Quintet of champions light up Berlin at WPA European Championships

Sophie Hahn (T38 200m), Dan Greaves (F64 Discus), Hannah Dines (RR3 100m), Gavin Drysdale (RR3 100m) and Graeme Ballard (T36 100m) all captured European titles on a frantic evening of track and field action, adding to the gold from Aled Davies earlier in the day in the F63 discus.

Kayleigh Haggo (RR3 100m), Rafi Solaiman (RR3 100m) and Ben Rowlings (T34 400m) won silver while Nathan Maguire was upgraded to bronze after two disqualifications in the T54 800m.

For Sophie Hahn (Charnwood, Joe McDonnell), the title completed the Grand Slam of 200m titles, adding to the Paralympic, World and Commonwealth gold medals she has won over the last two years. It was another stunning effort from the 21-year-old, who stormed the bend but was pressed hard by Germany’s Lindy Ave and Hungary’s Luca Ekler before taking it in a Championship record of 26.51 (-1.8m/s).

Hahn had to battle for her title, afterwards she said:

“To win another title means so much to me. I have worked so hard and I am going to just keep getting quicker and stronger. I am really happy with my performance. I was only really concentrating on my own race, so it wasn’t until I have just watched it back I realised how close it was.

“I am really excited for next year, it’s not going to be easy, so I am going to work hard and get stronger.”

Ali Smith (Guildford & Godalming, Paul MacGregor) finished fourth in 28.80 while Eve Walsh-Dann (North Down, Roger Sexton) – making her senior British debut – was sixth in a personal best of 30.74.

Graeme Ballard (Wigan & District, Trevor Painter) rolled back the years as he won his first European title in the T36 100m leading to a full victory lap after crossing the line at a similar pace to the race.

The Wigan athlete had a storming start and the rest of the field could not contain him, powering away over the final 50m to take it in 12.32 (-0.8). He composed himself after a false start brought the field back to the starting blocks for a second time to win the title.

38-year-old Ballard, said:

“When the false start went, I just had to refocus, I just had to gather myself and go again. I gathered my thoughts, I looked down my lane and there was no one else in the race in my eyes. I was ready for it. Training has been amazing, so I just had to go out there and show my stuff.

“It’s going to be electric standing on the podium – it’s going to be absolutely amazing.”

Dan Greaves (Charnwood, self-coached) won his third European title on the bounce, his 57.65m effort in the second round sealing a meaningful triumph for the Loughborough-based athlete who has fought back from disappointment after last year’s World Championships in London. He was all smiles in Berlin, defeating the bronze medallist from London 2017, Ivan Katanusic (CRO), to capture the European title to go with those from Swansea and Grosseto.

Greaves commented post-event:

“You come to a Championships like this and it is all about titles at the end of the day. I have come here for a medal, I take it very seriously, for me it is a case of walking away with gold and nothing else. I just wanted to put a bit of a show on for everyone who came down to watch – it’s just a shame I didn’t beat the 60-metre barrier – but I am so over the moon with gold."

Taz Nicholls (Shaftesbury Barnet, Alison O’Riordan), making his British debut in the event, threw a best of 42.02m in round five.

Great Britain and Northern Ireland had earlier got off to a brilliant start, securing gold and silver in both the Men’s and Women’s RR3 100m; RaceRunning the new discipline to these championships.

After both setting world records in their classes in the morning’s heats, it was expected to be a competitive final and it certainly lived up to the billing. Hannah Dines (Red Star) was pushed all the way to the line by teammate Kayleigh Haggo (Red Star, Janice Eaglesham), and stopped the clock in 19.00 (-0.7) – 0.13 seconds outside the world record she set in the heats - to beat her compatriot but both secured their place on the podium.

Newly crowned European champion, Dines said the competition from her compatriot only makes the pair stronger:

“Having the opportunity to compete on the world stage is incredibly important and I am delighted to be given the opportunity and win gold. I think I am going to have to train pretty hard to stop Kayleigh grabbing that off me.”

