European Team Championships: Day One Athletics

the best loved athletics arenas in this country, Gateshead

International Stadium. Pride of place goes to a team performance, or

should I say too? This weekend, once again, the storyline is all about

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 51 seconds

dramatic when team glory is at stake. This is a unique weekend,

isn't it? Very much so. It doesn't matter what titles or medals you

have one, it's about the team, it's about digging deep and clawing back

as many points as you can do the team. It's that unification that has

thrilled me over the years when I used to compete, a great camaraderie

and a real feeling of unity. It's one of those competitions that you

think, I'm not sure that you want to do it. But when you get there, there

is this special atmosphere. Yes, and intense pressure. It's not about

you, it's about your peers. You really want to do well. It is

special for the team. If the team is looking for inspiration, this is the

right place to be. Think back to 1989 and 2000. This was a great

moment. We weren't expecting anything from our team. But we

weren't sure what we were going to deliver. I love hairstyle!This is

the second day now. All the other major stars have a total

performance, and you want to go out there are a match it. Dwayne winning

the relay for the team. What's so important about 2000 is that it was

full of underdogs. There is such a weight of expectation for everybody

to do well because the men had done so well in previous years. They just

wanted to hold their own unaided. points good the winner, 11th for

second, and so on down to one point four Last Place. False starts mean

disqualifications and zero points. Team scores are calculating

combining men's and women's points. The team which winds as the one with

the most points. Six athletes or teams are in each heat. Middle and

long distance races are run as straight finals. Every event matters

because it is not about how many when a team gets, it's all about the

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 51 seconds

for medals or money, but there is a pressure that gets you here.

Absolutely, and where it starts is the warmup track. You will feel that

sense of team. It is a lot of pressure. It is about not letting

your team-mates down. We will talk about predicted places shortly, but

if you have been predicted to finish fourth, you want to be aiming for

third. You always predicted first, so you can only go down! It is true.

What I will find interesting today if it is quite blustery, so the

results may change from what we predicted, just because of the wind.

That is going to throw a spanner in the works. It is all about team

points, remember. You got to be careful. That's going to throw a

spanner in the works. There will be people running in heat one who will

want to put in a exceptional performance. It's going to be

exciting. Everyone matters, every point matters. Let's meet the

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 51 seconds

atmosphere and less pressure. A nice I'm glad I'm a captain of this team.

It's been 13 years since we actually won! We could do nothing, we could

do well. I love running for my country and competing at home. The

crowd makes a big difference. I'm familiar ones. I think it's a good

balance. These team to merge with young stars. Particularly someone

like Jessica Judd, fresh young 18-year-old, silver medallist last

year. She had a real opportunity for people to get familiar with that

name. An interesting selection in the women's 400 metres. Luckily, in

those two events, we have the luxury of world-class replacements. It's

going to be a good competition anyway because it is important we

have these international events where athletes can have a real

flavour about what it is like competing against the best of the

world and how awkward it can be to prepare for these games. You need to

learn this process. This is a real mix of well experienced athletes and

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 51 seconds

new ones. That's the British team. from Turkey, Greece and Norway who

were promoted up into this league. Mark Butler has been beavering away

overnight, looking at who will do title. It's only Russia and Germany

that have ever won this over the four years. Lots can change, and one

four years. Lots can change, and one man looking at this closely is head

coach, Peter Eriksson. What we have to do is mention the fact this is

your first and last appearance as head coach. You must be incredibly

disappointed that you can't carry on what you started. I am, and it's a

Greene job. -- a dream job. We have great coaching staff, support staff.

Obviously, family comes first, and that's the difficult decision you

had to make. That's true. In terms of this weekend, you saw Mark

Butler's predictions there. You said perhaps second place. I think it's a

little bit low! If we do really well, even better. We don't know how

the Russians would do here. Give us a sense of what the feeling is like.

We have a good team. It's a great team spirit. My speech yesterday was

five seconds in total! I have a fantastic team and I really look

forward to it. Some of the other people that have come in, how are

they responding? They will actually step up to the challenge. We have

ten new athletes. That's exciting. The big names, they really need to

lead by example. Exactly. Greg Rutherford is proud to represent the

country. It's great to see he has choices. Nathan Douglas over

Phillips Idowu, can you talk about those changes?

Perri was not hard, she did well in the indoor Championships and she has

been progressing well throughout the season. Christine Ohuruogu was

always better run and her focus has been more on her training period and

will be part of the Relay. So that is something we work out with the

coaches. Every child has gone better to better in every event -39 macro.

And the focus for Phillips Idowu was always to be at the World

Championship and she has -- and he has a period to build back and I

think he will do fine when it comes to World Championships, the pole is

underway, let's have a look at that. When I knew the company -- when I

knew the championship was going to be in this country, I was so

excited. My home crowd were watching, I have been looking

forward to this event. It is exciting to come and get the team

together, it is really good, everybody comes together and we

spend a week beforehand playing games and doing stuff as a team and

having a team meeting where the head coach makes a speech on the team

captain brings everybody together. It is really relaxing and you are

around friends leading up to the Championships, which is great, you

are more relaxed and you are enjoying it. It is good and I think

there is a good team spirit. These are the team Championships. It was a

massive achievement for me to have the courage to go in and decide to

go for myself. A real step up from what I am used

to and to take it by myself was an amazing achievement. I have just

been out -- I had just been out to America and come back and this was

one of my first competitions, so I am really excited to get this

underway and to try the best I can. I have had good preparation so

hopefully, the next few competitions will be good.

Some things never change and it is always windy here in Gateshead. The

pole-vault did start late and we can go to Paul Dickenson, what has been

going on? There has been a problem with the

wind, Holly Bleasdale and the rest have had to wait until the equipment

was right. The bar has been blowing off. Everything was set for the

first competition. There is quite a strong wind on the far side of the

is blowing quite hard. We have good camera shots in preparation, but

Holly Bleasdale will be coming later. In the hammer, one of the

best throw is in the world at the moment. A season best of over 79

metres. Great written's Mark Dry will compete in this to try and get

as many points as possible ash Great Britain's. This guy is good, it spun

away a bit, but that is long. That is around 76 metres. Not a bad

effort for his first attempt. In this competition, the rules are

slightly different to major championship competitions. 12

athletes will take part and everybody will get three throws and

only the best four will have one other in the best -- in the next

round. One of the other top names in this competition now is this

athlete, of Germany. The Germans are so good in the throwing events. This

guy has priced -- has twice finished fourth in the World Championships

and European Championships, and ninth in Beijing in the Olympics.

Quite small, but very quick. The crowd are responding to a throw

which challenges the previous competitor. Around about 76 metres.

