MUNICH, GERMANY, August 15-21 — All eyes were on Femke Bol and her attempt at an unprecedented Euro Champs 400/400H double. The Dutch star delivered, adding the 4×4 title to boot.
Her individual double started with the 400 (“the more difficult part”). Slightly behind teammate Lieke Klaver and Poland’s Natalia Kaczmarek at halfway, Bol hit the second turn hard and then ran away from the field, clocking a Dutch Record 49.44, the fastest time by a European in nearly a decade.
Two days later Bol dominated the second turn of the hurdles to win easily (52.67) over Ukrainians Viktoriya Tkachuk (54.30) and Anna Ryzhykova (54.86). “It was very hard mentally to race the 400m without hurdles,” said the winner. “I am so proud to achieve the double; I will never do the double again. Well, maybe. Never say never [laughs].”
In the 4×4, after carries by Eveline Saalberg (51.9), Klaver (49.2) and Lisanne De Witte (51.26), the Netherlands found itself in 3rd, trailing Belgium and Great Britain and just ahead of defending champion Poland.
But with the baton in Bol’s hands there was no panic. After biding her time for 300m, Bol bolted to the front with 100 to go, and finished with a 48.52 split and her third gold as her foursome totaled an NR 3:20.87. “It was such an amazing race,” she said. “I really love to run with my girls and against other runners.”
The meet’s other double winner was Antigóni Drisbióti (of Greece, who captured both walks, first the 35K (in the sun) and then the 20K (in the rain).
Sandra Perković won a record sixth consecutive discus title, but by her smallest margin yet. Germany’s Kristin Pudenz led the Croatian after 4 rounds, 219-7 (66.93) to 215-9 (65.77), but Perković’s fifth-round effort measured 222-11 (67.95) to take the lead. With the next throw, Pudenz responded with a PR 222-8 (67.87), coming up just 3 inches short.
Said the winner, “From all these medals, I think the most precious was the one in 2010 when I just came to the Championships as a 19-year-old kid and won my first major medal. At the time, I could not imagine that in 12 years, I would be still standing here with this medal.”
Germany’s Gina Lückenkemper surprised the 100 field and pleased the boisterous home crowd by outleaning both mid-race leader Mujinga Kambundji of Switzerland and Briton Daryll Neita in a blanket finish (10.99/10.99/11.00). Defending champion Dina Asher-Smith (16.03 for 8th) was hobbled by cramps.
Three days later, in the 200, Asher-Smith and Kambundji came off the turn together; Kambundji pulled away down the homestraight to win by a meter, 22.32–22.43.
Wilma Hurto had the day of her life in the vault, setting 3 Finnish Records: 15-7 (4.75), 15-9 (4.80) & 15-11 (4.85), moving to =No. 13 on the all-time world list. Defending champ Katerína Stefanídi of Greece took silver at 15-7 (4.75).
Britons won both middle-distance titles. Germany’s Christina Hering, buoyed by the boisterous home crowd, led the 800 at halfway (58.60) and continued to battle at the front until Keely Hodgkinson eased to the front with 200 to go and powered home to win her first major title at 1:59.04.Teammate Laura Muir trailed the 1500 field before moving to the front with 2 laps remaining. The Scot started her drive for home with 440 to go; only Ciara Mageean of Ireland stayed with her. With a 60.4 final lap, Muir retained her title, with Mageean 2nd and Poland’s Sofia Ennaoui 3rd.
Yasemin Can essayed a distance double and came away with 10K gold and 5000 silver. The Turk took the longer race’s lead with 7 laps to go, her 30:32.57 handily dispatching Eilish McColgan’s 30:41.05. Using similar tactics in the 5, Can went to the front with 6 laps remaining and tried to run away with the 5000. This time, however, Konstanze Klosterhalfen was prepared for the challenge. It took over a mile of chasing, but the German reeled her in with 600m to go and rode the roar of the partisan crowd to victory, 14:50.47–14:56.91.
The javelin featured both ends of the age spectrum. Greece’s 19-year-old Elína Tzénggo dominated, winning by more than 12ft with her PR 215-11 (65.81). Behind her, Hungary’s Réka Szilágyi held 2nd for most of the competition. But, in the final round, 41-year-old Czech Barbora Špotáková jumped into 2nd, only to be passed on the next throw by 18-year-old Serb Adriana Vilagoš for the silver medal. Tzénggo is the youngest ever to win the event; Špotáková is the oldest to medal.
Ukraine’s Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk, after losing out on a medal in the last round of the long jump, bounced back to win in the TJ with a PR 49-3½ (15.02), the longest jump by a European in 7 years.
Yearly list leader Yaroslava Mahuchikh of Ukraine won the high jump at 6-4¾ (1.95), although the meet’s highest clearance came in the heptathlon, where Belgium’s Nafi Thiam took the points lead after a stellar 6-6 (1.98) and never looked back, winning over Poland’s Adrianna Sułek 6628–6532.
Neither France nor Great Britain could complete their first handoff in the 4×1, leaving Germany (42.34) to storm home to victory. The roar of the crowd as Rebecca Haase brought the baton up the stretch with Poland (42.61 NR) and Italy (42.84) in pursuit to win the final event of the championships was deafening.
EURO CHAMPS WOMEN’S MEDALISTS
100(0.1): 1. Gina Lückenkemper (Ger) 10.99 (10.984); 2. Mujinga Kambundji (Swi) 10.99 (10.989); 3. Daryll Neita (GB) 11.00.
200(0.4): 1. Kambundji 22.32; 2. Dina Asher-Smith (GB) 22.43; 3. Ida Kathrine Karstoft (Den) 22.72.
