The European U23 Championships concluded in spectacular fashion on Sunday after four days of thrilling action that saw 12 championship records fall in Bergen, Norway.
Norwegian home favorite Henriette Jæger electrified the crowd with a dominant run in the women’s 400m, clocking 49.74 seconds to shatter a 20-year-old championship record. Just 0.12 shy of her own national record, Jæger held off Great Britain’s Yemi Mary John (50.50), who also dipped under the previous mark. Jæger nearly added a second title, but narrowly lost the 200m to Britain’s Success Eduan, who took gold in 22.74.
Switzerland’s Audrey Werro produced one of the meet’s standout performances in the women’s 800m, winning in a blistering 1:57.42, a massive 1.52-second improvement on the old championship best. Spain’s Rocio Arroyo took silver in 1:59.18.
The men’s 400m hurdles final was equally dramatic, with Germany’s Owe Fischer-Breiholz clocking 48.01 to beat Turkey’s Ismail Nezir and Slovenia’s Matic Ian Gucek, all finishing under Karsten Warholm’s former record.
On the women’s side, Britain’s Emily Newnham dominated the 400m hurdles in 54.09, more than a second ahead of Germany’s Vanessa Balde.
Jonas Phijffers of the Netherlands added another record-breaking run in the men’s 400m with 44.82, while all four relay events saw new championship bests. France took the men’s 4x100m (38.43), Spain the men’s 4x400m (3:02.02), and Great Britain secured both women’s relays with 42.92 (4x100m) and 3:26.52 (4x400m).
Finland’s Saga Vanninen, the world indoor champion, defended her heptathlon title in style with a massive 6563 points, breaking the championship and Finnish records. Britain’s Abigail Pawlett followed with a PB of 6320.
Poland’s Maciej Megier emerged victorious in the men’s 3000m steeplechase in 8:20.17, in a race where the top four all ran faster than the previous championship record.
Dutch middle-distance star Niels Laros showcased his range, winning the 5000m (13:44.74) and 800m (1:44.36), having earlier set a PB in a record-breaking 800m heat that saw seven men go under the previous championship best. Italy’s Francesco Pernici topped the charts in the heats with a stunning 1:44.06.
Germany enjoyed a dominant outing in the throws, securing podium sweeps in both the men’s discus, led by Steven Richter (64.67m), and the women’s shot put, where Nina Chioma Ndubuisi threw 17.73m to win. Germany also topped the overall medals table, boosted by Aileen Kuhn’s hammer win at 72.53m.
Serbia’s Adriana Vilagos won the women’s javelin title with a throw of 62.41m, adding to a meet rich in talent and record-breaking performances.
Written By Rodney Mbua
