Jordan Alejandro Diaz Fortun at the European Championships in Rome (© Getty Images)
Germany’s Malaika Mihambo produced a stunning world lead of 7.22m to take women’s long jump gold at the European Championships in Rome on Wednesday (12), the highlight of the final night of action.
It continued a succession of remarkable jumps on the elevated runway along the back straight of the Stadio Olimpico, with Spain’s Jordan Alejandro Diaz Fortun unleashing the third biggest mark in history of 18.18m to claim gold in the men’s triple jump on Tuesday (11).
Mihambo, the reigning Olympic champion, opened the women’s long jump final with 6.70m but essentially put the competition to bed in the second round with her 7.22m (-1.4m/s) in the second round, claiming her third European title. Italy’s Larissa Iapichino took silver with 6.94m and Portugal’s Agate De Sousa won bronze with 6.91m.
“The 7.22m was close to a perfect jump, I hit the board well but the headwind was disturbing so the result could have been even better,” said Mihambo. “I knew that I had not yet shown what I had in my training. Now the most important thing is to stay healthy.”
Malaika Mihambo in action at the European Championships in Rome (© Getty Images)
Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen sent out a statement of intent in the men’s 1500m final, taking command of the race midway through the second lap and winding the pace up thereafter. The Olympic champion unleashed a 53.34-second final lap to win his second gold of the championships and become the most successful male athlete in the championships’ history with six titles – and all at the age of just 23. Belgium’s Jochem Vermeulen took silver with 3:33.30 with Italy’s Pietro Arese third in 3:33.34.
“I am definitely satisfied with this championship,” said Ingebrigtsen. “I might not have had too many races going into this but now I have got good answers. When I went in the last 200m, I felt very good.”
The six-day event finished in familiar fashion, with Mondo Duplantis delaying the programme as he put the bar up to a world record height of 6.25m, the fans certainly not leaving as the clock edged towards midnight. Having already won his third outdoor European pole vault title with his clearance at 6.10m, he put forward three good efforts at the world record bar but none was successful. Silver went to Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis with 5.87m while Turkey’s Ersu Sasma took bronze with 5.82m.
“The main goal was to go out there and to win, take home my third gold,” said Duplantis. “I’m very satisfied with the height, I did not really think I was attempting the world record today. It was not part of the plan. After the 6.10m, there was just too much energy there. I looked at my parents and we both had the same idea, we were like, 'It is just fun, so why not?'”
Mondo Duplantis at the European Championships in Rome (© Getty Images)
Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson wasn’t at her brilliant best for the women’s 800m final, having picked up a head cold after the heat, but the Olympic silver medallist nonetheless controlled the race and kicked off the front to take victory in 1:58.65. “I was lying in my bed and I was like: ‘Can I run?’” she said. “I just decided to give it a go.” Silver went to Gabriela Gajanova of Slovakia in 1:58.79 with France’s Anais Bourgoin third in 1:59.30.
Switzerland’s Dominic Lokinyomo Lobalu sprinted to victory in the men’s 10,000m in 28:00.32, with France’s Yann Schrub winning silver in 28:00.48 and Spain’s Thierry Ndikumwenayo taking bronze with 28:00.96.
“This result is very important not only for me but for my whole country, I am feeling very emotional at this moment,” said Lobalu.
Jakub Vadlejch took gold in the men’s javelin with 88.65m, with Germany’s Julian Weber second with 85.94m and Finland’s Oliver Helander winning bronze with 85.75m. “My dreams came true today,” said Vadlejch. “I suffered quite a lot during the whole competition. I knew I was in shape but it just did not click. Maybe it was really the last attempt that everything just came together enhanced by the support of this crazy crowd. It is the most I could wish for.”
The Dutch quartet of Lieke Klaver, Cathelijn Peeters, Lisanne de Witte and Femke Bol took victory in the women’s 4x400m, the world champions clocking 3:22.39 while Ireland smashed their national record in second with 3:22.71, Belgium winning bronze with 3:22.95.
Individual 400m champion Alexander Doom anchored Belgium to victory in the men’s 4x400m, teaming up with Jonathan Sacoor, Robin Vanderbemden and Dylan Borlee to clock 2:59.84, with Italy winning silver with 3:00.81 and Germany taking bronze with 3:00.82.
A formidable British quartet of Dina Asher-Smith, Desiree Henry, Amy Hunt and Daryll Neita powered to victory in the women’s 4x100m in 41.91 with France second in 42.15 and the Netherlands third in 42.46.
Italy brought the house down in the final track event of the championships, the men’s 4x100m, their team of Matteo Melluzzo, Marcell Jacobs, Lorenzo Patta and Filippo Tortu clocking 37.82 to win by several metres from the Netherlands (38.46) and Germany (38.52).
