Three golds for Britain at European U18 Champs - AW (2024)

Stars of future in action in Slovakia as middle-distance runners Lyla Belshaw, Katie Pye and Matthew McKenna strike gold

Italy’s fine summer of athletics continued as they topped the medals table at the European Under-18 Championships in the Slovakian city of Banská Bystrica with Britain finishing in fourth place.

Britain led the medals table at the previous championships in Jerusalem in 2022 with eight golds and 16 medals in total, but this time the Brits won three golds and 11 medals as Italy led the competition in Slovakia with seven medals and 15 medals.

Italy’s success comes one month after their senior team topped the medals table at the European Championships in Rome.

The biennial under-18 event from July 18-21 saw British victories from Lyla Belshaw in the women’s 1500m, Katie Pye in the women’s 3000m and Matthew McKenna in the men’s 800m.

Isla McGowan made it a one-two for Britain in the women’s 1500m with further silver medals going to Thea Brown in the heptathlon, Joel Masters in the men’s 100m, Kara Dacosta in the women’s 400m and Shaikira King in the women’s 800m.

Olivia Forrest was not far behind Pye in the women’s 3000m as she took bronze with Joel Ajayi also winning bronze in the men’s 100m while the women’s medley relay team also made the podium.

Belshaw has been quietly impressing in recent months and the Colchester Harrier kicked past Wilma Bekkemoen Torbiörnss of Norway on the final bend as she stormed to gold in a championship best of 4:13.01 with team-mate McGowan coming through for second in a PB of 4:14.78.

“I definitely thought about winning this race,” said Belshaw. “If I wanted to do that, I needed to be at the peak of my condition. I did many speed sessions with my coach. I am so glad that I hit the championship best today.”

Pye and Forrest further showed the strength of endurance running in the UK as they were first and third in the women’s 3000m. Aldershot athlete Pye clocked 9:20:25 as Julia Ehrle finished second and Forrest, the long-time leader, running 9:21.66.

“I wanted this medal, but it was so hard,” said Pye. “My legs hurt so much but I kept sprinting towards the line and got it just in the finish. It was a close race. What I learned today is that you need to believe until the last 100 metres. It all came down to the home straight.”

McKenna won a tactical men’s 800m race in 1:52.91 with GB team-mate Tom Waterworth finishing sixth. The first lap was a slow 59 seconds but McKenna was strongest in the final 300m to take victory as Aaron Ceballos of Spain took second.

“I have been waiting for this moment for so long,” said McKenna. “Tough race but with perfect end, I gave everything. It was messy but I always race my own race. I want to keep running races, I want to keep running fast times.”

The Walton athlete added: “This time last year I had no idea that I can achieve this. I have my eyes on LA Olympics 2028, it is a dream. I need to keep winning these competitions. With little baby steps we will see in four years where I will be.”

In the absence of Olympics-bound Phoebe Gill, another super-talented British 800m teenager King had a near miss in the women’s 800m as she finished runner-up to Adéla Holubová. The Czech winner clocked a championship best of 2:04.23 as King was just six hundredths of a second behind despite being knocked and losing her momentum in the home straight.

Helped by a big javelin throw of 51.59m, Finland’s Enni Virjonen secured the women’s heptathlon gold with British combined eventer Brown showing her brilliant potential by taking silver.

Virjonen scored 6151 at the end of the two-day contest with Brown scoring a PB of 5807. Among other things Brown high jumped a superb 1.87m, but she was unable to match the Finnish athlete in the shot put and javelin.

The bronze saw Maria Schnemilich of Germany scoring 5732, just one point ahead of Zola Ndouma-Mona of France.

Twins Michal Rada and Nina Radova enjoyed unique 400m hurdles double for Czechia as they both emerged winners in 49.42 and 58.00 respectively.

“Me and my sister we go to the same school, we train together, we do everything together,” said Michal. “You cannot imagine how we appreciate what we achieved.”

Thomas Williams became the first Irishman to win gold at these championships when he took the hammer title with 73.95m.

“I knew I was first on the paper so I had a good chance,” he said. “But I just panicked. I was happy with the circle, I was happy with the conditions but I was just not used to it.

“I just tried to focus on having fun. My dream is to go to the Olympics and to an American college one day, maybe Harvard.”

Italy’s medals table topping exploits were boosted in the sprints as they took a 200m double with Elisa Valensin clocking a championships records of 23.09 to beat 15-year-old team-mate Margherita Castellani to gold, whereas Diego Nappi won the men’s race in a championships record of 20.81.

Earlier in the 200m rounds, British hope JakeOdey-Jordan attracted headlines for the wrong reasons when his race went viral after he eased down when leading and finished fourth.

Poland, who finished second in the overall medals table, won both 400m gold medals with Stanisław Strzelecki and Anastazja Kus victorious in championship records of 46.50 and 51.89 respectively with Britain’s Dacosta chasing home Kus in second place with 52.60.

There was another championship record and a victory for the home nation as sprint hurdler Laura Frličková clocked 12.86, which was also a European under-18 best, in the rounds before running 12.97 in the final.

Vita Barbic of Croatia was billed as one of the potential stars of the championships and she did not disappoint as she won the women’s javelin title in a championship best of 61.07m in addition to discus bronze with 49.50m behind winner Nadjela Wepiwe of Germany, who threw 51.61m.

After finishing 10^th in the heptathlon, Evelina Olsson won the long jump with 6.35m, continuing Sweden’s fine record in this event.

Watch out for Filip Toul in future as well as the 16-year-old won the men’s 1500m in 3:54.77 ahead of Aldin Ćatović of Serbia, although Ćatović returned to win the men’s 3000m in 8:07.03.

With a best of 3:40.98, Toul is the third fastest European under-18 in history behind Niels Laros (3:39.46) and Jakob Ingebrigtsen (3:39.92.)

Jakob Kemminer of Germany won the men’s 100m in 10.46 and was chased home by British duo Masters and Akayi as Britain’s fine tradition of sprinting looks to be in good hands.

Full results here.

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