Very intricate footwork. He tries to accelerate the hammer and he gets

faster and faster and finishes flat out. So he is behind the Polish

inconsistent, but he can produce tremendous throws. Former Olympic

bronze medallist in 2004, 31 years old, not quite as fast as the likes

of Esse. But that could be one of the best throws he has achieved this

season. I like the way he just means back and he lets the hammer do the

work. He works his legs very hard. Happy with the technique, and it is

very intricate. For a man who has thrown 81-45, but he is in third

place, for the Turkish champion. This is going to be a real test for

Mark Dry, selected over the Limerick finalist Alex Smith. -- Olympic

finalist. He has got a new coach now, a former Swedish champion based

in America, coming over to Great Britain and doing great work with

our throwers. Just below 70 metres in the third round. 64 metres, he

achieved earlier on in the competition. But he needs more, he

is in 10th place at the moment. I have got a feeling that even that

throw will not put him up in the table. In fact, he is in 11th place.

I am sure what athlete has been watching with great interest, the

Greek -- the Great British team leader, Sherry Pegg straighten --

quite young on the team. It was a surprise to me, so the fact that I

was considered and given that title, I am just going to be myself

this weekend, that is all I can be. Just from being who I am and what

people have seen me do in terms of informants is enough motivation for

anybody. Do you have to give the team speech?

Yes, I have got a speech. I wrote a speech out and I was reading it and

I was, like, it does not come across as me. I have jotted down a few

notes and that will jog my memory and I will express and say what I

have to say. Short and sweet, do not go on too long.

You can let actions speak louder than words.

Exactly, let that do the talking. What do you see this team being able

to deliver this weekend? You said there was a mixture of experience

and Gold medallists from the Olympics and a lot of youth, but

talented youth. Yes, I have got good faith in this

team and I am glad I am captain of this team. A lot of people are in

good shape, we have unions coming on and experienced athletes, it is a

good mixture. I think it has been 13 years since we have one, so it will

be nice if this weekend, we can win. -- won. I think we can do well.

It was not a short team speech! can talk!

She loves to talk but she is such a happy individual and it is a

statement of how she has risen through the ranks to be kept in. It

is a statement of where we want her to go in the next three years. We

will look to somebody like Perri Shakes Drayton to take medals in

Rio, and she is the perfect team captain for this event because she

will show some of the youngsters that you work hard and you are just

a stone's throw away from real success, and she has achieved that.

What do you make of the rotation system with the captain? Never the

same person from one event to the next. Would it serve better with

more continuity? I like that we have flexibility

because it gives athletes something to strive for if they want to be

captain. Performances can sometimes reflect the demeanour of the team.

At the moment, Perri is on the rise and she speaks with energy and digs

deep -- and end-users. She will look -- and enthusiasm. She will say, I

got injured last year, but look how it turned my career around. I am

really excited. You know how important hurdles are,

white issue running for the 400? She chose it, it has not been a

random selection. She is toying if she will do the flat of hundred

meter hurdles in the World Championships, she said, I am a

hurdle and want to stick to the Championships.

Jessica Ennis is not here, she will be competing next week. What have

you made of the noise from Jessica's camp?

If an athlete says they are injured, they are injured, that is it. You

would not want Jessica to come out and be very below par. It is a

natural build-up for her to go to Moscow but she does not have

automatic selection because she is not the reigning world champion. So

she will want to show some form and she will want to come out and be

strong in the events that bankers for her. I would give her the

respect she deserves and she only -- and if she only competes in Moscow,

let her do that, she has earned that right, she does not need to show

much form going in for her. The big piece of news in athletics

is the positive drugs test of a running club Campbell-Brown, double

Olympic champ all -- champion. Veronica. A diuretic, your response

to this? Everybody was very surprised, and

she was adamant it came from a specific cream she was rubbing in.

You can imagine she was very vocal about her innocence. But all

athletes charged with this kind of crime are very vocal. It is a

masking agent involved with it and we have to remember that they are to

mask more serious drugs that athletes have possibly taken.

Veronica is going to fight this. She has gone to Canada to check.

Almost certainly, it will be her specimen and the same test. She will

protest her innocence, but, Denise, we get used to that, it almost does

not mean anything. Not to me and a lot of people I have

spoken to. She is so revered in Jamaica, she is the least likely

athlete to be caught by something like this. She is experienced, very

disappointed. It is a real stain on her character and I hope that she

clears her name if she can. People have talked about the

Jamaican testing, it is not up to scratch, people are pointing the

finger and they are saying, this is tainting Jamaican sprinting,

response? She does not trained in Jamaica and

is not really associated with Jamaica because she is based in the

United States and always has been, from school. It is harsh to say it

belongs to Jamaican testing, not quite.

It is the Jamaican trials this weekend and also the US trials, and

we can look at some of those results, and they are quite

impressive for the United States, but they made a conscious decision

to change the 100 mater -100 metres race to get a benefit. This is a

handsome tailwind, so that is why their performances are very quick.

But in Jamaica, take into commit -- take into consideration the wind

speed in both Championships. A bit quicker, so Usain Bolt's run would

be a bit faster. So still a lot of time to go but it is exciting and we

rubbing our hands together about these fast times.

And who are the women? a blinding performance. They have

had a comprehensive season. They are competing for their colleges, week

in, week out. Although those times are impressive, let's see how they

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 51 seconds

get in Moscow. Then, the big guns here, running at home. Our aim was

definitely to run the European Cup. I have just come back from the US.

What's the mood like? It's great to be back in the UK. I was away for

quite a while. It's great to come back and see all the youngsters in

the team. This is what I started. For me, I have great memories of the

European Cup. It's great to give youngsters a chance and hope.

many are saying they are inspired by you. It's fantastic. That's great. I

was inspired by many of the athletes at a time. Overall, this weekend,

what will success be for you, for the British team? The most important

thing is not to get carried away. We just need to collect as many points

as we can. We have a good chance of winning. It's important that we come

out here and everybody gives 110%. couldn't we, Steve? What do you make

of Mo Farah being here? He hasn't got a great field against him. But

it should be an easy run for him. It's great he's decided to run. Mo

Farah loves wearing the British vest. What happened to him last

summer, he feels like he wants to pay something back. He set his

programme out quite early, though. There was confusion whether you

would want the 5000, 10,000. But he said his programme. An event like

this is good, tactical. How would you assess his shape? He's pretty

happy. I spent a day with him. He was a bit frustrated he hadn't won

the 10,000 there, which was his original plan. But he's a great

athlete, a world medallist. He's pretty happy. He's done a good chunk

of training. He's got some races coming up now and really looking

forward to them. This is the start of an important three or four weeks

for him. That race coming up 5pm. for him. That race coming up 5pm.