The next race on the track also saw a British one-two as Gavin Drysdale (Red Star, Janice Eaglesham) surged to victory in the men’s equivalent, with Rafi Solaiman (Sheffield & Dearne) taking the silver medal, the times 17.37 (-1.0) and 19.33 respectively.

Drysdale, from Scotland – had an impressive start which set the tone for the rest of the contest. He surged to the gold medal with his compatriot battling hard to secure his first international medal for the GB & NI team.

Drysdale said:

“I felt like I had already won a gold medal just by being here so to win a real one is absolutely incredible. It means the absolute world to me to be competing here in Berlin, I still can’t believe we are actually here, I am usually cheering everyone from my TV screen at home and now I am on the other side having just competed.

“Race running is one of the very few sports I can do independently so to be given this opportunity to come and compete at a European Championships and something which I can participate in independently and, more importantly, something I love has just been totally surreal.”

Ben Rowlings (Coventry, Ian Mirfin) claimed his first medal of the Championships with a silver in the men’s T34 400m, while fellow Brit Isaac Towers (Blackpool, Wyre & Fylde, Peter Wyman / Jenni Banks) was edged into fourth position by just 0.01s by Switzerland’s Bojan Mitic.

The final medal of the evening came from Nathan Maguire (Halton & Frodsham, Ste Hoskins) in the T54 800m final, as he claimed bronze following two disqualifications.

Maguire had originally crossed the line in fifth place in 1:40.82, 0.02s outside of the medals. But following a double disqualification ahead of him for France’s Julien Casoli and Germany’s Alhassane Balde, he was rewarded with a spot on the podium. The result also promoted Dillon Labrooy (Weir Archer Academy, Jenny Archer) into fifth position after he recorded a time of 1:42.51.

Zak Skinner (Tonbridge, Aston Moore) concluded his Championship with a fourth-place finish in the men’s T13 100m. After coming through this morning’s heat in third, Skinner produced a solid run with a vastly improved start, but could only clock 11.41, missing out on bronze by less than 0.1s.

James Arnott (City of Plymouth, Ryan Freckleton) ran an excellent bend in the men’s T47 200m but was pipped to bronze on the line by Ricardo Bagaini (ITA). Arnott registered 23.39 (-1.2m/s) as his Championships end with two fourth place finishes.

Callum Hall (Leeds, Ian Thompson), another British debutant, finished the T53 800m final in fifth place, crossing the line in 1:52.18 as France’s Pierre Fairbank broke the Championship record to take gold in 1:43.74.

Steve Morris (Cardiff, James Thie) made easy work of progressing through his T20 800m heat, powering to the front and running a smooth race to qualify for the final in 2:00.21.

British Athletics Medallists: (31)

Gold:

Kare Adenegan – T34 100m

Hollie Arnold – F46 Javelin

Graeme Ballard – T36 100m

Aled Davies – F63 Discus

Hannah Dines – RR3 100m

Gavin Drysdale – RR3 100m

Sabrina Fortune – F20 Shot put

Dan Greaves – F64 Discus

Sophie Hahn – T38 200m

Harri Jenkins – T33 100m

Maria Lyle – T35 100m

Vanessa Wallace – F34 Shot put

Richard Whitehead – T61 200m

Silver:

Hannah Cockroft – T34 100m

David Devine – T13 1500m

Kayleigh Haggo – RR3 100m

Stephen Miller – F32 Club Throw

Luke Nuttall – T46 1500m

Ross Paterson – T38 400m

Ben Rowlings – T34 400m

Zak Skinner – T13 Long Jump

Rafi Solaiman – RR3 100m

Ali Smith – T38 400m

Bronze:

Mo Jomni – T53 200m & 400m

Dillon Labrooy – T54 400m

Nathan Maguire – T54 200m & 800m

Stephen Osborne – T51 100m

Laura Sugar – T44/64 100m & 200m