Day 2 - Evening Session Athletics: European Championships

athletics Championships. Here in the beautiful old town of the heart of

Z?rich, quaint and traditional sit side-by-side with the alter modern.

Tonight, we have a contrast as well as we welcome the speed Demons as

well as those who prefer the longer haul. Can Mo Farah put his troubles

behind him and when yet another gold on the track. This is world

domination for Farah. He is the world champion. And from 10,000

metres to ten seconds, the 100 metres final is a sight to behold

and tonight will be no different with British eyes on the main prize.

Chambers now quickly into his running. Desiree Henry has run

really well. So whether it is staying power or explosive power, as

you would expect in Switzerland, timing is everything. Welcome once

more to Letzigrund Stadium. I would say high winds but they have been

described as storm conditions. It is in the right direction for her hair,

not necessarily in the studio. The wind conditions have been described

as dangerous, too dangerous to start the programme on time. Competitions

will start at 5:30pm. Those clouds look ominous. They could be in

Austria in 30 minutes. We have had all sorts of stuff blowing around.

Cooley and the gang have had to have a lie down. Have you known anything

like this at an athletics meeting because the programme has had to be

put back because of wind. I remember a meeting in 1989 when the wind was

so strong it picked up the high jump mat and rolled it into the middle of

the men's 5000 metres field. The men's to catalogue has been hanging

around since lunch time because the pole vaults was put back. That is an

event that could be dangerous in the wind. It is very dangerous. It could

be very dangerous on landing. I have two say, I have never witnessed

anything like it. Normally, it is rain. We have never had wind like

this. It is incredible. I think he is trying to tell as it is windy.

Maybe we might have to leave the stadium because it is too dangerous.

They would not let the crowd in an hour ago. In all seriousness, there

are things that could blow around. They now believe that the worst of

it has blown over. I know that Steve Backley was throwing the javelin the

day that you were watching at home and the high jump mat was making its

way onto the track. Do you remember that day? I remember it well. It

wasn't dissimilar. It was a lovely day, quite benign, no wind at all

and I was leading and then the wind picked up. Bits of fluff going

through the air and you were thinking what is going on? And all

of a sudden the wind picked up. I was quite pleased, it was into our

faces and so it meant that nobody was going to beat me. I took my

boots off and was watching, laughing at what was going on. It was

properly stronger than right now. It is dangerous. I do feel for the pole

vaulters, halfway through the competition. Some athletes have gone

out. Quite serious consequences for potential medallists and the

eventual result as it may unfold. You can see that family braving it

on the top tier, probably not the place to be. We are actually on the

top tier. If you are down nearly ripped the track, it is probably a

bit calmer. Nevertheless, they have delayed it until 5:30pm. -- nearer

to the track. It gives us time to relive that incredible performance

last night from Jo Pavey. This morning, I put the Radio 1, she has

been doing interviews all day. She is amazed that people are so

interested. She has created such a buzz. People are so inspired I have.

A lot of that is because of the person that she is. She didn't run

lightning fast but she timed it perfectly and beat the people on the

night. It is because you can identify with her so well and she is

such a nice person. Last night, it was late, she snuck into the room

she was sharing with Goldie Sayers, she didn't even take her kit off,

she went to bed in her kit so she wouldn't wake her up. She said, I am

not smelly, though. She was so modest. She wouldn't want us to keep

reliving it but I think we should because there is no action on. We

will join it with about nine or ten minutes to go. Steve Cram and

Brendan Foster. COMMENTATOR: There goes the champion once again

trying to stretch it out. She has got something in her legs. She looks

as though when she gets to the front she can open up a few yards. The two

British athletes Beth Potter and Jo Pavey, they have both been through

the Commonwealth Games. Jo Pavey acquitted herself very well. The

rest of the athletes have been getting ready and preparing for this

championship. The British athletes have been getting ready for the

Commonwealth Games. That sometimes is a handicap. It is easier to just

run one championship. It is harder to run twice. The twice winner of

the New York marathon hits the front for the first time. She sees the

comfortable sign, seven laps to go. One mile and three quarters. She

knows exactly how it feels. It was around this point, around about 3000

metres to go that the winner forced it on and managed to drop Jo Pavey.

It was a different race. There wasn't a big group like this. We

have the two three French athletes. We have Beth Potter and Jo Pavey.

Keeping an eye on things. Tucked in the middle, haven't seen too much of

her, on the curb now, almost steps on the curb, has to take a couple of

steps inside. Doesn't get an advantage. They are all queueing up

behind the leader. You can feel the tension growing. You can feel that

something has got to give. Somebody out of the group has to push on and

try to break up the group. The two British athletes have run well

there. They have acquitted themselves extremely well after the

Commonwealth Games. That is Beth Potter, behind her Jo Pavey,

following her lead this time. Six laps to go, now it is time to get

serious. Now it is time to think about the race plan. The athletes in

this group, one or two of them are going to stick with the resolve that

the coaches and they have agreed beforehand. When to make the run,

you decide. In second place in second place the 3000 metres for her

country. It is less to go than that now. She couldn't keep up with the

pace of Hassan but she acquitted herself well. This place might not

be enough to hold off some of the others. She looks as though she is

ready to go. She looks as though she wants to force this on. Doesn't have

the courage yet. Maybe too far out. Jo Pavey once more just slots in

towards the back of the group. At this point, I would like to see her

being a little closer to the front. Once you get to the front, you lose

15 metres and you have to work hard to get that back. Duarte, the

reigning European Cross country champion is leaving the race. It

looks like her hamstring. Onto the inside, taking no further part.

There is too many in that group. The two Portuguese athletes looked

strong in there. Jo Pavey and Beth Potter are looking good in there.

They know that Britain is still in contention. We see them running

together so often. Often in marathons and on shorter distances

on the track. I wouldn't know who is the fastest sprinter. You do not

often see them in a position where they are sprinting for the finish.

At the 200 meter point there are far too many for comfort. It is time to

start making some decisions. Pushing and shoving. Bloodstream in down the

legs of one of the athletes from the knees, she has been spiked already.

Look at the pushing and shoving. Something has to give. If anything,

they are slowing it up. Just four laps to go. Jo Pavey moving up on

the outside sensing the danger. Felix, then the other French

athlete. Just a little sense of pace. Beth Potter is still in there.

The French athlete is having a good run having seen her Duarte drop out.

Jo Pavey decided she would rather do it on the straight and on the bend.

She gets closer. This is the closest she has been to the lead in this

race. A lot of the British fans in the stadium, who watched her run so

magnificently in the Commonwealth Games. She will lock up, you are

allowed to look up and see three laps to go. She was second last

time. The champion is ahead of her and she looks ready to go. The

champion now it's the front. Felix of Portugal and her team-mate Sarah

Moreira. Two French women, two Portuguese and there were two Brits

but Beth Potter is starting to struggle. It is Marrero who is still

leading. The dark blue of France coming through. Jo Pavey is sensing

that now the race is starting to move. They approach 1000 metres to

go. Calvin for the first time puts her foot down. She starts to stretch

them from the front. Finola Britton of Ireland is losing pace and

momentum. Jo Pavey is in fifth place as the race starts to go. Calvin

means it is for real and they are chasing after her into the home

straight. Felix is working hard in second place. Jo Pavey in a

magnificent fifth and coming strongly. She has never been as

close to the front as this. She realises that the race is on as she

moves into third place, a magnificent position. A magnificent

move. The champion looks to be beaten in fourth place. Jo Pavey is

now in third place with Moreira and Calvin ahead of her. She is forcing

the pace but she is not sprinting away from them. Jo Pavey looks

comfortable, gritting her teeth, four of them well clear, they look

in contention for the medals. Calvyn Justus her head down and goes again.

Jo Pavey strikes again as she did in the Commonwealth Games. Getting

ready to hit the front as she comes down, she knows a fast last lap is

what she needs to win this one. Calvin Prepare for this one but Jo

Pavey is tracking her. Jo Is running a magnificent race, she is running

herself into the middle, and move from Jo Pavey, she has got to keep

now with the pace. Calvin In second place. Jo, has she got another dear?