But first, heat one. Dyed Greene will be in the second of the two

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 51 seconds

races. These are the lesser typical Gateshead: Sun is shining

but this wind is a bit of a tricky one, and it can be for the likes of

the herders -- hurdlers. Might just put them on to the hurdles a bit

quickly. The combined times from the two races will determine the point

at the end. It's not just about good position here, it's about getting

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 51 seconds

First time under 50 seconds. Pretty impressive. That might be better

than the second race. That was a really good performance by the

Norwegian. He's 21. He is tall in his range and that makes a big

difference when these conditions are really difficult to handle. Round

the turn, there's a lot of blustery wind, but he's really confident with

his technique and form and endurance. He knows the quality of

the Greek inside him, but that will not face. Works hard into the line

with a victory. Greene coming up in Britain that often. Everyone is

counting on you to the best you can. I've had good success over the

last couple of years and hope it continues over the weekend. How is

it, being one of the elder statesman? The younger ones will be

looking to you to learn from, get experience from. I realised I was

one of the oldest people there at breakfast! It's good to be a senior

member of the squad. I have a lot of experience to draw on. I have to be

there to help everyone out an offer advice to all the youngsters coming

through. But I'm sure they'll do really well. There couldn't be

anybody better to set the tone for the team. How do you feel your form

is, going into that race? I had a few setbacks before the season

started, but I'm past them now. The last few weeks have gone very well.

I feel as though I can give a really good performance. I feel I can win

over the weekend. I feel as though I am getting better. Let's hope that

continues up to the world Championships. What about the

opposition? We look at the field and go, I am meant to win this one? !

know I meant to win! I'm confident I will as well. Who knows what the

weather will be like. Full points is the order of the day. How much do

you think the home crowd will be a factor for not just you, but the

team overall? It's great for all the youngsters in the squad. Many of

them are in their first competition. That will inspire them and push them

on. It can really make a difference. If you we have a drab,

wet weekend, that can really lift your spirits up. Drab, wet weekend?

Never in Gateshead! Sun is shining but it is breezy. That wind might

just help them to do really well here. In a few minutes time, the

opposition is something he should handle easily. He seems pretty

confident, and why shouldn't he be? Always doubts when you've had

operations. Building nicely towards one she is taken in this

competition. We hurt in the interview before, she was feeling

confident, she has come off the back of her training camp where she has

been training in very warm weather indeed. She is feeling in good

condition. But she's going to have to do better than this. Holly

Bleasdale, two more attempts. fairly comfortable in terms of

Greene. Francoise has had a pretty good season so far. Only beaten once

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 51 seconds

going for maximum points here. I suspect he will hope he can put in a

good performance, his second -- race two. They were delayed quite

a bit getting to the start line. Dai Greene started a bit behind

Francois. Through that first hurdle nicely, Dai Greene already catching

up to Francois and the German, who started well in lane six. Dai Greene

is moving through into the lead. The German is with him and Dai Greene

needs to work harder through the winter. The German has run a good

250 metres and he just stumbles a bit. The former world champion is

struggling, he needs to find something on the home stretch. But

here comes Dai Greene, he needs to be strong! This will be close, the

German gets maximum points! And a tidy raise from Dai Greene. I

thought he started slowly, he seems to get into the race, and look what

that means to him! That will be a personal best. But a big shock, not

a good start for the British team. And the first time Dai Greene has

failed to win in the European Team Championships.

That was a huge surprise, even for the crowd who are cheering him down

this home straight. But it was not enough. It will be interesting to

see what he has to say and how the wind may have affected his

performance. He is not comfortable on that like coming into those final

barriers and he struggled here. -- leg. So he will question what

happened and Malcolm Arnold will have a lot to talk to him about. The

German looks really aggressive and really focused.

Colin, when you are expecting a win and you are one or two metres down,

that will mess with your head in it, he would not have expected to be in

that position. He would not have expected that and

I think it starts off from the start, Steve. He did not drive out

of the blocks as we have seen, he was not very aggressive. I would be

interested to see what he has to say in his interview. At a strong

victory for Germany, what a surprise, you can never predict.

This competition is about gaining points. He pushes out of the blocks

well but I think he was a little bit overcautious, perhaps looking at the

wind and registering the conditions. Perhaps thinking, when Amway going

to decide to change? Because it is a story and he has to keep energy for

the home straight. -- blustery. He would not have seen the German, only

now, as he goes past the French athlete, he thinks, this guy is in

front of me, I have to work on my technique. He stumbled slightly, he

fell off the hurdle, not as since -- not as slick as we used to with him.

I think he would still believe he could do this, but the German does

not afraid and Dai Greene has to settle with second place, very

disappointed. That was not expected by us, by the

crowd and particularly by Dai Greene. It is bit of a setback for

him because he would expect to win this type of race, but also on the

day were those around him are running personal bests, it would be

interesting to see what he says about the conditions.

So a new personal best for the German. Francois is third. And the

Norwegian athlete will be the fourth fastest as he won the first race.

Dai Greene is with Phil now. That surprised us, how about you?

I was a bit surprised. I stop -- I started well and was aggressive. Too

many mistakes from the top and. How were conditions?

It was windy, but it was windy for all of us and I am disappointed they

did not together a good race, I did not expect them to be as fast as

they were and the German ran a great race.

You have not had many races this season, were you a bit rusty?

I was rusty going into Rome and things have got better, but I fell

between the windy conditions today. It was a bit more apparent.

What is next? Birmingham Grand Prix next week and

hopefully a few more after that to get it it fitter.

Thank you for talking to us. Dai Greene was almost shocked by

that defeat. And this is another shock, Holly Bleasdale has two

failures at her opening height so far, way below her season's best of

4.60. She has to get this or she is out! That is a big shock! A massive

shock for the British team, Peter Eriksson will be gutted by that, and

that is a pile of points that Great Britain have lost, no height is

achieved, no points. DME! -- dear Not the start we would have hoped

for, starting with Holly Bleasdale, and no height at 4.25.

A little unprofessional for me. We have talked about the effect on the

team. It is so important you make adjustments I am I -- and I am not

saying she was not trying, but you have to get valuable points for the

disappointed, it is his last time as team coach here. Very disappointing

for Dai Greene as well, but we had back to the track now for the

Great Britain in the second of two is. Surprise winner of the European

200 m title when she regressed by just a fraction of a second, and she

won it from lane eight. The Greek athlete is the European champion, so

expect a fast start from the Greek number one. The fastest woman is

this athlete, 11.38. Season's best for Ashley Phillips is 11.36, just a

fraction faster than the French champion. And watch out for the

Polish athlete, a very fast starter, she goes in line four. Heat one, the

out of her blocks, followed by Garcia of Spain. But the Frenchwoman

is going to win it. The Polish in second place. 11.66, that is against

a -4.6 metre per second headwind. Can you believe that? I thought the

times were slow, but that headwind is huge.

It is enormous. It is very difficult to go through your phases accurately

when the wind is like that because it pushes you in your face and gets

you up right quick venue would want. That victory was a victory, but the

time is very slow indeed. They will all have to wait to see

what the overall position will be, but she is the winner, no doubt

way to the 100m. They have the benefit of following Quins. And this

is a twice world champion, so graceful when she runs, and very

bouncy. And the veteran 40-year-old British number one goes in this.