An astonishing triple jump clash proved the undoubted highlight of Tuesday’s action, with Diaz Fortun going head-to-head with Portugal’s Pedro Pichardo in an event where both men surpassed the 18-metre barrier. Pichardo unleashed a national record of 18.04m (-0.6m/s) in the second round to take command but Diaz Fortun signalled his intent with a 17.96m effort in the fourth round before soaring to a championship record of 18.18m in the fifth, putting him behind only Jonathan Edwards and Christian Taylor on the world all-time list.
“I did not really expect this, but the goal is always to keep improving,” said Diaz Fortun. “This is what we have been training for and considering what happened in the background of my training, I am very pleased with my result. Seeing Pichardo jumping 18 was a motivation to jump even farther because nobody came to these championships to finish second or third.”
Elsewhere on Tuesday night, world champions Karsten Warholm and Femke Bol stamped their supremacy over their European rivals in their respective 400m hurdles finals by setting championship records, Warholm clocking 46.98 and Bol 52.49.
Femke Bol on her way to the European 400m hurdles title in Rome (© Getty Images)
Bol usurped Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s world lead of 52.70 as she raced to gold by a whopping 1.53 seconds ahead of France’s Louise Maraval (54.23) and Cathelijn Peeters of the Netherlands (54.37). “It's never easy, you can never take anything for granted, which is why it's important to stay focused on myself and not think about what's happening around me,” said Bol. “I worked hard for these championships and I arrived here in good shape, I believe I can be even better at the Olympics.”
Warholm ripped through the opening half of his final in his customary fashion, the Norwegian turning for home with a significant advantage. While he had to stretch for the last barrier, where he lost some momentum, he had a sufficient buffer to repel the late charge of Italy’s Alessandro Sibilio, who took silver in a national record of 47.50. Sweden’s Carl Bengstrom took bronze in a national record of 47.94.
“Another championship record – it’s great and you cannot get enough of that,” said Warholm. “I am starting to get to the age when I am also reflecting a little bit as these years go by so fast and I just want to grab as many titles as I can. You have to run really well to get the time below 47 seconds. But I got that answer from my legs that I want.”
Olympic champion Gianmarco Tamberi thrilled the crowd in the men’s high jump by delivering gold in dramatic fashion. He needed a third attempt to go clear at 2.29m and seized command with a first-time clearance at 2.31m, and after two failures at 2.33m he moved the bar to 2.34m, soaring clear. With gold assured, he moved the bar to 2.37m and cleared it, then gave fans a few heart-stopping moments as he limped away and removed his shoe, pretending to be injured, only to show the camera some springs – with tens of thousands of Italians quickly breathing a sigh of relief. Ukraine won silver and bronze through Vladyslav Lavskyy (2.29m) and Oleh Doroshchuk (2.26m).
“There were many doubts about me after withdrawing from Ostrava, but I knew I had trained well and I was in extraordinary form,” said Tamberi.
The gold rush continued for Italy in the women’s 10,000m where Nadia Battocletti proved a class apart, adding to her 5000m gold by surging clear on the penultimate lap and clocking a national record of 30:51.32. Dutch athlete Diane van Es was second with 30:57.24 with Britain’s Megan Keith third in 31:04.77.
Estonia’s Johannes Erm set a world lead of 8764 to win the decathlon, leaving him 129 points clear of Norway’s Sander Skotheim (8635) and France’s Makenson Gletty who had a huge breakthrough, setting a PB of 8606. Germany’s Niklas Kaul was next best with 8547 while world record-holder Kevin Mayer was fifth with 8547.
Erm set personal bests in the 100m (10.60), 400m (46.81), pole vault (5.20m) and javelin (62.71m), adding 280 points to his previous decathlon PB and announcing himself as a medal contender for the Paris Olympics. “It has been two amazing days,” said Erm. “I would say that nothing was perfect, but everything was very, very, very good. Or at least above average. I know that there is room to improve but it is really difficult to put all 10 events together and I just did it, so that is just amazing.”
In the women’s 200m, Switzerland’s Mujinga Kambundji came from behind to edge Britain’s Daryll Neita to victory in a photo finish, 22.49 (0.7m/s) to 22.50, with France’s Helen Parisot third in a PB of 22.63.
“I knew that it would be tight,” Kambundji said. “Daryll is in great shape. I was just looking forward to the race, trying to do my best and it was close. But I am over the moon to defend my title.”
Austria’s Victoria Hudson took gold in the women’s javelin with 64.62m, while Serbia’s Adriana Vilagos was next best with 64.42m. Norway’s Marie-Therese Obst took bronze in a PB of 63.50m.
Cathal Dennehy for World Athletics