-- gear. Calvin Of France, Jo Pavey of great Britain. Jo Pavey kicks

again, has Calvin got anything left? She is the big danger. Jo Pavey, 40

years of age, nobody has ever won a medal at the European Championships

at that age. Jo Pavey has never won at a major championships in long

career. The arms are going, she is ticking away. There she goes, a

glorious, glorious run from Jo Pavey. Her whole career has been

about this moment, it is gold Jo Pavey, she is the champion. Jo Pavey

has finally come of age at the age of 40. Can you say that? That was

absolutely fantastic. STUDIO: That was an incredible gold medal

performance last night. If you are wondering why we are watching that

it is because the programme there has been delayed by about 45

minutes, we are due to start at half past five, we were due to start at

4:45pm but the winds are storm level here. We are not being dramatic,

look at this, that was the warm up track. We have just heard the story

from Paula Radcliffe about the high jump match going into the track of

the 1500 metres at you years ago, that is what can happen. They want

to make sure everything is safe. Christine Ohuruogu out there warming

up to get ready for her race, there she is, she is picking up her bag

and wandering off to safety. We have heard that they have also cancelled

all the medal ceremonies this evening partly I imagine to create

space in the programme to try to get everything in, because tonight is a

massive mate, the 100-metre final and semifinal for the men and the

women, and the ten K featuring Mo Farah as well. It is jam-packed and

a delay like this affects everybody, particularly the athletes who are

waiting to get out there, they have timed the warm up to perfection so

mentally it is quite challenging. Folic clay it is quite challenging

in here I can tell you. Let's have a look at the new programme. We will

start with the men's 400 metres semifinals but they will be coming

at the revised time of 5:30pm. The discus final could be

interesting! They have had to delay the pole

vault as well for the decathlon on so who knows where they will be at

that point. The only medal won so far, called for Great Britain, Jo

Pavey, I was able to catch up with her, a baby in demand lady I must

say. Jo Pavey, nobody has ever won a medal at the European champions at

her age. Her whole career has been about this moment, it is gold for Jo

Pavey, she is the champion. Everybody wants to hear your story,

are you surprised by that? I am shocked by the interest, it has

taken me by surprise, everyone has been so kind, I am very lucky. Why

do you think there has been so much interest? When I was a young

athlete, 25 years old, going to training camps all over the world

people could not relate to that, now I am 40 and a busy mother people can

relate to that. I feel so happy, to have a supportive husband, two

lovely little children, it makes me feel so happy, I feel I can now

enjoy my running and I think just keeping busy all day rather than

sitting around has given me more endurance. It is almost by being

less selfish you have become more successful? Yes I wish I realised

that. When you get to a Championships and you are arresting

a bit more before the race you can benefit from that because you have

not been doing that. That brings something more to your performance.

I remember hearing Paula Radcliffe say that she would say the name of

her child over and over again, when she was feeling the pain, do you do

the same? I know how she feels, I am thinking about my children, when I

am out there racing, all the commitments we have put into it as a

family I am thinking I have got to make it worth it and that gives me

more determination. Jessica Ennis-Hill has been watching, what

would you say to her, what advice would you give to her as a new

mother wondering how she will do this, how she will juggle nappies

and training? I was down the track running the most horrendously slow

times, it seemed pointless, but I kept plugging away, I was not

hitting targets but I kept going, she will be fine because she is so

talented and organised and experienced. I wish her a lot of

luck. There is a wide age of ages and experiences -- wide range. To

still be on the team and be there with them, the old and the young, we

are all very much inspiring one another and encouraging one another

and it is a great team spirit. It is fun to still be part of that. Was

there ever any doubt in your mind that you would be able to do the ten

and then the fight? I have experienced doubling a couple of

times and I really wanted to do that, I would not take place in the

team if I was not intending to do it. I was always intending to do

that and it is a privileged position to have another chance to do that. I

will recover as best as I can, eat lots of food and see if I can get

ready, get as ready as I can. What a lovely lady. So appreciative of her

success but also of the support network around her. Although she is

keen to stress that she juggles, she is a mother, but she feels

privileged that her and Gavin get to spend so much time with the children

because they are in the team together dedicated towards her

success. Yes, it has never just been about Jo, it is always Jo and Gavin,

and now the children as well. She is right, she could not do it without

them, by having that support around her she knows that her children have

always been very well looked after which enables her to go down to the

track and focus on her training and do what she needs to do. And because

she is so happy, with how happy she is there with Emelec. Because of

that she is running with pure enjoyment of being able to go out

and do that, I think when you are a very happy in your personal life

that translates to running well on the track and that is what she is

discovering. Sometimes we do overlook our, people who have been

in the sport long time, we are always looking for the next use,

someone to be exciting and fresh, but she has been around a long time

and it is nice to see perseverance does pay off and you can get gold

medals even at her age. Yes she has definitely not just been

discovered. The wealth of experience, the competitions she has

represented Great Britain in. She has done very well in Olympic

Games, featuring in the top ten three times. She is not an overnight

ex-success by any imagination but longevity in any sport is very

difficult to achieve. Yes, we talk about people who still might be in

the sport and running very well at 40 years of age, but generally they

were people who came to the sport late. Jo Was breaking English ghost

records back in 1988 as a 14-year-old. Then she had time out

from the sport, came back in 1997 for Athens, and has pretty much been

a regular on the team ever since then. She has just always been Jo,

very open and friendly. Everyone goes to her for advice. Emily

Pidgeon, who broke her English schools record, says that she wrote

to her afterwards to say how pleased she was. That is the kind of person

she is, so many of the youngsters in the team look to her not only for

inspiration but also advice, almost like a big sister. What do you think

of this training session, and I ended in a shape, what time could I

run? They respected her. Having the young athletes are around someone

who has such balance in their lives, for those whose first championship

it is a must see that you can balance your life and you don't have

to get neurotic about things, what a positive influence she is. A lot of

athletes come into the sport, especially if they are extremely

talented, they expect to be completely funded, full-time

athletes, but she is showing that sometimes keeping your studies going

or finding a part-time job or doing something may help de-stress, keep

everything in perspective and balance. It was an absolute pleasure

seeing her in the last few weeks flourishing in front of an audience

which appreciates it. Hearing the stories from back home, I am sure

you have seen the newspapers, people talking about her that would not

necessarily, in the week the Premier League is about to start by the

way, talking about an athlete who has done what she has done, it is

brilliant for the sport. I had a tweet from Lee Hurst, I know she is

a fan of sport anyway but he said he was touched by her performance and

to pass on his congratulations. Every walk of life has been affected

by this performance in a positive manner. As you can see, the wind

here is storm like. That is the official word from the organisers.

Windcheaters are not cheating anything. It is going nowhere at the

moment, the programme is supposed to start in about 15 minutes, it was

delayed 45 minutes and we have had no word on that it will be pushed

back any further. There are no hurdles on the track which is

interesting because it is the first event on the track have not put the

hurdles out, so they must not feel it is safe enough? It does not feel

safe. We are up here and we are having to hold onto our papers, I

think it looks quite dangerous. It might be delayed further. The first

time I have ever presented a sports show and the best thing I have got

onset is a paperweight. Let's carry on chatting a of tonight, we have

got Mo Farah coming up, one of the big draws in the men's 10,000

metres, can he emulate what Jo Pavey did last night? It has not been

ideal preparation building up to this, he had to pull out of the

Commonwealth Games with illness and it has not been his best year so far

but he is fit now and railing to go. This year, I have got to do

something. If I am going to turn up, I have to be 100%. You are going to

feel the aftermath of the Commonwealth Games buzz. Did you get

any of that from the TV coverage? I didn't have much Internet or

anything else. I wasn't there, it was kind of painful because I wanted

to do it and I wasn't ready. There was no way. A tough debut. If he

didn't already know the marathon was a hard event. He does now. You put a

lot of effort into the London Marathon. A lot of training went

into it. I gave it all. I came eighth, which is not great for me. I

want to do well. I wanted to do the Commonwealth, and that didn't go.

And then the Europeans, hopefully, I can come away with two wins. In

2006, the disappointment of getting a silver after you thought you

should have won gold. It is definitely not going to happen

again. I had to wait four years for Barcelona. I know I am Olympic

champion but the European is always in my heart. You can never forget

where you started. It is important for the rest of the team to show

them that I started here. If you can work hard, you can achieve more. To

achieve what I have, it has been amazing. I want to continue my

career and look back later in life and say I have made my country

proud, the people proud and it is something that I have worked hard

for. You have two have a bit of luck as well as working hard. Sometimes

it doesn't quite happen. I wonder if it is inevitable is after two double

gold winning seasons back-to-back, what that takes after your body,

including all the other things that he does travelling backwards and

forwards to America, was it inevitable that he had a season

where things didn't go quite to plan? In all honesty, yes. You

cannot expect your body to be at maximum health, maximum training

with all of the stresses you are putting it through and not pick up N

injury or two. It doesn't mean that his purple patch is over and his

career is on the way down. It just means that he got ill and he missed

some training and he is playing catch up a bit. He needs to not make

it play on his mind any more. He had the disappointment of the marathon

not going to plan and then having to deal with the illness scare. Now, he

really needs to just get out on the track and win races. It is the

perfect platform for him to night. You make a good point. He is just a

man. Your body is clearly telling you something. People like Christine

O Thorogood, she has taken easy year. -- Christine Ohuruogu. She is

looking in cracking form and she has built herself before this season. We

discussed the last night, I guess where it is relevant, it has come

off two seasons where he is double gold medal winning, trained through

the winter to do the marathon. It is not often that an athlete can keep

churning out the gold medal winning performances season after season

especially in the endurance events. It is that but also the other stuff

as well, Paula has been through it, Denise as well. When you are a start

the level that Mo Farah has become, people want a bit of your life. You

have to choose what you are doing on the track and how you organise your

life away from the championship events. I think Mo having introduced

the marathon into that has at times lost his way a little bit in terms

of what he really wants to do. That experiment with the marathon has

allowed him to refocus for the next two or three years leading into Rio.