Saladuha them is ranked number one and if she does not win this

competition, I would be very surprised. And that is a very solid

start indeed. Deceptively strong. By far and away the best we have seen

so far. The British athlete winding the crowd up a bit, she belongs to

Harriers in North London, and she set the world's best for a

40-year-old athlete. She got eighth place in the Diamond League a little

earlier this year. So this is the first round. I hope that actually

means she has got a lot of more to come. She looked as though she was

heading towards... The red flag is short of her season's best, 436

macro. -- for Yamile Aldama. Yamile Aldama looked pretty good until

sheaf -- until she bailed out, knowing she had fouled it. That was

frustrating as she looked to be in very good shape. One more jump to

see if she can make it into the top four.

That is the result from the first heat of the women's 100m Soumare in

first place. -- and Soumare in first place. Asha Philip goes for Great

Britain in the next race. Asha Philip is the slowest in this

heat, but not much between them. Her personal best is 22, great talent

when she was a youngster. But she had a horrible injury trampolining

and it took a long time to come back. A new personal best for the

athletes next to her, from Belarus, she has had a very good season

And the 21-year-old Russian is in the seven flame, she has also run

her personal best. So athletes in good form here, an opportunity for

anybody. We have not seen the heat, we will see what they get

here. It is the times that just as important as the position, more so.

Asha Philip gets a good start, the Ukrainian is first away and is still

reading. Okparaebo is struggling to get into

it. Povh wins it easily. That will be the fastest time. And we will

have to sort out the rest with the results. The times are combined from

the first race. No doubt about the winner, she is such a good starter.

She is formally the European indoor champion from two years ago and

always gets out of the blocks, but she maintained pretty well. Given

they are running into this wind, that was a good run.

It was a very solid performance in deed. I was watching how Povh would

perform because I thought she underperformed in Oslo recently. A

good victory, she was leading very contemplate and all she was looking

that was the clock because that would be the most important thing.

Again, a stronger aggressive runner, but she was dominant and Europe's

fastest of the day. The winner of heat one would have

certainly come second, but Asha Philip, fifth overall. Not too bad.

I said she was the slowest going into that heat.

She did very well indeed, she was not intimidated, the field was far

more experienced. The start was really good and really

positive, she was not fazed by anybody, she worked hard. She kept

her form and she kept working into the wine, and when she gets a few

more competitions behind her and excellent conditions, I can see her

running much quicker indeed. So running much quicker indeed. So

these are the results. Conditions are windy, into your

face. It was horrible. I have never run

that slowed this season, but it must have been the wind.

Tell me about the atmosphere coming in to today.

It was so lovely, when I heard my name, it was lovely, I am really

happy to be here. Dai Greene did not win his first

race and Holly Green has gone out, how much will that spread out

through the team, what do you hear? We always support each other, they

might get stick but I will not give them any. I am sure we will still

pull through. Where do you go next?

Onto the Relay in a couple of hours. Good luck with that.

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 51 seconds

Asha Philip's time was good enough Spaniard. You are only allowed four

two failures. She will be very angry at herself. You have got to get

first-time attempts if possible and she does that. They will still be

popular with everybody in athletics, which she will be so angry with

herself, having not achieved how it is standing at the minute,

France have had a great start. Russia might have expected that, but

Great Britain are in eighth place, very close between them and the team

above. Not a good start for Peter Eriksson, but we will hope it picks

will be two heats and this is the first heat of the men's 400m. The

Norwegian is on the outside. He is the junior 800m runner. Champion

Italian. Bird from the left-hand side. -- deferred. Nigel Levine goes

around the top. The Ukrainian has gone off very quickly. A free ride

it on the back straight because of the following wind, but they will

The Italian is challenging for the lead. He is bringing it home. A

photograph or second place. Actually, despite the win, that

could be eight and is best for the Italian. -- despite the wind, that

could be a season 's best for the world always prefer to have a strong

tail wind down the back straight so they can save energy because they

know they are going to be exhausted coming into the home straight. If

they can get any assistance when they are fresher, that is what they

Let's hear what he thinks about the event.

It is always a team thing, whether Oliver, world Championships or

European Championships. -- Olympics. It is not always individual. It is

right. It is the first time I am doing European team cup as an

individual, not here for relay or as a reserve stop -- as a reserve.

We saw you do so well at a couple of the European indoors. That gave me

some more confidence, showing me I can compete at a higher level. I

thought it would be harder, but I have got confidence now. I can take

on the big guys. So, this weekend, what are you

looking to achieve? Are you focusing on new? -- on you. I don't really

care about my opponents. I think about what I have to do to get

voters. That was excellent. That was excellent. She maintain good form

over the bar. That is what everybody else has to beat today.

Everybody said this girl could go on to break the world record. She

hasn't produced those dizzy heights yet. 27 years old, she has still got

good prospects. She is in the thick of the action here. Very

comfortable. She is very competent. Entry at 4.40, and she gets it.

When she stepped up to do 4.40, everybody thought she would sail

over. She didn't. This is her second attempt. That was eight week

disappointment if she does not score any points. -- a big disappointment.

She has got one attempt to go. So, she is in a bit of trouble. The

German and the Russian are clear. is on the track. This is the receipt

form. We have seen how tough the hurdles was for Dai Greene. He is

the quickest in the field this year, but there are other good athletes in

of the British athletes are getting great support. Good to see Gateshead

tickets left for tomorrow if you are interested in coming along and you

live in the north-east. It will be a great second day for Great Britain,

I promise you. These are the two athletes he has to worry about, on

the outside. If the Russian gets back to his best, he will give Nigel

something to think about. Those are attack the first 100 metres. The

Russian finishes strongly. He has had injury problems. Nigel Levine

has gone well through the first 200 metres. This is good running from

Nigel Levine. He has attacked this. Has he just it right? It is tough

against the wind. At the moment it is a one metre lead for the dish

athlete. He continues to go away. He has got to be strong though. The

Russian is eating up the ground between them. Lavigne does not win

it. He hangs on for second place. I said that this- it is quickly. He

does eat up the ground with that long stride of his. At his best, he

is very good. Goodness me, Nigel Levine had that. It was in his

pocket. It was the last 50 metres. Did he overcook the first 200? He

hit it strong, but you have to. There is no time to rest, Steve. You

have got to go with the gun. You have to stick with your plan. I know

Nigel will be disappointed. He would expect to hang on and take this

victory. I think he will be disappointed with the overall

performance. He worked really well, settled into his running smoothly,

came into the corner and the right pace. I just think his Russian, as

you said, he is strong and loves this event. Boy, oh, boy, he just

snuck the victory. We need to get the victory on the track soon

right, Colin. He attacked it hard. He was being pushed from the inside

as well. The Frenchman was with him. He is going to disregard the two

outside him. He has to hope that he has judged it right. It is

unfortunate the Russian run a perfect race. I really concentrated

on this second corner. Just as you are coming off the bank you don't

want to work too hard. It will sap too much energy. I think you may

have put it a bit too hard so he could get this quick impetus of the

turn. I think it just, for him, went a little bit too hard. He will be

disappointed. But shall we hear from news that you had been disqualified,

I can give you good news, Kraznov has just been disqualified, may be

stepping out of the lane. You going to take the for Great Britain? Back

to you. Pretty windy. Coming back in. I am

not very heavy, so I tried to keep it nice and technical to come

through. The last 20 metres or so, I was passed. My aim was to get

maximum points for Great Britain because it is the first time for me

in the European Championships. I wanted to give a good impression to

get maximum points, to encourage everybody else.