400: 1. Femke Bol (Neth) 49.44 NR; 2. Natalia Kaczmarek (Pol) 49.94; 3. Anna Kiełbasińska (Pol) 50.29.
800: 1. Keely Hodgkinson (GB) 1:59.04; 2. Renelle Lamote (Fra) 1:59.49; 3. Anna Wielgosz (Pol) 1:59.87.
1500: 1. Laura Muir (GB) 4:01.08; 2. Ciara Mageean (Ire) 4:02.56; 3. Sofia Ennaoui (Pol) 4:03.59.
St: 1. Luiza Gega (Alb) 9:11.31 (MR); 2. Lea Meyer (Ger) 9:15.35 PR; 3. Lizzie Bird (GB) 9:23.18.
5000: 1. Konstanze Klosterhalfen (Ger) 14:50.47; 2. Yasemin Can (Tur) 14:56.91; 3. Eilish McColgan (GB) 14:59.34.
10,000: 1. Can 30:32.57; 2. McColgan 30:41.05; 3. Lonah Chemtai Salpeter (Isr) 30:46.37 NR.
100H(-0.1): 1. Pia Skrzyszowska (Pol) 12.53; 2. Luca Kozák (Hun) 12.69 =NR; 3. Ditaji Kambundji (Swi) 12.74.
400H: 1. Femke Bol (Neth) 52.67; 2. Viktoriya Tkachuk (Ukr) 54.30; 3. Anna Ryzhykova (Ukr) 54.86.
Mar: 1. Aleksandra Lisowska (Pol) 2:28:36; 2. Matea Parlov Koštro (Cro) 2:28:42; 3. Nienke Brinkman (Neth) 2:28:52.
20W: 1. Antigóni Drisbióti (Gre) 1:29:03 PR; 2. Katarzyna Zdziebło (Pol) 1:29:20; 3. Saskia Feige (Ger) 1:29:25 PR.
35W: 1.Drisbióti 2:47:00 (MR); 2. Raquel González (Spa) 2:49:10; 3. Viktória Madarász (Hun) 2:49:58 PR.
4 x 100: 1. Germany 42.34 (Burghardt, Mayer, Lückenkemper, Haase); 2. Poland 42.61 NR (Skrzyszowska, Kiełbasińska, Popowicz-Drapala, Swoboda); 3. Italy 42.84 (Dosso, Kaddari, Bongiorni, Pavese).
4 x 400: 1. Netherlands 3:20.87 NR (#9 nation) (Saalberg 51.9, Klaver 49.2, de Witte 51.26, Bol 48.52); 2. Poland 3:21.68 (Kiełbasińska 51.1, Baumgart-Witan 50.6, Święty-Ersetic 50.67, Kaczmarek 49.28); 3. Great Britain 3:21.74 (Ohuruogu 50.7, Pipi 50.9, Williams 50.40, Yeargin 49.73.
Field Events
HJ: 1. Yaroslava Mahuchikh (Ukr) 6-4¾ (1.95); 2. Marija Vuković (Mont) 6-4¾; 3. Angelina Topić (Ser) 6-4 (1.93).
PV: 1. Wilma Murto (Fin) 15-11 (4.85) NR; 2. Katerína Stefanídi (Gre) 15-7 (4.75); 3. Tina Šutej (Slo) 15-7.
LJ: 1. Ivana Vuleta (Ser) 23-2 (7.06) (23-2, 22-10¾, f, f, f, p) (7.06, 6.98, f, f, f, p); 2. Malaika Mihambo (Ger) 23-¾ (7.03) (22-¼, 23-¾, 22-6¼, 22-9¾, f, 22-11¼) (6.71, 7.03, 6.86, 6.95, f, 6.99); 3. Jazmin Sawyers (GB) 22-3¾ (6.80).
TJ: 1. Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk (Ukr) 49-3½ (15.02) PR (48-7¼, 48-2, f, 48-6¾, 49-3½, f) (14.81, 14.68, f, 14.80, 15.02, f); 2. Kristiina Mäkelä (Fin) 48-½ (14.64) NR; 3. Hanna Minenko (Isr) 47-5 (14.45).
SP: 1. Jessica Schilder (Neth) 66-5 (20.24) NR; 2. Auriol Dongmo (Por) 65-½ (19.82) NR; 3. Jorinde van Klinken (Neth) 62-1¾ (18.94) PR.
DT: 1. Sandra Perković (Cro) 222-11 (67.95) (f, 215-9, f, f, 222-11, f) (f, 65.77, f, f, 67.95, f); 2. Kristin Pudenz (Ger) 222-8 (67.87) PR (204-10, 213-5, 219-7, f, 222-8, 208-11) (62.44, 65.05, 66.93, f, 67.87, 63.68); 3. Claudine Vita (Ger) 213-11 (65.20).
HT: 1. Bianca Ghelber (Rom) 238-7 (72.72); 2. Ewa Różańska (Pol) 236-7 (72.12) PR; 3. Sara Fantini (Ita) 234-10 (71.58).
JT: 1. Elína Tzénggo (Gre) 215-11 (65.81) PR; 2. Adriana Vilagoš (Ser) 203-5 (62.01); 3. Barbora Špotáková (CzR) 199-1 (60.68).
Hept: 1. Nafi Thiam (Bel) 6628 (13.34, 6-6/1.98, 49-¾/14.95, 24.64, 19-11½/6.08, 160-4/48.89, 2:17.95); 2. Adrianna Sułek (Pol) 6532 (13.94, 6-2¼/1.89, 46-6¼/14.18, 24.54, 21-6/6.55, 140-7/42.86, 2:09.49); 3. Annik Kälin (Swi) 6515 NR (13.23, 5-8½/1.74, 44-6/13.56, 24.14, 22-1/6.73, 153-3/46.72, 2:13.73). ◻︎