This is a good base to start. This isn't the World Championships or the

Olympic Games. It is the European Championships, where he started, he

can come here and get the comfortable coat back on and get

back to winning ways and hope it will give him a good platform to

start winning again in 2016. You do think that the experiment with the

marathon is going to be put to one side. He is running the great North

run next month. Then it is a winter of knuckling down to get ready for

the World Championships in Beijing next year. It is what he said. He

was asked that question and he said he had not finished with the

marathon 100%, I would like to revisit it after Rio. But for the

next two years, the track, whether it is both events at both

Championships, this is where he wants to focus his attention for the

next two years. He can come back to the marathon if he wants in the

future. He can run half marathons and other road races in the

meantime, including the great North run, which is great. Stay safe,

Steve. He is down there. The wind is getting up more here. Looking down

there. The hurdles are not out but that is the mat for the pole vault

which they have been waiting for all afternoon. They were due to get off

at 1:15pm. I am not sure if that is a positive. Denise? It looks as

though they are preparing for something. Just think how vulnerable

the athletes are once they leave the ground. The slightest bit of wind

taking them out of position, it is very dangerous. They obviously deem

it is ready. Outside, it is getting up a little bit more and I notice

some rain coming through. No snow just yet. All weather conditions out

here in is your egg tonight. They are carrying on taking that often

night which is good. -- here in is Zurich. One of the events that we

are looking forward to tonight is the women's 100 hurdles. Tiffany

Porter is taking part in this. She goes into this as the favourite and

is really looking forward to it. I thrive off competition. One special

thing with the hurdles is that everybody is so good. It really

makes you step up your game as an athlete and makes you not slack off

in practice. There are so many other hurdlers who are so good right now.

I feed off that energy and it helps to propel me in the competition.

Last year was very special for many reasons. It served as a little bit

of a redemption from the disappointment of the Olympics in

2012. Then the fact that everybody had been performing so well.

Everybody counted me out at the World Championships. I probably

didn't expect me to medal. The fact that I came away with my first

global outdoor medal, it is very special. It gave me a bit of

confidence knowing that I can run with the best of the world and

compete with them. Tiffany Porter of Great Britain picking up her first

medal. I couldn't really dwell too much on how I did in door because I

knew Commonwealth was the next big thing. To be honest, even though I

did get my silver medal and I was super thrilled, I didn't execute the

best race I could have so I am looking to learn from that and put

together a better race. I was very happy with my silver medal but I

have work to do here at the European Championships. She has qualified

quickest into the final tonight. She has shown a great progress. It feels

like it is Tiffany's time. She has improved so much in the last couple

of years. The only person standing in her way is Cindy Billaud of

France. Another Great Britain-France jewel. Cindy has the faster time but

she has not got a European title. She is not the woman with the medals

around her neck so it is going to be an interesting dual to see who can

handle the pressure. I think Tiffany is the favourite. -- Cindy is the

favourite. We have got the semifinal and the final of the 100 metres

tonight. Jimmy Vicaud is definitely out. He didn't look too bad

yesterday. It is an injury that will keep him out for the rest of the

season. I am so shocked and disappointed for him. Yesterday, he

looked fantastic. He only seemed to work for about 40 metres and then

cruised through a very low ten second run. Very disappointing. The

wind has even got to the knees's hair. She might need a sponsor on

the hairspray X donation we need to get some more official

news. Can you explain the situation now? Jury the pole vault week

observed a heavy weather report. The emergency committee considered that

there was a danger for the athletes to continue the competition. We have

decided to postpone it. Then the weather was so bad and the forecast

was so I'm clear that we decided to postpone the competition by 30

minutes. We should start imminently now and we hope to finish on time.

We will try to squeeze everything in. The wind will not pick up but

will go down. It will probably last for another hour or hour and a half

at this level and then it will drop. The medal ceremonies have been to

postponed. We hope that the hundred metres final will finish on time. It

is a tremendous challenge for all the judges and referees. Right now,

it feels quite still. We are at the best protected area in the stadium.

Obviously, the higher up you are, especially the pole vault, the more

wind gust you feel. We had a couple of panels blown away in the area

behind the stadium so the wind speed was up to 80 or 90 kilometres per

hour. That is a dangerous situation and we cannot put anybody at risk.

Athlete safety is paramount so thank you for explaining it to others.

There we go. We are already behind the revised schedule. Let me remind

you of what it is. Imminently, we are supposed to be experiencing the

men's 400 metres hurdles. There are no hurdles out. I suspect that is

not going to happen for at least five or 26 we have the women's 100

metres semifinals. There is a trio that we hope will all make it

through to the finals. Then it is the women's 400 metres semifinals,

Christine Ohuruogu looking good. Then it is the men's 100 metres

semifinals. We have just heard that Jimmy Vicaud is out. Then it is the

men's 10,000 metres final featuring Mo Farah and Andy Vernon. The men's

discus final could be fun in this weather. Then at 7:55pm it is the

men's 800 metres semifinals. I suspect those times might shift by

a human at each but keep with us and we will keep you up-to-date. -- by a

few minutes each. There are the hurdles. We are now past 6:30pm

which is the time we were supposed to go off, it gives us more time to

build up to some of tonight 's events, the men's 100 metres

semifinals later on will feature James Dasaolu who has had a slow

start to his season because he did not manage to appear at the

Commonwealth Games because of injury, he has still managed to post

two 10.03 runs. He will be hoping that the form will come through and

he can produce at a major championship, he was disappointed at

the World Championships last year but feels this could be his time.

I have only raced to a three times seriously this season so I feel I am

quite fresh. My plan was to always continue competing throughout the

season. Whether I had been selected or not I was always going to

continue, I am still developing, I still want to run a personal best

this season. I am happy to be selected and it is unfortunate for

Christian but she is a youngster who will have more Championships in him.

In the sprints you have still got Dwain Chambers. Christophe Lemaitre

who has gone 9.95. The names go on and on. In terms of the quality of

the 100 and 200 metre running, to win it or get medals you have got to

be running at your best and running world-class times. Being the

European Championship, I think as sprinters, as British athletes, it

is a chance for us to pick up a medal and use it as a stepping

stone, because there are no Americans or Jamaicans or the rest

of the world, it is a smaller competition but still a good

competition. It is a stage for you to show what you can do.

That is a good sign, those are the hurdles being put out for the men's

400 metres, the heats. They were due to start about five minutes ago but

we understand in about ten minutes time they should be going. This

weather has not put off one erstwhile competitor, there he is,

the official mask it doing the high wire -- the official mascot.

LAUGHTER We are not sure if that is a heifer

or a boule but whatever he started the evening as he might be the

opposite. He is going back up, I think that is a heifer. Whatever you

do don't try that at home. James Dasaolu, let's get back to the

serious business, he has shown such huge promise and only one of

performances has managed to produce the times, what he really wants to

do is put back to the serious business, he has shown such huge

promise and only one of performances has managed to produce the times,

what he really wants to do is put he looked good in the heats. I think we

are seeing a more mature James come through.

With the Frenchman pulling out with his injury that has opened it up a

little bit, he is the one he would have feared the most. Yes, he was

the favourite coming in, and I think now it could be the conditions he is

feeling the most. If you have got a weak hamstring the last thing you

want is whether like this. Because of the timetable now being

compressed they will try to catch it up and that means between the

semifinal and final they will have less recovery time and I don't know

if that is a good thing or a bad thing for him. Most sprinters

prepare to get on with it. They cannot go back to the warm up track

because it is a few miles away. They will put their head down and it will

be fine, it is only 100 metres! LAUGHTER

Key is in the right headspace but it is going to be a challenge, but

athletes have to get used to this, competing in the rain, dealing with

interruptions to your preparation, it will be a test of who has the

mental toughness to get through it. We can tell you who has the

experience, Dwain Chambers at his sixth European Championship. He

knows time is running out and every major championship could be his

last. This is what I am born to do. Every time you step on that line you

are running for your life. I want to start with that fantastic

performance at the trials, the isolated shot where we saw you

running down the lane was one of the most incredible things I have seen,

the determination, drive and passion, you are not going to lose

that day. It is funny you mention that I have still not seen the race

to this day. I have seen the side view but not the head-on view that

you talk about. We had the youngsters coming up and I was not

about to lose. It is a blessing and a curse having the youngsters

around, they want to take your position that you are being pushed

on to greater heights yourself. You cannot rest on your laurels. Not at

all, what is the unique and fantastic aspect of it is that the

sport is flourishing with talent, so many athletes that can run fast. The

sport has been missing that for a while. I look down the line and

think they will pass me one day but not right now. It keeps me

motivated. I realise now I will not be able to do this forever. I

learned to take everything with open arms and embrace it all the time. I

did not have that attitude when I was younger, it was a lot more easy,

more fun, less desire. Now I am closer to the end it matters more.

When the crowd cheers that is it. That feeling you get, you cannot buy

that. I want to hold onto that as long as possible because once that

feeling has gone that is it. Britain has a great tradition in the sprints

at this particular championship and it is where you sprang to prominence

16 years ago now. It is a primary event for us as European and British

printers. It is a title we carry with a great amount of pride. There

has always been a rivalry between us and the French, and as much of the

depth of talent we have got in Britain we have to go up against

athletes like Martino, Christophe Lemaitre. I have already set my

sights on what I want to do and if I am able to get a win and a sub ten

second bonus that is Christmas birthday, lottery, everything in

one. That is a good sign, they are athletes and they are coming out to

run the 400 metre hurdles which are out on the track now. We are hoping

that any moment now they will be stripped down and in the start

blocks and we can show you some live athletics. The crowd have been

sitting waiting patiently for these athletes to urge. There is Mo

Farah, very briefly a shot of Mo Farah there. He might be speaking to

you on twitter or text Paula. We will get down to the track in a

moment to show you the 400 metre hurdles, but Dwain Chambers, we

spoke about him yesterday, the Pirelli all competitor, able to keep

at bay the young and really keen pups who are coming up behind him.