That -- that news about Kraznov is unofficial at this stage, at we hope

you will get maximum points, thank you for talking to us. -- but we

hope. Thank you.

We are going to reflect on the career of this man, who has just his

retirement. You have had good days, gone sweetly, so has Darren Campbell

for Great Britain. America are making ground and Great Britain are

nice, and Nigeria are also going well. That was terrible for the

Americans! Nigeria are in the lead in the last straight. But Marie

screen is coming down and they have a chance of Lawrie -- Maurice

Greene. It was so close! He thinks scoreboard, it is confirmed! The

Great Britain team taking the Gold medal. What a surprise!

So memories of that very special day?

Amazing memories, it seems so long ago but I remember it like

yesterday, amazing experience. Amazing.

And your feelings now you have decided to retire? We are free

former athletes. I have had a good innings. I have

been part of the team for 16 years are not many people can say that,

they have had amazing experiences, 18 medals in 16 years, I should be

grateful. It is nice to call it a day, and there no hard feelings.

What stands out as an individual performance?

That would be my world indoor 200 m, the only global title I achieved.

That is quite clear to me, second to Athens.

Stay with us, Marlon, you can be a pundit this afternoon. We are going

moment for that 400m result. Krasnov has not been disqualified, apologies

if we misled you. Race two was a fair bit slower for the Italian so

Nigel Lavigne will not get maximum points, but he will get 11 points.

-21 macro. -- Nigel Levine. Jessica Judd is one of the youngsters not

one of the youngest in the team, she will be very nervous. 12 people in

the race, this will be a real at Unity for her. -- opportunity. These

are the types of athletes she will be meeting in the future so she will

want to do well. 12 women. The athlete from Belarus will be a

danger, and also the Russian. There are no pacemakers, so the tactics

will be really interesting. I would be tempted to hope that somebody

goes out on the first lap. And Jessica Judd has a tendency to do

that, so don't be so raised if she takes this out, but we will be C. --

1's medallist. She is now -- is now a bronze medallist. She is now the

European champion. The Greek is on the inside. A couple more to

mention, the experienced Polish athlete. And also the Turkish

athlete. Two laps of the track. 18-year-old Jess Judd going for

Great Britain. Sitting alongside me as Paula Radcliffe, and Jessica is a

big talent and not frightened to go to the front, like yourself. -- like

yourself. She is not afraid to commit to

races. A bit scared coming into this. 12 athletes is not easy in a

race like this and it is tough. She needs to be confident and attack it.

And the conditions, nobody wants to read in a wins like this, but she

has gone to the front and she needs to commit at this stage. -- wind.

Jessica is in a great position, if you are not going to read, that is

the place to be. She will not want to leave it too late, she is still

young. She is good, she is very good and is only going to get better.

Just tries to push on. -- Jessica. Jessica has not tried to

go to hijacked, she has had a chance to gauge the wind. -- she has not

tried to go past. She is now trying at the front, Jessica Judd is taking

it to them, she is so strong and this is what she can do. But the

Russian has the only chance of catching her. Jessica just is going

so well, and the crowd cheering her on, this would be a brilliant

victory -- Jessica Judd. She is looking for it, will she get there?

She gets it! Brilliant performance. We can talk about this young girl

and remember her winning the London mini Marathon cross-country title,

but what a win! She showed talent, guts, strength, tactical awareness,

well done to her coach, Rob Denmark. What a win and what a victory!

What a win! That was really brave! She was treading water down the home

straight and she was digging deep. But I think the crowd helped her,

they pushed her. But her guts carried her over the last 50 metres.

She cannot believe it, but she wants to be very proud of that today.

She was predicted to come fifth and that is what I love about athletics.

You can throw statistics out of the window. She has beaten good athletes

here. Jess is somebody who, at 18, is not frightened of anybody.

She should not eat, she is coming at 18 to run in her first European Team

Championships -- she should not be. The British team is looking for a

boost, and they do not need to look Yamile Aldama once more for Great

Britain. If she can regain her form from the first round up macro that

was almost a repeat. -- from the first round... . She was

statistically reckons to come in fourth place and she will not finish

worse than that. --- reckoned. A solid performance. She started off

just shy of her season's best looking at those pictures again, she

might have damaged her right ankle. serious trouble. Two failures at her

opening height. Is she going to do a Holly Bleasdale? She is not, she is

the best Paul Walters in the world. Consistently over the last few

years, and she looks as though she can challenge for major honours. --

pole-vaulters. Jessica Judd only just finished her

A-levels this week, she is from Canvey Island. She is the European

at the end, a tremendous performance, you have just finished

your A-levels, double celebrations. I can celebrate now. I could not go

to my leavers ball last night. I want to say hello to everybody, but

that topped it off! Brilliant performance, tactics from

the start. I gave it everything, it was quite

windy but I was working really hard. I am glad I held on!

Were you aware of the Russian athlete?

I knew it was closed because everybody was cheering more and I

thought, just hold on. -- close. So happy!

This is the start, a great career lies ahead of you.

A lot of people go on about junior is not able to progress to senior

level so I am glad I want on my debut, but I could not do it without

the support of my coach and my family and friends at home.

will remain a massive... It is not just a great victory but something

she will remember for the rest of her career. 12 points maximum for

Great Britain, Jessica Judd. That certainly boosted the points for

Great Britain. It has been a bit of a disappointing start. They are now

up to fourth place. They won always projected to be better. Germany

leading by only one point from Greene and Holly Bleasdale, for

Jessica Judd to do that, a mature It was clear that it was an athlete

running free, showing a real determination, which is what you

want to see in the 800 metres. Such maturity for an 18-year-old girl.

son has just finished his A-levels, and he has just collapsed in a heap.

To come out and do that dashing credible. Marlon, why now, why have

you decided to call it time? Last year I had a bit of a

nightmare. It was the first time I have not made the team in 16 years.

