Alida van Daalen successfully completed the first half of an assault on double gold in the throws at the European Athletics U23 Championships in Espoo on Thursday (13).
The Dutch athlete was in full control of the women’s shot put. For the first time in her career, she threw over 18 metres three times in a single competition, putting the cherry on the cake with a final round lifetime best of 18.32m.
Two years ago, she won European U20 silver in both the shot and discus in Tallinn. This time round, she has set her sights even higher.
Afterwards, the ebullient van Daalen said: “I have enjoyed every single second of this competition. My new coach helped me through the shot put because I was a discus thrower.
“It has been great, and you can see it in the performance. I was already very strong in the weight room, so it was more that my mental health was growing a lot. That was the key to turn into the shot put and also to take off the pressure from the discus throw.
“I have been under pressure in the discus for a couple of years already and then I was like - OK let's try the shot put. And I started to enjoy it and also the discus went also pretty good.
“Two years ago, in Tallinn, mentally, I was not in a good position. I have been dragging myself through that competition. But now, I am ready - mentally I am ready and I will do my best in the following days and hopefully, I can double it again.”
Great Britain’s Serena Vincent won silver with a personal best of 16.92m and Finland’s Emilia Kangas grabbed the bronze with 16.75m.
Van Daalen’s triumph heralded a superb night for the Netherlands.
There were some blistering performances in the 100m semifinals with Dutch again right in the thick of the action.
The Netherlands’ Raphael Bouju blazed to a brilliant albeit wind assisted 10.01 (+2/5m/s) to win the second semi of the men’s event. It was the perfect riposte to Great Britain’s Jeremiah Azu who was a highly impressive winner of the first semifinal in a championship record of 10.04 (+1.0m/s).
“I was kind of fired up,” admitted Bouju “I saw Jeremiah running 10.04 so I was like ‘OK, I have to run fast as well. Maybe it is time to run sub 10?’ I got close. It is just a shame this result was wind aided, but it just shows me that the speed is in my legs.
“I think me and Azu are both good athletes and I wish we both go sub 10 in the final. I (will) personally aim for the Dutch record which is 9.91 so if I could break that, it would be great.”
In the women’s event, Hungary’s Boglarka Takacs improved her national record, scorching to victory in the first semifinal in 11.14 (+1.7m/s). And the second semifinal was won by the Netherlands’ world U20 bronze medallist N'Ketia Seedo in 11.20 (+1.1m/s) to see up a second mouthwatering 100m final on Friday night.
Front running Keith wins the 5000m title
In the women’s 5000m final, Great Britain’s Megan Keith produced a gutsy front running performance to land gold. She stretched the field with five laps to go with only fellow Scot Eloise Walker, Spain’s Maria Forero and the Netherlands’ Amina Maatoug able to go with her.
With three laps left Maatoug lost contact. Then with 600 metres remaining Keith drove again and lost Forero, last year’s European U20 cross country gold medallist.
Finally, with 300 metres to go Keith unleashed another kick and this time it was decisive, quickly establishing a 50 metre gap with Walker struggling badly.
Forero moved into silver position and as Walker stumbled down the home straight, Maatoug gratefully ran into the bronze medal position. Walker needed medical attention shortly after scrambling over the line in fifth.
But it was Keith’s moment and she gleefully landed her first major track title in 15:34:33 to go with her European U20 cross country gold from 2021 and European U23 cross country silver last year. It also made up for narrowly missing a medal at the European U20 Championships two years ago.
“In the last lap, I think I had a few flashbacks on how I missed the medal at under 20s by only 0.02. I did not decelerate but I thought that I was there, but I came fourth. So this time, I wanted to make sure that it was me. I have learned from my mistakes,” said Keith afterwards.
Forero clocked 15:43.22 and Maatoug 15:50.83 respectively in second and third.
In the 400m, Keely Hodgkinson’s campaign away from her specialist 800m distance continued apace. She was second to Zoe Sedney in the first semifinal in 52.44, just 0.33 adrift of the Dutch athlete.
But it was Hodgkinson’s British teammate Yemi Mary John who impressed the most. The world U20 gold medallist was a dominant victor in the second semi final in 51.80. It sets up a fascinating final for Friday night.
In the men’s 400m, Håvard Bentdal Ingvaldsen looks ever more the accomplished international athlete. The Norwegian coasted down the home straight winning in 45.35 in the second semifinal after Hungary’s Attila Molnár won the first semi in an identical time.
The pair thus shared a new stadium record, one that looks unlikely to last the weekend with Friday’s final looming. The championship record of 45.02 looks equally vulnerable in Espoo.
Dokter reclaims overall lead in the heptathlon
The heptathlon has developed into an intriguing duel between the Netherlands’ Sofie Dokter and home favourite Saga Vanninen.
Following Dokter’s strong display in the morning session, including a high jump personal best, the Finn regained the initiative in the shot put. The twice world U20 champion landed a lifetime best of 15.36m in her final throw. Dokter also produced another personal best with 13.68m.
But in the 200m, Dokter was the quickest of the field in 23.92 (+1.3m/s) compared with Vanninen’s 24.32 (+2.0m/s). It leaves it beautifully poised overnight with the Dutch athlete just in front with 3839 points, a mere 13 clear of Vanninen.
“Competing in front of the home audience is something special for me,” commented Vanninen. “I can feel their cheers and support. It means a lot to me. My coach told me I should do what I can and take discipline by discipline. Tomorrow is going to be interesting as I have good competitors around.”
Decorated multi-eventer María Vicente is attempting a triple jump and long jump double in Espoo and she got her campaign off to a great start.
She landed the automatic qualifier of 13.60m exactly in the second round to book her place in the women’s triple jump final behind Sweden’s Maja Askag (13.81m) who is also attempting the same double having won both titles at the European Athletics U20 Championships.
Hungary’s Matyas Nemeth and Germany’s Simon Batz led the men’s long jump qualifiers with 7.63m each. France’s European bronze medallist Jules Pommery safely progressed with a best of 7.54m.
Defending champion and Olympic fourth-placer Mykhaylo Kokhan of Ukraine was untroubled in the men’s hammer. His first throw of 72.25m was good enough to secure automatic qualification for Saturday morning’s final.
Elise Thorner of Great Britain was the leading qualifier from the women’s 3000m steeplechase, front running her way to 9:52.95 to win the first heat.
Chris Broadbent for European Athletics