The British Championships, Dwain Chambers showed why again and again

he has managed to break through. Yes, he came alive again. He was

very good in the championships, I don't think anyone predicted he

would win it, but deep down he knows how to rise to the occasion, the big

moments, and he will probably do the same tonight. He knows there is an

opportunity that he could sneak into the final and if he is in the final

anything can happen, he has been here before. I just think again, an

athlete a bit like Andy Turner who knows the end is nigh, coming to the

end of his career who would love to go out on a high. The athletes are

warming up at the moment on the track, said Rogers for Great Britain

going in the first of these semifinal heats -- Sebastian Rodger

's. We will see live athletics this season. It has dropped down to I am

guessing 13, 14 degrees. It is feeling like a winter European

athletics championship at the moment, not height of summer.

Roger's hoping he will make it through the semifinal. I am suitably

dressed and you are correct, it was much warmer at the world indoor

championships than we have it there right now. These conditions will be

difficult for the 400-metre hurdler is, very blustery, talking about

getting accurate stride pattern earns this could be dangerous

territory especially if you are quite inexperienced. Stay warm, you

would get, we will catch up with you later. Thank you. The first 400

metre hurdle semifinal about to go off shortly so let's hand you to

Andrew Cotter. Sebastian Rodger, the European under

23 championships last year that he showed great promise, ran very

well. Almost all of the athletes who competed in the final there are

involved in the semifinals here. A great crop of young hurdlers.

Look out for Patryk Dobek of Poland. Janis Baltuss, the Latvian

champion for the last couple of years. Stanislas Wawrinka on the

court of bronze-medallist at the last two European Championships but

I don't think he is in the form to threaten -- Stanislas Wawrinka

McCall -- Stanislav Melnykov. The tall figure of Varg Konigsmark, the

former European champion. The flying mullets, the quickest of the

qualifiers, Denis Kudryavtsev. The youngest in the line-up is Patryk

Dobek. Michal Broz. Leonardo Capotosti, the Italian champion, a

man who has never run below 50 seconds so this might be a bit of a

stretch. Very pleasant now in terms of sunshine, there is still the

strong breeze. We are ready for some athletics and we are grateful for

that. The first of three semifinals. The first two go through

automatically plus the two fastest losers over the three.

Away they go, perhaps the main rival for Sebastian Rodger go in the lanes

immediately outside temp, barring conics mark, and Patryk Dobek. --

Varg Konigsmark. Patryk Dobek making up ground, passing the shell brawls.

Running very strongly. -- Michal Broz. Sebastian Rodger losing a

little bit of ground at the moment. Varg Konigsmark, the lanky German.

These three clear at the moment but Sebastian Rodger still in touch,

working for one of the automatic qualifying places. It is so close.

It might have just been Denis Kudryavtsev. Sebastian Rodger run

well but although the two fastest losers go through it might be the

end of his run. It becomes very competitive around this stage

whether guys can see what the others are doing. You are quite anxious or

nervous to see whether you push into the final barrier. These three, they

did it well. Now that real mad dash for the tape. I will be interested

to see what the result is. Could Raea -- could Raea seven -- could

this is the result. A personal best for Varg Konigsmark. The decathlon

pole vaulters are warming up. A very unusual situation. This event was

supposed to be concluded in the morning session. Six athletes were

unable to come pleat their events. They are lining up with a huge

crosswind. Carrying a 5.5 metre fibre class Paul, it is going to be

difficult. The competition leader knocked off the bar. You have to

feel sorry for him. He won't have accumulated the points he would

expect in the eighth event of the ten. It will have an impact on the

eventual result. The six athletes who have yet to compete in this

event will have a chance to catch up with Kai Kazmirek. You can see the

trouble that the wind is causing in the field events. We will go on with

the second of the 400 metres hurdles semifinals. Former champion Montsho

has tested positive in Herbie Sample after the Commonwealth Games. What

kind of ban would you expect after that? I would guess it would be in

the six to 12 months region. It is a stimulant, or a masking agent. They

could go heavier. Montsho who has been the antagonise of Christine

Ohuruogu, so many head to heads, not least last year at the world

champions where Christine Ohuruogu came up with that tremendous finish.

It could be the end of that rival because Montsho is a bit older. It

could be the end of that rivalry. Disappointing for her. If it is a

mistake, something that she has overlooked, even though an athlete

has to take responsibility for everything that they put in their

mouths, drinks, stimulants, whatever. It is very difficult. She

is targeting Rio. She has not been brilliant this season. She will have

a positive test, however long that ban is that is meted out to her.

Burton is looking to go through, as is Thomas Barr of Northern Ireland.

Steve Cram is at the track now. That man who you have seen introduced

just their Kariem Hussein is one of the big hopes of these championships

for Switzerland. Thomas Barr, a mechanical engineering student, he

had his final exams this year, he has a student world record. A

fantastic season for him. Emir Bekric is starting to rediscover his

form. Tom Burton goes on the outside. Training partner of Nile

Flannery who you will see in the next semifinal. The top two and the

two fastest losers to go through. Tom Burton will have two run a

lifetime's best. To go through. Down on the track, I don't think it is as

windy as it is up in the studio and on the concourse. Barr and Tom

Burton. Barr said he would have to go low 49 is if he is to progress.

But I think he could do it. Kariem Hussein did not go off all that well

in Lane 3. The Swiss crowd will be cheering him on. The toll Serbian in

red in Lane 6. Thomas Barr has a bit of work to do down the back

straight. -- tall Serbian. A little check back from Thomas Barr of

Ireland. He lost a lot of ground. Tom Burton is struggling as well.

This is where Hussein is very good. The top to only go through. Tom

Parsons must his way across the finish line. He was out of it. Not

the sort of race he would have wanted to run. -- Tom Barr. Just

watching the top end, he lost quite a bit of ground and then came

through like a train. I was watching Hussein from Switzerland and how he

judged his race. He was very cagey early on. I think he was saving

himself for this final three flights. As soon as he came into the

home straight, the Swiss man put his foot down and put pressure on every

single body outside of him. He judged it well. Allowing him to run

off it well. Diving for the line. Thomas Barr had to dive for the

line. I am not sure if it is going to be quick enough. Just quick

enough. But unfortunately the one he pushes out is Sebastian Rodger. Both

of the British athletes are out. Nile Flannery yet to come in the

third semifinal. Beck -- Bekric is back and looking dangerous. A little

fist bump from Thomas Barr who knows he is still in it at the moment.

Only two places available for the fastest losers. He is the second of

the two. Good performances from Hussein and beck rich -- Bekric are

one and two. The latest on the weather, the locals have said that

it should pass over in the next hour or so. We have an hour of high winds

and storm like conditions. The revised schedule is 16 minutes

behind which leads to a lot of uncertainty for these athletes,

especially as the warm up track is 15 minutes behind. So you have a

long period where you are not warm. You have to be very focused. It is

not unusual for delays to occur. Find a spot inside, another warm up

track. Somewhere quiet. Just lie down, listen to some music if you

can and get your mind in the right place. Or use your phone, depending

on what you are used for. You cannot get hacked up and angry, you have to

stay cool and relaxed. I am trying. You saw Mo Farah on the phone. He is

due to go off in the 10,000 metres at eight minutes past eight. That is

looking more like 8:30pm. We will keep you posted. With the power's

difference it is 730 PM back home. Back to the 400 metres hurdles.

Andrew Cotter will describe this one for you. COMMENTATOR: Nile Flannery

is the last Britain remaining. Just to going through to the final so it

is by no means guaranteed. Thomas Barr will be watching with great

interest and he is talking to us just now. A tremendous effort, you

gave it your all and you are in a fastest loser section. It didn't go

very smoothly. It was a bit of a messy one. We will have to see how

this semi goes. It is not going to give me an optimum lane, even if I

get through to the final but I will take it if I can get it. How much

did the delay affect you? Yesterday, my hip was quite sore. It is an

injury I have. I woke up with it, the track surface, because it is so

hard, it brought it back. I have had several physio sessions. I need to

keep it warmed up, so it wasn't ideal. But everybody is in the same

boat at the end of the day. We all had a 45 minute delay. How was the

injury? I didn't feel it too much. I hit the dirt at the end of the day

but I am not too bad. We wish you well. Thank you very much. Just

waiting for this hideous storm to pass through. It is a beautiful

evening at the moment. So, anyway. We are ready for the last of the

semifinals in the men's 400 metres hurdles. Nile Flannery goes in this

one. Jussi Kanervo does not start for Finland in Lane 1. That is

Flannery. He has had a little bit of a blip in form. In the Diamond

league he was very critical of his own performance. He was inconsistent

in the Commonwealth Games. Finishing just outside the medals. Just to get

into the final, to give himself a chance of a medal, that is what he

wants. Rasmus Magi is a big threat. Oskari Moro and the Timofey Chalyy

in Lane 7 and eight. Flannery is being run down by Felix Franz at the

moment. He likes to come through strongly in the latter stages. Felix

Franz is passed him at the moment. Rasmus Magi is running strong at the

moment. Flannery is a long way back at the moment. Felix Franz striding

out well. Rasmus Magi looking strong. Flannery is leaving himself

a lot of work to do. He is going to have to come from the other end of

the earth. It is too far and too late. It is a good run from Rasmus

Magi and a good runner from Timofey Chalyy. But where was Nile Flannery?

