was a distant second in 1:59.84.

Jill Harrison, who had been second at 1500m and 5000m, showed good speed for a former British senior 10,000m champion with third place in the W65s. She timed 2:59.38 to Swedish winner Karin Wahlstedt's 2:40.87 which was just over a second outside the world record and very close to Karen Brooks' European record (2:40.65).

In the W60 800m there was an European record for 1500m champion Anne Gilshinan of Ireland. She timed 2:26.02 and was chased by 400m champion Virginia Mitchell (2:27.21) who set a British record. Third went to defending champion and the previous European record-holder Luisa de Coelho (2:29.95).

Brits Elke Hausler (PB 2:43.18) and Christine Anthony (2:44.22) completed the top five.

Ireland also won the W35 gold through Mary Horgan (2:13.40) and again a Brit followed her home. Kat Sutton, who shared a bronze at 1500m with the same time down to the thousandth, this time gained silver in 2:16.62 by just two thousandths of a second from France's Mathilde Bourget.

Surprise M65 1500m champion Jed Turner almost picked up another gold. He sprinted clear 200m out but just weakened in the last 30 metres and with a time of 2:22.56 he was caught on the line by Iceland's Hafsteinn Oskarsson (2:22.50). John Thomson finished third in 2:24.20.

There were records aplenty in the M55 race as Mark Symes set his usual fast pace before 1500m champion Andrew Larasen who had made previous enquiries about competing for British masters while living in Southern England, sprinted clear. His time of 2:02.53 broke the world record of 2:02.92 by Germany's Peter Oberliessen.

A second back Symes ran superbly and his 2:03.56 smashed the British record of 2:04.9 set way back in 1999 by Reg Phipps. Steven Baldock was fourth (2:07.89) and Andrew Taplin was sixth in 2:08.48.

There was also a British silver in the M40 race. Paul Wright (1:54.57) battled all the way but was just unable to pass Germany's Sebastian Schiefer (1:54.23). Wright's time was a PB and meant he matched last year's Euro masters Indoor silver.

Hazel Bough was sixth in the W45 800m in 2:29.32 in a race won by Ireland's Denise Toner in 2:17.95.

Ireland also won the M70 race through Joe Gough who squeezed through a gap in the closing metres to run 2:29.39 to pip his 1500m conqueror Peteris Arents of Latvia (2:29.57).

Ireland also won M80 gold through John MacDermott in 3:04.80.

There were also UK golds in the field. Dash Newington, who had finished second in the high jump, went one better in the W40 pole vault. An early failure at her first attempt at 3.20m put her behind Italian Giorgia Vian who cleared that and 3.35m and 3.50m at the first attempt. The turning point came at 3.65m as the Brit cleared it first time and the Italian as unable to match and failed her last two attempts at 3.80m.

World masters silver medallist Sue Yeomans won W70 gold in the vault courtesy of a third-time clearance at 2.30m to defeat Ute Ritte of Germany who was leading up to that height. In the same competition Sue Petley won the W60 gold with a 2.20m vault to defeat France's Clotilde Lesenechal's 2.00m.

Multi world and European champion Irie Hill wasn't at her best but her only successful jump - a second time clearance at 2.80m sufficed for W55 gold with Finn Maria Eskelinen second with 2.70m with another Brit Stefanie Dornbusch clearing 2.50m with her last attempt to snatch bronze.

Guy Dirkin, who had a 56.40m PB set over 50 years ago in the AAA Championships, won the M70 discus with a 43.40m throw but was pushed hard by Italy's Ugo Coppi (42.97m). The US-based athlete had already won the weight here.

M65 shot champion Allan Leiper was a close second in the M65 weight pentathlon with a score of 3801 points and only beaten by Pole Edward Zwolski's 3855. Leiper threw 40.36m in the hammer, 13.64m in the shot, 39.20m in the discus, 35.34m in the javelin and 13.94m in the weight.

Bob Broadbridge was fourth with 3358 points moving up from 14th in the final event.

Multi medalist Warwick Dixon finished third in the M90 event with a score of 2870 points as 1960 Olympian Osten Edlund of Sweden won again with 4135 points. Dixon threw 21.75m, 6.97m, 17.68m, 13.96m and 8.84m in the five events.

Neil Barton followed up his long jump gold with a M45 bronze in the triple jump. He jumped 12.98m as gold went to France's Najib Bannour (13.44m).

Grant Stirling also gained bronze in the M50 category to match his pole vault result of the day before. He jumped 12.24m as the title went to Marek Volf of the Czech Republic who had the best six jumps of the day.

Onyebuchi Egemonye opened with a PB 13.49m in the M35 triple jump to take the lead but couldn't improve further and ended up fourth. Spain's Jose Martinez (14.35m) won gold.

Jack Poxon was sixth in the M40 triple jump (11.64m).

Athena Chown finished sixth in the W35 pole vault with a 2.10m leap.

Darren Kerr (3344) was sixth in the M55 weights pentathlon.

Portuguese M45 Joao Viera won the overall 20km walk in 1:38:10.

Peter Boszko won his second M75 gold in 2:11:53 though M75 10km champion and Olympian Ian Richards was disqualified. Steve Allen was fifth M45 in 2:10:17.

In the women's walk there was a win for French W40 Vanessa Denisselle (1:44:58).

There was a gold medal for W65 Susan Payne in 2:16:25, a W35 silver for Aleksandra Majewska-Ani (2:16:13), W60 bronze for Maureen Noel (2:17:18) and W45 silver for Carolyn Derbyshire (2:18:15).

There was a W35 team gold led by team manager and W55 fifth-placer Wendy Kane (2:10:33) who combined with Majewska-Ani and Derbyshire to win the title by 20 minutes from Austria.

Payne and Noel combined with sixth W65 Fiona Bishop (2:49:05) to finish second to Germany in the W60 team.

Norwegian Arild Busterud won his sixth gold in Madeira as he won the M75 discus with a 39.47m throw.