I think that is a sign to say it is time to hang the spikes up and call

it a day. I always thought about retiring around 2012 anyway because

I have done everything else, in all honesty. I would just be adding up

the numbers. It is one thing to leave behind but

you have to have something to fill the gap. What are your thoughts at

the moment? I have had a long time to think about that. What I have

learned over the last 20 years, I am going to try to give it back in

different sports. I am going to be a speed consultant for rugby,

cricket, tennis players of the world, teaching them how to move

quicker. That is something Darren Campbell has done. Yes, I think we

might be working together at some point! 100 metres coming up.

Interesting because of who is not in the race. Note James Dasaolu.

You would like to think he would take the opportunity to run in front

of his home crowd. It would be a nice steppingstone before the world

Championships. The French guy who beat him is

running. Even so, you would think he would want to build on that momentum

for top it is an opportunity should show that either to show he is a

performer. -- to show he is a performer. Dwain Chambers is not

running. He came out yesterday and ran 10.1.

He is a Championship performer. It is, close to the trials. -- it is

coming close. I see him doing big things in the trials. A bit of

pressure on Richard Kilty, a local lad. I think he will do well. A

local crowd. He did not so well last year. He had a problem with his

hamstring. It was out in the 19 states. He pulled a hamstring. --

the United States. of the headlines of the first aid.

We would love to see her at the world Championships. What a day for

world Championships. What a day for her. To 100 metre races to come.

This is the first race, with the wind is going to be a factor. It is

not easy to keep your form, starting, all the rest of it. The

wind is more of a crosswind where they start, because the stand we are

sitting in end is about 15 metres before the start line was then it

turned into a headwind. -- before the start line. Then it turns into a

something for Richard Kilty to take note of. He is running in the second

race. These guys get the first athlete, and, strong and powerful,

and maybe in not such a strong headwind, but he muscled it in the

last ten, 15 metres. He was better our way. -- better our way.

I had a big smile watching that. A good start by the Spaniard. He got

out of the blocks are really well. The rate is about 100 metres, not

just the start. -- the race. He used his mass to drag himself through the

field. Even at 70, 80, he is not in contention, but on the line, when it

matters, he was out dipped. A season There certainly is a lot going on in

the stadium here today. We have got for field events going on at game,

as well as a track programme. -- again. This is the last athlete to

go. 14.45 in the last round. This, for extra glory. Just enjoy this

athlete. She is a master. She got close. That was only a few

centimetres behind her biggest jump so far. Twice a European champion,

world champion a couple of years ago, she has won the European cup,

edition four times altogether in her career. Still only 30 years old. She

has got a good few years left in her. She dominated this competition.

Just a reminder that Yamile Aldama finished fourth. Confirmation of the

result. Maximum points to the Ukraine. Look at the dominance she

had. 39 centimetres ahead of the Russian. Aldama finished in fourth.

The women 's discus is taking place right in the centre of the stadium.

Very conducive wind conditions here. It is a headwind but the errors like

that. -- the throwers. That was a good start. Just shy of the 60 metre

line. Her best ever is a roundabout 58 metres. She is not far short of

that. What a great start for Jade. 58.73, she is in second place for

the time being. JONATHAN EDWARDS: Just getting ready for the second

heat of the 100 metres. A lot of pressure on this young man, Marlon.

Yes, he is looking focused there. I have competed against him before. He

is a really good character. Unlike you not to go to the Olympics last

year. -- unlucky. He had a bad injury. He did his best to recover

from that. Did not particularly get back and get the time he wanted. He

has come back this year on a mission. He has run a personal best

already. I think he is going to be roughly around that time today.

man, the Frenchman, he ran in Rome behind Usain Bolt. He might think it

is a breeze, but I think Richard has the opportunity to put his authority

down. Let's go back to the commentary box. STEVE CRAM: A tough

field for Richard. He is from just the first race. Richard also needs

to have half a mind on that. He is going to race this as best as he

can. A big opportunity for him here. The wind is throwing the cameras

around as well. It is not easy out there. Blustery conditions. The

European indoor champion, such a big is hard to call, this. This is a

good, strong, European field. It So, Richard Kilty, the lad from

Middlesbrough, as Marlon was saying, coached by Linford Christie. He ran

a 400 PB as well this year, I see. The string is there. -- the

Kilty. Pretty good running from the young Frenchman. He is a world-class

sprinter. Surely close now to going below ten seconds this year. All of

the times will be have to -- have to be added up. Just lost a couple of

places in the last 15 metres, Richard Kilty. I think he could have

gone tighter in the shoulders at the finishing line. But it was a

promising performance. In this race, this is where it is going to make a

huge difference. The first race was into a slight headwind. This is a

very strong headwind indeed. The French athlete, who is Europe 's

number one runner, really showed his dominance. You can see why. 10.28

into that strong wind, and excellent performance.

His time is the issue. If you get a big wind coming up, it slows them

down. Although Kilty ran 10.51, in fact we can have a look, but I

remind you that in the first race, the first two athletes ran below

10.41. We have to add another two places above Kilty. His time will

end up as the sixth fastest. He is big headwind. You would have hoped

to have done better overall. I got a great start. It was a bit tight

towards the end. It was a big headwind. It was just a bit tight.

Slightly disappointed, but again, a great start. How was the tension at

the start? I was likely never before the race. It is my home track. There

was a bit of expectation. But I came out and enjoyed myself. I had a lot

of support from the UK athletics staff this weekend, looking after my

body. It was a great atmosphere, a shame I did not perform as well as I

could. What about the relay later? Are you

going to figure with macro I'm not sure. -- going to figure? I'm not

Blue skies overhead, a few clouds rolling by Andy wind playing havoc

a late stand-in, so he has done reasonably well. And it is fifth

place at the moment. We will predicting that. Russia are now

level with Germany. -- we were predicting that. Poland in third

place at the moment. A lot of nerves on the track, but

for this next race, there are nerves in the commentary as Laura Weightman

goes, Steve Cram is her coach. The fastest in the world so far, these

it is nice to come back to such a big championship -- I ran.

So to have the experience of winning last year, you come with an Olympic

final to boast about! Last year was such a big year for

learning and making the final was incredible. This year, I feel a lot

more confident about the season. It is my -- it is nice to be in

Gateshead for 3,000 metres, which is a different race. I loved London and

that helped me get through. It is more of a home crowd for me here, it

is like racing at home, Gateshead, so that will get me round and spur

me on to get maximum points for the team.