Sometimes he has been inconsistent. That was one of his bad runs. He is

out. I don't know if the applause is sarcastic or not, but it wasn't good

from Nile Flannery. Look at the winning time, Rasmus Magi was

absolutely cruising coming down the home straight, very quick

performance so you can see why Niall Flannery was slightly off the pace,

that he has been up and down, an inconsistent season three can

imagine how frustrated he has got to be right now. This race will be very

competitive. Rasmus Magi is looking really strong. Niall Flannery was

struggling from the start. Yes he did not get into the groove from the

gun really. It'll be interesting to hear he says about it can sometimes

he says he does not know why it doesn't all come together. If you

can remember the common wealth games, he struggled in the early

rounds and produced a good performance in the final. At this

level you have to be consistent. Get into the finals because that is the

only time you can get the medals. Disappointing for Niall Flannery,

disappointing for the British athletes. Both of the fastest losers

coming from this sheet. -- this heat. Talk about it being difficult

for the athletes, what about this for the Paul Walters? --

that was his first attempt this afternoon after a long wait. He is

really struggling with a very strong winds, it has dropped somewhat. The

sky has cleared as you can see. To come back with very little warm up,

he is now on two failures. Has a clearance of 4.70. One more attempt

remains. There are the qualifiers who go through to the final which

takes place later on this evening, let's say that. No British athletes

in there but it you'd still be a great final. Look out for that one

when it comes. STUDIO: There is Mo Farah, his time has been pushed back

somewhat, we are expecting sometime around 7:30pm, quite a few events to

get underway on the tracks. Hundred metres semifinals for the men and

women. Mo Farah looks very relaxed, like he is keen to go, but he knows

it is an achievable race. Nobody there that should scare him. Not

really, he is warming up with a couple of the closest people to

him, on time in the race, the Belgian and the Frenchman and they

are still 45 seconds behind him on personal best. He should come in and

be able to run this race as he pleases and in control. I suspect

even more so now with the weather, but what we are likely to see is a

slow race with a burn up over the last lap. I don't think we will see

anyone making any brave beds for glory. Thank you, that coming up in

50, 60 minutes. Everything has slept on the schedule because of the

weather. Next on track is the women's 100 metres semifinals. The

Briton with three chances of success. -- Great Britain with three

chances. The first of those semifinals

features Ashleigh Nelson, she ran a new personal best yesterday in the

heats, that is what you want to run an athlete isn't it as they are in

these championships? Absolutely, I am delighted for Ashley, she has got

herself into tremendous shape this season. Personal best in the

qualifying rounds, she will know that she is in with a chance, she

really is. It is good running, a good standard at these

championships, so I am looking forward to seeing how she handles

this qualification with only the first two qualifying and the two

fastest, she has to be on point. She has Myriam Soumare just on her

outside. Yes and she looked good. In the qualifying rounds you see people

running hard until about 80 metres and then switch off but she did not,

she ran from gun to tape, putting down a marker. She looks good. Let's

get out to commentary, Andrew Cotter, I bet they are raring to go.

They certainly are. We caught a glimpse of Amy Foster there. Jamile

Samuel struggled in the first round for such a big talent. And new

personal best in the first round. Ashleigh Nelson, took off one tenth

the second on her personal best in the first round. Very quickly. Was

Myriam Soumare R. She said she was in great shape and she came here to

run beautiful times. She did not leave anything out there at all.

Ezinne Okparaebo, a little bit off her personal best a couple of years

ago. Rebekka Haase of Germany goes in Lane 7. And on the outside lane

Andreea Ograzeanu of Romania. The first of three semifinals, there is

Amy Foster. The Irish record-holder. As we saw with the hurdlers, it

depends with where the wind is on the home straight, but the

conditions are not too bad at all for some decent times. We have Amy

Foster in Lane 1. Jamile Samuel in Lane 2, Hanna-Maari Latvala in Lane

3, Ashleigh Nelson in Lane 4, Myriam Soumare in lane five, Ezinne

Okparaebo in Lane 6, Rebekka Haase in Lane 7 and Andreea Ograzeanu in

Lane 8. Ashleigh Nelson away nicely but look at Myriam Soumare go.

Ashleigh Nelson making a move, she is coming through, challenging

Myriam Soumare. 11.18 into a strong wind, good run by Myriam Soumare R.

That'll have been close to her new personal best, Ashleigh Nelson, she

is safely through to the final. Did you see her smile when she came

across the line, she knows she has done a good job, but it's good

European athletes behind her. Good start by Ashleigh Nelson, trying to

get into her beautiful running as quickly as she can. She knows the

Norwegian always blisters out of the blocks. Look how close she was too

one of the favourites, Myriam Soumare. This is a really good,

strong performance by Ashleigh Nelson and buy one of the

favourites, Myriam Soumare. Out of the blocks, let's have a look at

both of these athletes. Out of the blocks, working hard for the first

ten, 15 metres. Use all the energy they can to get their bodies to an

upright position so they can use the core strength to keep them upright

so they can move their limbs as quickly as they possibly can. Both

of these ladies execute that very well in this race. The key is not to

fade, try to maintain speed as long as you can. Both of these ladies

through to the final. Yes, good running by Ashleigh Nelson. Would

have beaten her old personal best, and into that when it is a very good

run. -- into that wind. STUDIO: Good running from Ashleigh Nelson,

hopefully the first of three Brits we will see in the finals. Yes, she

did not have the best of starts, she ran brilliantly. I am delighted. She

was slightly down on the two main girls on her outside, Myriam Soumare

and Ezinne Okparaebo, but she kept focused, kept her technique tidy and

got the all valuable second spot which is brilliant running from a

girl so young. It was really key that she focused on her lane, Myriam

Soumare has been the class act in these championships so far so she

knew if she could hang onto her tale she would be fine. Lovely head-on

shot. She has got herself into such fantastic shape this year. Lost some

weight, strong, quick, and as you can see from her technique she is

relaxed. Not too worried by the girls on her outside, focusing only

on her lane as she ought to. This is great qualification and now she has

got to get her head back down and prepare for the finals. Which will

happen in about an hour and a half, the schedule has slept because of

the weather. Next up for Great Britain we have Desiree Henry,

another big personal best in her seat. She has Dafne Schippers who is

the favourite. Ran a fantastic meet in Glasgow at the Diamond league.

The heptathlete who comes and storms are world-class field. She is

looking incredibly good. She is looking great, I think she is the

favourite, she is looking to do the double but she has got to get

through this. There's three Henry, first time on the senior circuit,

she has to hold her nerve and not panic because Dafne Schippers will

be coming through hard. COMMENTATOR: Yes, these two were

very good in qualification. We now can educate in Lane 1.

What about people Tour of Germany, the German champion in fine form.

Henry, former world youth champion at 200 metres. Full of smiles. Dafne

Schippers I am sure she is looking forward to it. She topped the

rankings with Myriam Soumare coming into this. Celine Distel-Bonnet also

having a good season, what's a good season, what's good things happen in

European sprinting for women at the minute. Italia Pogrebnyack of the

Ukraine in Lane 7. -- Nataliya Pohrebnyak.

Conditions, you have been talking about it all evening, it has not

been that bad down on the track, down around about 1.9, into their

faces. That will slow the times, but it was fairly swift, 11.17 into that

wind for Myriam Soumare. At this kid has just appeared behind Desiree

Henry. -- at discus. First two and the two fastest losers going

through. Henry gets a pretty good start, Dafne Schippers coming

through, very tight for second that Henry might just get there and she

does. The wind there saying it was with her, it is swirling around, I

just thought the starter might have called them back because you can see

the lane markers being blown around. Good concentration from these women,

she is only 18, not sure she will have had all these delays to deal

with in the past. Let's see if we can confirm her second place. I

think it was a clear second place. Conditions really difficult for

them, you can imagine when you are lining up that it is a head winds

and then suddenly it is behind you and it changes the way you think

about the race and how you approach it. Very good performance by the

young lady. I think she will be pleased with that, one of the

favourites next to her, your youthful, enjoying the environment

and all of a sudden you throw yourself into a major final. Raleigh

and performance from her. Dafne Schippers herself has never been in

this position in a major championship. Just watched her

crossing the line, she has run 11.21 again, there is no dip there. I know

you were a great exponent of it, Colin. Shippers comes over and says,

well done, young lady, you are through. So, two out of three into

the final for Great Britain. Dafne Schippers is heading the qualifiers

so far. That wind just turned around enough for her. Distel-Bonnet is in

a good position, as well. Third and final attempt for Rico Freimuth to

go clear at four metres and 90 centimetres. One of those failures

carried over from this afternoon. Big delays. Can he go clear? That is

better. Look at that. What a great clearance after what has been a bit

of a mess. The athletes have been very patient. Rico Freimuth with a

personal best. Congratulations on reaching the final. I cannot believe

it. I ran another lifetime best. I am extremely happy with that. I just

relaxed and enjoyed myself. I cannot believe I am in the final and I am

very happy with that. You have the favourite alongside you, Dafne

Schippers. We are pretty much training partners, so I was quite

excited. It is quite exciting and we are enjoying ourselves.

