GB finish fifth at European Athletics Team Championships

Great Britain's athletics team concluded the European Athletics Team Championships in Madrid with a commendable fifth-place finish, accumulating a total of 381 points. They were narrowly edged out by the Netherlands, finishing just 3.5 points behind in fourth place, while Spain trailed closely behind in sixth, only three points adrift. The squad, under the leadership of discus thrower Lawrence Okoye, showcased a mix of emerging talent and seasoned athletes. Notably, Sarah Tait made a significant impact on the final day of competition by securing a second-place finish in the women's 3,000m steeplechase, contributing 15 points to the team’s total and finishing a mere three hundredths of a second behind Finland's Ilona Mononen. Other notable performances included Revee Walcott-Nolan's third-place finish in the women's 1500m and Toby Harries achieving the same position in the men's 200m event, highlighting the depth of talent within the team.

In addition, Bekah Walton, who recently underwent surgery on her throwing arm, delivered an impressive performance by finishing fourth in the women’s javelin with a throw of 58.63m. Scott Lincoln also secured a fourth-place finish in the men's shot put, adding to the overall points tally for Great Britain. Jazmin Sawyers, returning from a lengthy injury hiatus, placed sixth in the women's long jump, marking a promising comeback. The championships concluded with the 4x400m mixed relay team, comprising Lina Nielsen, Toby Harries, Emily Newnham, and Samuel Reardon, who finished third with a time of 3 minutes 9.6 seconds, mirroring the performance of Italy, who took second place. Earlier in the competition, Reardon set a championship record with a personal best of 44.60 seconds in the 400m, positioning him seventh on the all-time list for European under-23 athletes. Italy ultimately defended their title, successfully retaining the crown they had won in Poland the previous year.