Twenty-four hours after becoming the first Slovak man to win a major outdoor sprint medal, Jan Volko took that little bit of history into a different stratosphere this evening in Bydgoszcz at the European Athletics U23 Championships.
With a power-packed performance, Volko won 200m gold in 20.33 to break the national record time he had set in the semifinals and eclipse the championship record.
Having run 20.54 in the semis, this was some performance after what had already been the best of his life. France's Gautier Dautremer was second in a personal best of 20.66 with Germany's Roger Gurski third in 20.70.
CHAMPIONSHIP RECORD!
— European Athletics (@EuroAthletics) July 15, 2017
Slovakia's Jan Volko wins the European U23 200m title in 20.33, breaking his national record by two-tenths as well. pic.twitter.com/3PhFTCJYbE
Norway's Jonathan Quarcoo was fourth in 20.80, missing out on the medals just a few hours after threatening the championship record with a national U23 record of 20.39 in the semifinal.
Finette Agyapong doubled the British gold medal tally in the 200m by claiming gold in 22.87 - just a fraction outside her lifetime best of 22.86 which she set in the semifinal. Switzerland's Sarah Atcho, who was closing in all the time, was second in a lifetime best of 22.90 with Ukraine's Yana Kachur third in a 23.20 PB.
Eykens has enough in reserve for 800m glory
Belgium's Renee Eykens followed up her European U20 800m glory with an ice-cool performance to win the U23 title in Bydgoszcz as she beat Anita Hinriksdottir again in a sensational finish.
Two years ago in Eskilstuna, Sweden, Hinriksdottir won bronze as Eykens triumphed but in Belgrade in March, the Icelandic runner won her first senior medal with bronze at the European Athletics Indoor Championships.
Hinriksdottir set off looking determined to control the race as much as she could and that is the way it developed, with her in front. As they entered the home straight, she was still there but Eykens, 21, was cutting her back all the time and eventually passed her with 40 metres left to win in 2:04.73 with Hinriksdottir second in 2:05.02
'I had no idea how the race was going to be and for me, the plan was to follow the leading girls. It's an incredible feeling finishing as the first one,” said Eykens.
Italy's Yemaneberhan Crippa also came through late to catch the leaders as he won the 5000m with an amazing sprint down the home straight.
At they hit the final 150 metres, Germany's Amanal Petros was the man in front, although 10,000m champion Carlos Mayo from Spain was on his shoulder as he looked for a second gold at these championships.
Mayo made his move on the final turn as Petros tried to stay in front with Belgium's Simon Debognies coming through too but as they battled it out between themselves, Crippa moved from sixth with 100 metres remaining, passing them all and pointing in celebration as he crossed the line to win in 14:14.28 from Debognies (14:14.71) and Mayo (14:15.07).
Rivasz-Toth has a record-breaking day
Norbert Rivasz-Toth wrote his way into Hungarian athletics history in Bydgoszcz today and not just by winning the European U23 javelin gold medal a day after Bence Halasz won the hammer title.
With a second round throw of 83.08m, Rivasz-Toth, 21, smashed Gergely Horvath's national senior mark of 81.55m which had stood since 2003.
It was a stunning performance from the 2013 world U18 silver medallist who came into the championships with a personal best of 80.50m from earlier this summer.
The favourite was Greece's Ioannis Kiriazis - his lifetime best from this year is 88.01m - and though he came close in the final round with a fine 81.04m after a slow start to the competition, the gold medal belonged to Rivasz-Toth.
Alyona Shamotina also won Ukraine’s second gold medal of the championships in the hammer with a second round throw of 67.46m in a competition played out to the background of a glorious rainbow over the stadium.
Shamotina had begun with 65.24m before her winning mark in the same round where France's Camille Sainte Luce threw 66.98m for silver with Norway's Beatrice Nedberge Llano claimed bronze with 66.74m in the fourth round.
Moser and Nabokau hit the heights
Switzerland's Angelica Moser had the edge on her Ukrainian rival Maryna Kylypko, clearing 4.55m on her own to win a tremendous pole vault final.
Moser, who won the world U20 title in this stadium twelve months ago, went over at 4.50m at the third time of asking and 4.55m at the first attempt for gold. Kylypko had one failed go at 4.50m and then missed out twice at 4.55m to take silver as Great Britain's Lucy Bryan equalled her personal best of 4.40m for bronze.
Countback separated the top three in the men's high jump with the medallists all tied on 2.24m. The gold medal went to Belarusian Dzmitry Nabokau, who at the finish pulled off his name tag and waved it in the air to indicate he is the champion.
He triumphed ahead of Italy's Christian Falocchi, who had achieved a lifetime best, and the Ukraine's Viktor Lonskyy while Nabokau’s favoured compatriot Pavel Seliverstau was equal fifth with 2.22m.
At the end of the first day of the decathlon, it could not be closer as Belarusian Maksim Andraloits and Switzerland's Andri Oberholzer are tied on 4130 points, with Finland's Elmo Savola just one behind.