Congratulations. Yet ready for the final. All the best in that. Thank

you! Two consecutive parallel pools in this pole vault competition. A

much more considerable height of five metres and 20. It will gain him

much more points if he clears it and he does. The Russian goes clear at

5.20. He has a lifetime best of 5.40. Trying to do the maths on this

is going to be tight. There are going to be five or six athletes in

contention for the medals. But he has just put himself right in the

mix. Talking about how British sprinting is improving. Never before

has there been three footage women in a final. Ashleigh Nelson is

through, it is eerie -- Desiree Henry is through, Asha Philip now

trying to go through. This is one of the favourites, if that Lalova.

There is Asha Phillip. That is Audrey Alloh of Italy. Next to her

the French athlete IO Delhi EQ son. -- EQ son. -- Ikuesan. Kambundji of

Switzerland can also run close to 11.30. If Asha Phillip does not get

close to Sailer or Lalova, look for the time. 11.30 is the fastest at

the moment. Asha Phillip is out fairly well. Sailer going well.

Alongside Kambundji of Switzerland. Ikuesan also going well. Lalova got

the win. Looking at the time 11.15, a flat wind. A close race to pick

over. We are all looking at that. A scratch of the head. Looking what

the positions will be. Listen to the raw because Kambundji has been given

second place, the Swiss athlete. Lalova is a great 200 metre runner

and she holds herself through to take the victory. She set a new

national record in the semifinal. A very strong performance. This is

going to be very close. It is going to come down to the time for Asha

Phillip. So close to getting one of the fastest loser times. Lalova

pulls herself through. She is the quality athlete in this field. We

knew it was going to be very tight. Sailer explodes out of the blocks. A

very good 60 metre athlete. Lalova is very small but you expect her to

get off to a good start and she is a very consistent runner, smooth,

silky. Asha Phillip had to work all the way through. Pressure on her

right and her left. I think she is over striding. She tries to gather

herself. This is going to be tight. Some very interesting looks at the

time. Asha Phillip looks like she might be through but it is

borderline at the moment. And it is changing. Let's talk to her. A

little bit of confusion. 11.24 would be enough to get you through. How do

you assess the race? It was a terrible race. The end was a bit

sticky but if I have qualified, it is all I need, to be in the final.

So many great athletes in the final, if you are through there will be

three British athletes. That would be wonderful. To have is all in the

final, it would be amazing. We appreciate you talking to us. You

are welcome. Thank you. It still hasn't been confirmed. It is coming

down to Distel-Bonnet and it hasn't been confirmed whether Asha Phillip

is through yet. This decathlon has turned into a bit of a dog 's

dinner. The event leader has moved on to the ninth discipline, the

javelin. The pole vaulters are still at the other end. The German in the

lead, well, that is debatable depending on what the guys at the

other end of the stadium are doing. The frustration might have gone into

the javelin. A bit of extra power after being eliminated from the pole

vault competition earlier than he wanted. He has a lifetime best of

62.25 and it looks like he might have extended that. That is

significant. 63.12. Great stuff. We still do not know whether Asha

Phillip has made it through to the final. They are just going through

the tapes, working out the three girls, on the exact same time, which

has the 1000th of an advantage. Asha Phillip who trains with Dafne

Schippers. She tells her to chase her down but she is the girl in

command at the moment. A great run from her. She is consistently

bringing her personal best down. Just back from the world Junior

Championships. Before those championships, we weren't sure that

she was in this sort of shape. We heard that she occasionally trains

with Dafne Schippers, in America, in April, so she is very aware of what

she can do. Just look at her. As I said, the arms need tidying up a

little bit but a sensational time from somebody so young. She could go

quicker in the final. Her physique is reminiscent of the great Merlene

Ottey. We can now see Christine Ohuruogu down on the track. It is an

off-season for her but she is running herself into shape, as she

always does, producing a PB in the semifinals. Andrew Cotter is your

commentator for this semifinal. We did think she was saving herself for

the World Championships next year but she could be in the running for

a gold medal after that personal best, a seasoned's best, 51.40.

Esther Cremer, four times the German champion. In the Lane 8, we have got

the Russian. Gay of France in one, Bazzoni of Italy.

It seems that Zadorina is out. She has not come to the start. We

expected a steady start. Christine Ohuruogu ran a pretty even race in

qualifying. Esther Cremer is already. The Ukrainian has gone off

very quickly in Lane 3. Christine Ohuruogu beginning to wind it up.

Esther Cremer is on the outside of Christine Ohuruogu and she is

beginning to make ground on her. Just three to go through

automatically. Christine Ohuruogu will need to put in her famous cake.

She is going to come through in second place. A good win for

Terrero. Christine not as impressive in the second round as she was in

the first round. The main thing is that she does go through to the

final. A shake of the head. I think she knew that was not very good by

her standards. I was a bit worried. There was nothing happening for a

while. It was more that the others faded, not that anything happened

for her. Esther Cremer is a 200 metre runner formally and hasn't

quite got the 400 yet. This is where Christine Ohuruogu realised she had

work to do. It is not that she is accelerating. She just keeps

maintaining. Even she was a bit concerned, leaning a little bit.

With Zadorina not lining up for the race, obviously another person who

could have been a factor coming in for this. Terrero running well and

Christine doing enough to qualify but I think the shake of the head

tells you everything. From the beginning, I thought she had got out

OK. She was probably thinking that she would let Esther Cremer go. Then

on the back straight she would be OK. I do not know if the long delay

has affected her. It hasn't been a normal season for her. Didn't quite

get into it. We saw her earlier on helping to clear the track. Maybe

she exerted a bit of energy doing that. At least she is through and no

panic as far as that is concerned. She will perhaps reflect on her

first-round time and carry that board rather than dwelling on that

one there. Assess the race? I was tired, I do not have my race

fitness, after having ran really well yesterday, running really

poorly today. I am a bit surprised but I will just have to take it.

What about the long period waiting around, did that affect you at all?

I don't know. The conditions meaning delay in the schedule, I wonder that

affected you? You try not to think about it, it is just one of those

things. In the final at least. Yes I think it is really handy that I have

a day off, I think in terms of my fitness I need a day off, I think it

works in my favour, I can go back and rest and come back on Friday.

Thank you for talking to us. Thank you. Second is better than third in

terms of the lane draw, but Indira Terrero was a good bit clear of

Christine Ohuruogu. STUDIO: I guess that is what happens when you don't

have the normal build-up to a major championship, she was surprised at

how difficult she found certainly the last 150 metres, not her normal

self, she came through as she normally seems to. You were not

panicking. Under my breath I was panicking. I had a long chat with

her, the duration of the flight from London to Switzerland about the 400

and she was saying that when you don't race much you lose the

instinctive feeling of when to actually attack, when to go. That

showed in this race. She got up and looked good enough in the first 200

metres but then, we are so used to her coming back through so strongly

in the last 50 metres, it just sort of did not happen. She will take

that away, go back to the drawing board and she will think about, just

think about what went wrong there for her. She does have that fool day

off which will be very handy. -- full. Let's hand you to Steve Cram

because he has news of the women's qualification for the final of the

100 metres. COMMENTATOR: Yes the bad news is that Asha Philip did not

make it through. It comes down to thousands of a second, we thought

there might be up possibility of nine in the final but they have

stuck with eight and it is the Frenchwoman who will contest it,

there will not be three British women in the final. Disappointment

for Asha Philip, Christine Ohuruogu through thankfully safely if not

surreal life. -- Syrian lay. This is how the second semifinal

will line up. So who are the big rivals for

Christine Ohuruogu? One of them will be all as Emily at -- Olha Zemlyak.

She had a drugs ban back in 2009. Libania Grenot came here with the

fastest time coming into the European Championships but looked

completely out of sorts in qualification but she is attacking

this hard. Marie Gayot watching hard-core right past her. With Barry

grown-up likes to start quickly. Olha Zemlyak is going with her. Just

the top two going through. It is Olha Zemlyak and Libania Grenot.

Olha Zemlyak coming through, still well clear. Three to qualify. Aauri

Lorena Bokesa will get the third spot. Much quicker than the first

semifinal. I think there are a few tired athletes out there. It is

difficult, we were discussing that in the hurdles the wind down the

back straight, maybe they are getting out quickly and having to

face the wind out of it in the home straight and tiring. Olha Zemlyak

pretty strong. Yes pretty much went to form. And the time they have

produced a little bit quicker than the first semifinal. Adds to the

slight concerns for Christine Ohuruogu in the final. Will have to

produce something pretty good. Olha Zemlyak looks the strongest going

into the final I think. She had that very troubled start to her career,

troubled to say the least, failed a drug test at the European junior

championship and server two year ban and she has come back and is running

very well she does look strong, not losing any form down the back

straight. Libania Grenot very strong as well. But I think Olha Zemlyak

will be the athlete to beat. The fact that that semifinal was quicker

it means the fourth and fifth from this race will go through to the

final. We can wrap all of that up, the qualification is now complete. I

still think Christine Ohuruogu has a great chance. She will have a day to

recover and rest. Olha Zemlyak and Libania Grenot our class athletes

but they are not in the same class if Christine Ohuruogu is running up

to scratch. This is what all domination for Mo

Farah. This year, I need to do something. Beautiful.