You can probably tell she is local, and she is used to running in these

conditions at Gateshead. We can head to the Pole Vault now to Paul

vicious back went and that is pushing a lot of the athletes back

into the box and they got their run is wrong. The Russian is coping with

the conditions quite well. And she flies over! A good result for the

Russian, often overlooked because of her team-mates. But she is doing

very well here, only two failures throughout her record of four

clearances. Tidy vaulting. Very good indeed. We saw the German a bit

earlier, she has had a few failures. Very powerful, another former

gymnast. German record-holder, and that says what a quality athlete she

is. She just about one of the judge's head -- she just about took

women are ready for this 3,000 metres. Laura Weightman is flying

the flag for Great Britain, she is from up the coast. But we do train

at Gateshead, so she knows about the wind, don't worry! Good athletes to

watch out for here. The Spanish and German athletes will also give her

something to think about. A tactical race, Laura has never run the 3,000

metres at this sort of level. There have not been any in the world this

year. But it was a very encouraging race for her, the last, in May. An

embarrassment of riches for Great Britain in this distance. We have

got Hannah England to come, we have had Jessica Judd. We have got so

many people who could step up for the women, but Laura has been given

the job here. She will be nervous, but hopefully

she can use this bird that Jess will have given from the 800m. -- the

spur. But she is in front of a home crowd and she has to be confident

and believing herself. I think she is a bit nervous that it

will be very tactical. That is the Ukrainian. When you end up jogging,

you get fired up for a race and the last thing... We have seen it in the

European Championships, you have to not panic and be patient.

We want somebody to realise that they cannot all win over the last

lap and they need to go out and make a decent pace from the start.

Conditions will make that a bit harder and it is difficult running a

tactical race. My tactic was always to go out and make it an honest race

from the start. 7.5 laps of the track and Laura

Weightman's predicted position is fourth. In her interview, I did not

tell her to say maximum points, but that is what she thinks and that is

no bad thing! She will be patient, and they have started at a real job.

-- jog. They are practically walking here. That is what the European Team

Championships does. In Portugal, 2009, and remember Ashton Mark acted

like it up a bit and it made sure we did not have situation marks like

fashion week it made sure we did not have situations like this.

-- and it made sure. Unfortunately, she is not moving at a very good

pace. It is picking up a bit as she is realising nobody else is willing

to take it on. The danger is that you get a lot of pushing and

The Pole Vault continues. There is still three athletes in the

competition. This athlete is living very dangerously. She gets four

fouls, she will be eliminated so she needs this at the first attempt to

stay in the competition. She has to attack it, but it has to be under

control. Very smooth on the runway, and she gets it! A good bit of

vaulting by Sidorova. This is one of the athletes who Holly Bleasdale was

looking forward to going head-to-head with. Unfortunately,

she failed her opening height. New lifetime best for the Russian,

Sidorova certainly in first position. But Julia Fischer is

certainly one of the world's best and great talent in this event. In

second place at the moment. She really attacks that, way over 60

metres. And that could challenge the lead. The French champion is in the

lead at the moment. Britain's number one, Jade Lally, is in sixth place

at the moment. Statisticians said she may finish no higher than

eighth, she is already ahead of that. The German moves into first

place. Second round of the Shot Put. The double Olympic champion. He

really hit that hard. That technique has served him well over the years.

A very average start to the competition. And Britain's

representative through 18 metres 13. Zane Duquemin. I saw him warming up

over 19 metres, so he is certainly in shape.

Majewski moves into first. They have picked up the pace a bit.

Laura Weightman stretches it down the back straight with the wind, and

she is slowing the game. The German athlete in third place knows her

quite well. The Russian is on the inside, and the Spaniard. Very slow

early on. This is where you have got to be patient and not panic and

think, let's get going! Let somebody else do it.

Or hope somebody else will do it. Somebody will think, if nobody does

it soon, I need to make a bit of a move and inject a bit of pace. But

we have already seen a couple of athletes dropped off the back.

Back to the Pole Vault, and Sidorova has been busy and she knows she is

living on the edge. It has to be a repeat performance, first attempt to

stay in the competition. She can still win it, but we still have the

next athlete, who has passed on all her attempts. This would be another

lifetime best for the Russian if she can get it. She has to attack it

under control. It was close. Sidorova is out, but she will

certainly finish in the top two or three, but still a way to go in this

competition. Sidorova has competed very well indeed, a lifetime best.

This younger German giant has just seen what his rival data who beat

him in the Olympic games. And he launches that. He is having a bit of

trouble in the warm-ups staying in the circle. So that is the target.

He won everything as a youth athletes, world junior

championships, and he came in and won the world senior Championships a

couple of years ago. Favourite for the Olympic title, but lost it to

the man who is leading the competition. But no longer. David

Storl, of Germany, is leading. And the positions have not changed

here. If you have dropped off, it has been very slow. Laura Weightman

is itching to go, and they are starting to get a bit nervous now.

Bora has put herself in the perfect position. She is almost checking

herself. -- Laura. You wonder if she has got instructions from her coach

not to move yet. She knows the German, they have raced each other,

and the Germans think she has got to get things moving, she does not

want people attacking her around the outside. Just stretching it out a

bit. And the Italian is moving up on the outside. They now approach with

600 to go, just over. Laura Weightman is holding on at the

moment. 1.5 laps to go. She is in the perfect position here.

The German is trying to decide whether she will come past or

whether she will wait. Heads go down as they come round that band and

into the wind, they have to find shelter if they can. And here comes

an attack. The big danger is the Russian, she

is the first to go to the front. The others are trying to follow. Already

a two metre gap. And the crowd are ring on Laura Weightman. The Russian

is cutting hard and strong, and early. Bora is pushing gone down the

back straight. -- Laura. Laura Weightman needs to try to

rally a bit and use the crowd support. Has the Russian gone too

early? I do not think so, she is moving away and looking smooth, can

Laura Weightman hold on for second? A fight for second and third, Laura

Weightman was predicted to come forth. The Russian was always the

danger and she has kicked hard. The Spaniard is coming on the outside.

The crowd trying to lift Laura. Laura Weightman is digging deep, it

will be a second place if she can hang gone! And she gets to the line

in second place, behind the Russian, well done. The Spaniard is

third. The Russian is a stronger athlete and she kicked hard. But

that was a battle on the last lap. And I know one thing, she will be

delighted to have beaten the German. But she did really well.

She will have been delighted to have held onto second and to have run

strongly. We expected the Russian to win, and she probably did when the

smartest race, she stayed tucked in and out of trouble, she made her

move and went strongly, so they were spread out. The Spaniard also gave a

good battle to come back. Laura Weightman tried to go with it, the

German thought she would come back here. She is starting to struggle to

gain a bit of momentum, but she can hear the crowd roaring for her and

probably has run a lot of laps around this track and know what the

wind will be like. She gauged it perfectly and she used every last

ounce that she had. To hold onto it down the home straight. The Spaniard

starting to move round into third and probably she also thinks she

will move past Laura Weightman, but she dug deep down that home straight

and you can see the Russian is well away and running smoothly and

probably had a lot more left, Laura Weightman judged it well and she

remember back to the Olympic semi-final, a bit like this down the

home straight. In the end, they both went through because it was 1000th

of a second. That's what today is about. It's about athletes fighting

for the extra place and put their personal pride to one side. Jessica

Judd and now Laura Weightman have shown what this event is all about.

Team manager says well done, congratulations, a good result.

