Men’s and women’s 4×100 teams complete wins in style
Hunt will aim for fourth gold in mixed relay on Sunday
No sooner had Amy Hunt won a staggering third European gold medal in five days than she pointed at the superwomen guiding her closer to history. “We’re the fantastic four,” she said.
It was hard to argue with that, especially after watching Britain’s 4x100m women power to glory in 42.05secs, more than 10 metres clear of Switzerland and Poland.
“It’s such a privilege to be able to step on the track with these ladies, and the individual superpowers that we bring,” said Hunt. “It’s no joke. We’re all superwomen together out there.”
First she addressed Dina Asher-Smith, who ran the first leg and whose gold equalled the Polish sprinter Irena Szewinska’s overall record tally of 10 medals at the championships. “I’m stood next to Dina, she’s the most decorated European athlete in history,” she said. “She has got thousands of medals.”
Then Hunt turned to the emerging 21-year-old star Success Eduan, who is three weeks from completing a degree in midwifery. “This girl, Success, is a midwife,” said Hunt. “She brings new babies into the world.”
Finally, Hunt pointed to Imani-Lara Lansiquot, who had brilliantly carried the baton home. In 2021 she had also written a play, Armour of Gaza, about growing up in Peckham. “Imani, that girl wrote a play,” said Hunt, clearly deeply impressed.
The overall message was clear. On Sunday, Hunt will attempt to become the first athlete to win four gold medals at a single edition of a European championships in the mixed 4x100m relay. But she wanted this night to be about her teammates most of all.
And that included praise for Britain’s new relay coach, Richard Kilty, who told the women a simple message before they stepped out on to the track: “Go out and break their hearts.”
The British team certainly did that. Everyone played their parts, including the newcomer Eduan, who is now intending to become a full-time sprinter. “I finish in three weeks and I graduate in November, hopefully,” she said.
Is it harder to deliver a baby or a baton, she was asked. “A baby! Someone’s life is in my hands,” she said smiling.
It was a great night overall for Britain’s relay teams given that 15 minutes earlier the men’s quartet of Jeremiah Azu, Louie Hinchliffe, Zharnel Hughes and Romell Glave also took gold, in 38.45secs, ahead of Germany and Belgium.
Before the drama of the relays there were a series of extraordinary performances across the night. The best of them? That surely came in the triple jump, where Italy’s Andy Díaz’s stunning leap of 18.15m – the fourth furthest in history – brought him gold by 39cm from Portugal’s Pedro Pichardo.
But not far behind was Sweden’s Andreas Almgren’s destructive display in the men’s 10,000m. After a dawdling first kilometre, Almgren gradually broke the resistance of all his rivals and lapped most of the field, to win by nearly 20 seconds in a championship record 27mins 23.44secs.
“If someone is going to beat me, they are going to have to suffer for it,” said Almgren. “I’m in the best 10k shape of my life.”