Rome – Defending champion Keely Hodgkinson delivered a stellar performance in the women’s 800m semi-final at the European Athletics Championships, setting a new record and securing her spot in Wednesday evening’s final.
Hodgkinson, who holds two world and Olympic silver medals, recorded a time of 1:58.07, making her the fastest qualifier. However, her teammates Erin Wallace and Alex Bell did not make it to the final.
Reflecting on her race, the 22-year-old said, “It’s quite early for me, especially with less than 24 hours since my last race. I felt good today and aimed to stay within my comfort zone pace-wise. Some of the other competitors thanked me afterwards because they achieved personal bests.”
In the women’s 4x100m relay, the British team—comprised of Asha Philip, Amy Hunt, Dina Asher-Smith, and Desiree Henry—advanced comfortably to the final, posting the fastest time of 42.25 seconds.
In contrast, the men’s relay team faced a setback. CJ Ujah, Jona Efoloko, Richard Kilty, and individual bronze medalist Romell Glave finished last in their heat and did not qualify for the final.
“It was horrendous, I don’t know what happened. We should never have been running that slow, ” Kilty remarked. “That team on paper is a very very fast team, but something clearly went wrong. It is very disappointing as we wanted to come here and win. We are capable of winning.”
There was positive news in the men’s 4x400m relay. The British team of Lewis Davey, Michael Ohioze, Toby Harries, and Charlie Carvell won their heat with a time of 3:01.69, giving them a shot at defending Great Britain’s 2022 European gold.