Mo Farah will be on the track in about half an hours time for the

men's 10,000 metres, hoping to do another double off the back of a

World Championship double gold last year. Bat after his Olympic double

gold. We were talking about what he does next and how he moves things

forward in his career, is there a reason why he would not want to go

down to just one race? When you have trained for the five you might as

well do the ten? Will it make a difference as he gets older to just

focus on one? Absolutely, it is very hard to do the double at major

championships is specially when there are heaps, it will be easier

here because the heats have been cancelled. They are essentially

running 20,000 metres on the track over the space of a week and that is

very tough to do and recover from. As he matures a little bit, as he

matures, I will not say gets older, he will find it harder, and he will

find the competition level will be tough as well. So he may want to

just target one race and prepare specifically for that. Of victory

this evening in a field which is eminently beatable for him. That

would help, settle things down, because there has been lots of

chatter about how his season is going. I gold medal winning

performance with these things are little bit. Yes, I think so and I

think he needs it right now. His interviews so far have been a bit

downbeat. He has not been well, not racing as he would like. To get

victory here would really give him the confidence that he seems to be

lacking. We are going to begin the men's 400 metres semifinal heats

shortly. Conrad Williams of Great Britain goes in the first, he has

won five medals in the relays at major championships, is this time

for him to mix it amongst the individual medals? Steve Cram is

your commentator. COMMENTATOR: I think that is a stretch for Conrad

Williams. He is not in the most difficult semifinal. I think

Hudson-Smith has the most difficult of the three semifinals, the top two

only going through. Kevin Borlee perhaps running better

than his twin at the moment. Beat him in the Belgian championships.

Lee Marvin Bone back here -- Lee-Marvin Bonevacia. Kamghe Gaba

well-known to European 400 metre running fans, and certainly

well-known to Conrad Williams, has raced him on many occasions. Conrad,

32 years of age, out in Lane 8, it would be good to see him up there

and trying to content but this is going to be tough. He was third in

his heat to come through, qualification was not that good.

Rafal Omelko came through as a fastest loser and is on the inside.

It is not just about getting through here, the laden line-up for the

final, the importance of winning the semifinal, something the better

athletes will be thinking about, Maksim Dyldin has got a great

chance. All of them can chase Conrad Williams.

Just being asked to rise, not sure if it is just the noise in the

stadium. Dick athletes milling around, they are currently doing the

javelin -- decathlon athletes. I saw a green card at one end and

there seems to be a yellow card in lane two. I have never heard Alan

speak French. The chief starter leaves it to the

starter for this race. Just a quiet little word to Yannick Fonsat in

lane two. Here we go again. First semifinal,

Conrad Williams in lane eight. Safely away this time, just watching

for who attacks this hard, Kevin Borlee has gone off quickly in lane

three, trying to make ground on Maksim Dyldin. Conrad Williams has

started quickly as always. Yannick Fonsat trying to follow Kevin Borlee

through. Kevin Borlee looking good at the moment, lovely smooth action,

Conrad Williams has gone hard, can he last it down in the home

straight? Now they will all start to try to come through, Conrad Williams

are running really through well here, Conrad Williams setting up the

run brilliant Odin lane eight, he is holding on. 4586. That is about as

good as you can do in lane eight, he has run his race but did the others?

That was a strange one because if you said at the beginning that

Conrad Williams would run 45.86I would have said I would not have

fancied his chances coming in the top two. Kevin Borlee faded badly

and the others were nothing at all, well done Conrad Williams. It was

the giant German Kamghe Gaba who came through. You wouldn't have

expected that to be good enough for the victory. There was plenty of

control from Kevin Borlee there. You just expected more of him. Maksim

Dyldin left him self with too much to do after the opening 200. Just a

very good run from Conrad Williams. Nothing better than that but it was

all that he needed. Very good. He is probably thinking, where on earth

were they all? When you are in Lane 8, the only thing you can do is keep

running hard. You are earning blind. You think they are probably going to

come at some time and you have two stay strong but he hasn't had a site

of anybody there. This split field in the decathlon. Arthur Abele has

been a contender all the way through. He has been shouting his

way from event to event. At his very best he is a 69 metre javelin

thrower. That is below that. Throwing towards the pole vault

mapped where the rest of the athletes are finishing that event.

This is his final attempt at the javelin. Around 63 metres. Maybe

hasn't gathered the points he would have needed to stay in contention

for a medal. Congratulations on age performance from one of the most

difficult lanes. Running your own race in style. The plan is to make

it look as comfortable as possible. For me, it is all about qualifying.

It was quite loaded. I love championships and I am in the final.

Thoughts coming down the home straight? I saw it was all clear. I

just decided to relax because there was a really strong back wind. I

thought if I could keep Maicon poser and stay in the top two I would be

in final. It is going to be a tough week because I am also in the relay

and it is going to be hard. I have got a good team. A lot of good

athletes here and we are getting treated really nice so all of the

athletes are going to be ready for these five races. Good luck for the

final. Thank you very much. Cheers. We mentioned that the decathletes

had split into two fields. This is the last man standing in the pole

vault. You'll co-sign Nicolas of the Netherlands. And he is clear. --

you'll co-sign puts himself into contention with

the pole vault. It will all come to a head later in the evening. He will

join the German athletes who are vying for the medals. On Ward to the

second semifinal of the men's 400 metres. Martyn Rooney, fingers

crossed, he says. Listening to Conrad Williams talking about the

wind in the back straight in particular, an explanation for the

times that were a bit sluggish. Ricardo Dos Santos is a very

talented 19-year-old Portuguese athlete. Richard Morrissey, the

Irish runner in Lane 1. Garcia in Lane 5. He may well be in contention

for one of the two automatic places. There is Richard Morrissey. A member

of Shaftesbury and Barnet Harriers. Being asked to stand up, as they

were in the last semifinal. Martin Ren?e just hearing a bit of

disturbance perhaps. Ash Makro Rooney. As long as they are not

under command it is fine to put your hand up. You have two have a very

valid reason all you will get a warning. It is not enough to be a

little bit unsettled. His explanation has been accepted.

Nervous times. He knows he is in great form, he knows that he did not

quite deliver at the Commonwealth Games. He stepped away from the

relay where the men won gold so he could concentrate on this. If he

gets through to the final, I'm sure he will be a contender for the goal.

Maksim Dyldin is now depending on a fastest loser after his semifinal.

To go through to the final automatically. Martyn Rooney, as he

did in the final of the Commonwealth Games, left himself too much to do

in the second half of the race but he has a decent start here. Easing

his way past the Polish athlete. The Estonian set a national record in

the heats and I wonder if he has gone off a little bit too fast.

Martyn Rooney is sitting in third place at the moment but he should

have a little bit left. He looks like he is ambling, strolling

forward. Very easy. A little bit of a race behind him. Garcia comes

through to take the second automatic place. 45.41. Garcia is happy. That

was a very good run, Martyn Rooney is happy as well.

was a very good run, Martyn Rooney is I am just looking at Colin. It is

a bit strange. The athletes in that race were not as good as some of

those in the first race but they ran better. Attacking hard in the first

part, probably felt it in the second. Martyn Rooney is not

panicking. He knows he is good in the home straight.

panicking. He knows he is good in the Just that little move. He is

looking across and relaxing, knowing he has made this nice and

comfortable. Very good from Martyn Rooney. When you compare that to the

first heat where Conrad Williams looked good. Kevin Borlee should

have been a big threat, Maksim Dyldin should have been a good

threat but they both ran poorly in the first round. Kevin Borlee is

out. His time is not going to be quick enough. In the Commonwealth

Games Martyn Rooney left himself with too much to do in the second

half of the race. No chance of that. He was comfortable. He says he is in

the form of his life and he sounds confident and bubbly. You can tell

that he is a man very at ease with his form and full of confidence. He

has so much to make amends, not to prove to anybody else but to

himself. Now, all of a sudden, this is a real chance for him. The

pressure will build. He really has expectation at these European

Championships. He is with Phil now. Tremendous performance. It is

growing in increments race by race, another controlled performance. I

knew if I did the same as yesterday, it would be enough. They came out

quicker around the bend and gave me a race which was good, I was able to

react to it. You said this has been the main aim all year long and it is

reaching fruition. Definitely. The Commonwealth Games are a massive

opportunity but this is bigger. On the global scene this is the bigger

championship. It is starting to come together and I just hope that I can

have a good day's rest tomorrow and do a good job. Martyn Rooney is

safely through in a good time. In tricky conditions Samuel Garcia goes

through as well. At the moment, Dos Santos and Marek Niit are the

fastest losers. Is it tougher than in the Commonwealth Games? It

depends on the competition and where you set your targets for the season

and where you want to aim for. In some events it is tougher to hold

that. You have to choose it quite a long way out. So far, it is two out

of two for Great Britain in the 400 metres. This time, it is the young

pop, can he make it through to his first championship final. Steve Cram

is your commentator. In this heat, Matthew Hudson-Smith has our hopes.

He has a pretty tough semifinal but given how the first to turned out, I

am not sure what to expect. One or two others have not performed.

Matthew Hudson-Smith, his twitter handle: Matt on the floor. He

sometimes seems that laid-back. This young man is going to be tough. He

is having the season of his life. Donald Sanford will start pretty

quickly. These tricky conditions soon to be affecting the judgement

of these athletes. Mame-Ibra Anne of France, he won't championship with a

really good performance. Brian Gregan of Ireland in Lane 7. Then

Jonathan Borlee who has seen his twin brother already go out after a

really poor performance in that first semifinal. After that second

semifinal, he will not go through as a fastest loser. Can Matthew

Hudson-Smith show some of the maturity he has displayed in the

last month or so. Just 19 years of age. Still really getting to grips

with the 400 metres but what a start to his career. Sub 45 seconds in

Glasgow, Diamond league, to get him to the Commonwealth Games. Where he

was part of the relay team and one with that brilliant last leg. Nicely

away. The Polish athlete will sense already that Hudson-Smith has gone

off very quickly. Donald Sanford always starts quickly, the tall

athlete from Israel. He has already gone past an from France. The top to

only go through. Mame-Ibra Anne has a lot of work to do. Hudson-Smith in

a good position. Jonathan Borlee is hanging on. Matthew Hudson-Smith has

to be very strong to stay in the top two. And he does. He got the chest

out in front. A bit of a return to form for Jonathan Borlee. There was

a little worry with three or four in contention down the home straight.

But don't doubt his ability to fight all the way to the line. He has got

that ability. When things are going on around him, he concentrates and

he finishes his race will it live. He runs with an older head

he finishes his race will it live. He runs with an older on his

shoulders than his young age. He was comfortable again throughout. See

the athletes gasping behind him. He went off fairly briskly. He says he

was up against a very talented athlete, the Polish runner in line

for. Just sat there and assessed the situation. It is a little bit breezy

down the back straight but he didn't seem fazed at all. On the big stage,

sometimes with the junk talented athletes, their performances can be

inconsistent -- the young talented athlete. He seems to have experience

beyond his age. He is in control, out in front. Working harder,

obviously, but that looks fairly comfortable. In Martyn Rooney and

Matthew Hudson-Smith, the top two going through to the final, perhaps.

Steve Cram said he finish so brilliantly, you have done it

again. I got out this time, which I am proud of,

again. I got out this time, which I am proud because I was nervous. But

yes, that is what I wanted to do. You made the final. This is so new

to you, you have never done this before. This is completely new. It

is an experience, I am learning from it, that was exactly what I wanted

to do. As you were on the start line,

it, that was exactly what I wanted to do. As you were Martyn Rooney

said, come on! It is good there is such camaraderie. Yes, all three

others are friends, we fight for each other, we want a British 1-2-3,

really. What about the prospect of a medal? I will take it one step at a

time, we will see how it goes. He is a joy to watch, the youthful

exuberance. His innocence might stand him in good stead, because he

has a great chance. A brilliant run from the Israeli. That was a very

quick semifinal. Some of the athletes in the first semifinal must

be thinking, what were we doing? It was so slow. The two fastest losers

come from the third semifinal. Martyn Rooney with a lot more to

give. Three qualifiers for the 400 metres

flat, and it is great to see the blend of experience and youth, and

Matthew Hudson-Smith is feeding of those around him who have more

experience. Yes, Martyn Rooney has vast experience. He has tried to

mental him. But it is great to see them getting through. Next, the 100

metres, the men's semifinals, can we make it three out of three?

Frenchman, is out, Harry Aikines-Aryeetey is the second

fastest in his heat, so if he does not move his head 180 degrees in the

last 20 metres, he might make it through. I was speaking to Darren

Campbell, he thinks Harry could surprise a key people. He has been

consistent, he is looking good, he is confident, let's see what he can

do. Steve Cram is your commentator. What a great opportunity for Harry

Aikines-Aryeetey after the withdrawal of Jimmy Vicault, the man

who looked so good in qualification. Harry's qualification included the

nod to the rest of the field, almost. He will not be doing that

here. Denis Dmitrov, 20 years old. The Czech Republic runner should not

be a threat. Jimmy Vicault should have been in Lane 3. Julian Reus

came into the championships with such good form. He broke the German

record. That time, 10.08, said earlier on in

the year, but he has been around 10.1 all season long. The Italian

seems to have been around forever, 28 years of age. James Dasaolu is in

the second semifinal, he has got the tougher one. Dwain Chambers is in

the third. Harry would have looked at the jaw and thought, this might

be tricky, but with Jimmy Vicault gone, and the sort of form he is in,

a nice victory here in the semifinal. Another thing to remark

on, if you are in the first semifinal, let's say they get an

hour or ten hour and ten minutes between this and the final, they get

more rest than the athletes in the third semifinal.

The first to go through to the final.

A very good run from the row many and to get second. Just for a while,

we were worried. It was not a great start from Harry, but he did not

panic. Julian Reus not able to maintain his good start. He will be

hugely disappointed, because if you had said, in the semifinal, second

place, 10.29, really? I do not think Julian Reus will get through, but

Harry does. The most important thing for us is that Harry makes his way

through, and he did that. He handled the field quite comfortably.

Cruising at the end, he did not have any panic from 85 metres to the

tape. But if he really wants a medal, he needs a much better start,

he needs to put himself in contention early. In this

circumstance, he took control of the race from 60 metres. When you start

to put your foot down on forecasts and start to close people down

quickly, it makes you relax, because you know you have really got them in

the bag. Harry would have found that out very quickly, even with his

relatively weak start. He clawed his way through the field. By 60 metres,

he was there or thereabouts. Will it be better for him to be in the mix

or in one of the outside lanes? He has no choice, he is going to be in

the middle, but it will be a good thing for him. It will help him out

the blogs. Not a fiery semifinal, but one which Harry will be happy to

have out of the way. A huge sigh of relief, 10.21. The Romain Ian, the

surprise second-place, we would not have thought he would make it

through. I am not sure the others will be quick enough to get through

as fastest losers, but we will say. Through to the final, not the best

of starts, but you came through strong. I have got some good top end

speed, I thought about making sure I am in the final, with all of the

delays and the things that have been going on, this is why it is a

championship, you have to deal with what is thrown at you. I warmed up a

couple of hours ago, so the body gets stale. I was not as sharp out

of the blocks as yesterday, but we will work on that, and I am in the

final. We appreciate you stopping. Mum, I am not scared!

I am sure his mum did not say he was scared of Phil! He looked like he

meant business, in spite of the rocky start, he got on with it. He

knew there was an opportunity, he would have heard that Jimmy Vicault

was out, so he had to get in the top two. I think he had a bad start. It

was important not to panic. We know he is strong, he is good towards the

end of the race. He needed to be. It was a really good run. It is the

first of three, hopefully, we have James Dasaolu going in the second of

the semifinals. Christoffel H the current European champion there.

Currently, the best Frenchman, after his compatriot pulled out with his

injury. But James Dasaolu will be hoping that he can get back to the

kind of form which took him under ten seconds. It has been a delayed

start to his season, but Andrew Cotton will tell you more.

James Dasaolu, it is not just that he is coming back into form, but the

inconsistencies that he had at championships last season, he blew

hot and cold, but that seems to be a thing of the past. He will hope so.

The rather slight figure for Finland. There is no Jimmy Vicault,

but France have the second quickest qualifier, Christoffel Maitre. He is

the defending champion, and possibly an even better to did meet a runner.

James Dasaolu was easing up in his heat, he blew the field away in the

first 50 metres. Again, the starter is unhappy. There

are a few things blowing around. I think it was the Finnish athlete

who was unhappy, he needs to do some more Jim Watt! -- gym work!

Not the quickest run in the first semifinal. The top to go through

automatically to the final. James Dasaolu takes the victory,

Christophe Lemaitre second. It is quick, a very slight wind behind,

but James Dasaolu has an impressive run. Christophe Lemaitre nearly got

back, but James Dasaolu is safely through to the final. A good, strong

run. We saw him yesterday in the heat, when he put his foot down, he

could ease his way through the field. He went a bit quicker, 10.04.

That was a really comfortable 10.04. Yesterday, what was good about

James, between 20 and 30 metres, he seems to be able to ease away from

the field, without them noticing. A good top end speed, which means he

maintains his form well. I think he has come into this Championships, he

has arrived in good shape, and perhaps ready to take the victory.

It is quite cool the, later in the evening, and 10.04, a very slight

wind behind, and Christophe Lemaitre has run a season's best, but he

could not get there, James Dasaolu looking very good indeed. James

Dasaolu and Christophe Lemaitre go through automatically. Jimmy Vicault

ran 10.06 in the first round before he withdrew. James Dasaolu, slowest

reaction time. But coming through. Just outside of his season's best.

He can go quicker. He has to make the modification at the start of the

race. But there is something great about an athlete when they are in

shape. They move through the gears effortlessly. That is what James

has. His start could be improved. It is how he drives from the ten metres

.3 to 30. When he is up into his running, he relaxes. An effortless

bit of running. The aim in the championship was for him to come

through and he is fit and healthy and to produce the goods each round.

That has eluded him so far. Exactly, to progress and recover

well. I guess that is why he did not want to speak, he wants to

concentrate on recovering and make the next step forward into the