Maximum points for Russia. Laura has Maximum points for Russia. Laura has

just got her Your coach said you were a fighter. Yes, tough when the

Russian came past, so I didn't expect her to be there. There was no

way the goals will come past me! Tell me about the overall

performance. An incredible experience, racing here. I started

my first junior races here. It was brilliant having the crowd there.

Higher than your predicted position, certainly. I'm pleased with that. I

did 3000 early season so the strength was there. I knew I could

be near the front. Well done. The head coach was pleased, but what

about the personal coach? Pretty good. Laura has had a difficult week

or two. She was tired after the races she ran. A big day in front of

a home crowd. We know what it's like competing in front of the crowd at

Gateshead. The Russian is good, she has got a good career of winning

junior championships. She's got a lot of pace on the last lap and

Laura was quite able to sit with that, but all the British athletes

are building towards trials in three weeks time. A brilliant summer last

year. How has she taken that? of confidence but when you young

athletes, you have to look ahead a little bit. This year is

transitional. You heard talk about strength. We have been working on

making stronger this year. She'll be 24 by the next Olympics. That will

be a big opportunity for her. This year was about getting her stronger

and learning more about this kind of thing. World Championships, and she

wants to be more competitive. But to do that, she needs to be a little

bit stronger. We will head back out women's discus competition. Jade

Lally of Great Britain finished soon as sick. But Julia Fischer, we saw

her take the lead a little while ago. -- finished sixth. But then she

was overtaken by the Frenchwoman. She walks out the front of the

circle. A little bit miffed about that. A great throw. She couldn't

make it last. We have one thread to go. She goes into the circle as the

big points winner here in the discus. Finished fifth at the

Olympic Games. She has had a very good couple of years. Haven't had

the really big throw yet. But she's very solid. And wings that way out

again. That is a good throw. Tremendous finish for her. Just

under her leading competition throw which came in the third round. A

very simple technique. Balance and power. 12 points. She has this

season 's best performance, she beats everybody here. Jade Lally of

Great Britain, she went above everybody's expectations and

have seen ups and downs. We'd get involved? I have been asked to get

involved. I went to Philadelphia and helped the team out there and we

came forth there. Hopefully, I can offer my expertise. What are your

feelings like, being here? When I got up this morning, I started to

pack my kit but I had to put on my suit! Nice threads, by the way!

Thank you. It has been strange, but I'm enjoying it. That men's 100

metres. A long foul in the second round. That's below 19 metres but I

believe it to be his best throw so far. We can see what he thinks about

that, but no disgrace. He is coached by John Hillier, one of our

long-term shot discus coaches. I show utterly -- certainly wish John

well. He has had a scare recently with his health. He is in eighth

there. The wind is playing havoc with everybody's approach into the

bar. She's not looking best happy. Two failures, so she's out of the

customer. The only athlete to go clear at this site. And that means

maximum points to Germany. It really was going to be a tussle between

them. Holly Bleasdale disappeared off the scene, however. But

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 51 seconds

you took a photo of it, you wouldn't hoping to do well in the next race.

I have seen a lot of strapping on people, but I'm not sure whether

it's the French colours or she is really going for it, with her

up there in terms of world-class, but the Polish perhaps the favourite

athlete is just about in the lead now. The prerace favourite has gone

very slowly through the first 200 metres. Out in front, the tall

French athlete, still with a six metre lead here. It's all about the

unfortunately. The French athlete was out there, decided to commit all

the way from the gun. She wasted a lot of energy. She literally runs

and jumps. She needs to home that technique. She can polish it down.

That throws her into world-class. But with all that strapping, you can

understand why her technique is a little bit restricted today. Almost

vertically up over the hurdles. Child, she is having a great season.

She is running for Great Britain in a minute or two. What is it like

coming into the team as an individual? You feel like it is 18 a

bit more. Obviously, you want to use this as a stepping stone towards

your own goals. But it is more of a friendly atmosphere. It feel less

pressured. It has got a nice feel to it. It is rare to get to run as a

team in athletics. We saw you run so well at the European indoor

Championships. It must be a great confidence booster going forward?

Yes. The indoor season went better than expected. It gave me a bit of

confidence, knowing I have got the speed in my legs. Now it is about

getting the hurdling right. I have opened up with a PB. It is nice to

transfer that to the hurdles. I still want more to come from that.

Is this weekend another good marker to see where you are against the

best in Europe? Yes, it is a good field in the hurdles. It is a chance

for me to put a marker down, compete against these girls who are topping

the world, and see where I am. It is the world, and see where I am. It is

a nice steppingstone. The big picture is certainly in

August. This is an important step on the way. She is the fastest, by a

few hundredths of a second, so that time she posts here, win or not, is

going to be important because we have to add it to the times from the

first race. If she is not as quick as that, she will be disappointed.

The Polish racer finished quickly, but misjudged it a bit. The European

list is not led by her. There are two other team competition is going

on around Europe today. The Czech Republic will be hoping to get back

into this Super League if you like the top league. Great Britain are in

no danger of being relegated. That said she hopes to translate her fast

speed into the hurdles. It doesn't quite always work that way. But she

is having a great season. It is amazing, you get a physical reaction

that works in both directions when your performance is reinforced. The

confidence builds again. It is particularly so in the 400 metre

hurdles. You have to attack the race, not be frightened. Today, they

are under a lot of pressure. It will be taxing their brains mentally.

Eilidh Child is replacing Perri Shakes Drayton. Difficult

conditions. She will know all about that soon enough. Just a comeback to

the point I was making, when you think about how well Shakes Drayton

ran indoors, her first race of the year in, she was awful. She got the

rhythm wrong. It is the sort of event where you can't have a really

bad run, even if you are in good shape. You can push yourself, but

all the good work and hamper your performance. It throws you onto the

hurdles and sets you off a bit. We She is coached by Malcolm Arnold,

down in Bath. That is with Dai Greene and the rest of them. She is

in a good lane here. The Ukrainian two of them have started very

quickly. Eilidh Child has gone out with real intent here, down the back

straight. She sailed over the first three barriers. She has gone

quickly. The Ukrainian will be aware of that. Look at this. She is

looking strong. Into the home straight now. The wind will start.

She is well clear of the rest. The Ukrainian has got no chance at the

moment. Safely over the last hurdle. What a run. Maximum points for Great

Britain. What a great effort! 54.42, a new PB. That puts right on terms.

She attacked it right from the very first step out of the blocks. The

Ukrainian did not know what hit her. That was a big step forward. In

these conditions, it has been waiting to come. Peter Eriksson,

that is a smile for him! He has got to be happy with that. Any child

will be beside herself. -- Eilidh Child. No fear. She will be

thinking, my form is good, I have been waiting for an opportunity to

make a big breakthrough. She is rewarded with a personal best. We

can even see her clapping her hands as she crosses the line. I was

jumping up and down because it was such a bold performance today. It is

a difficult job when you are substituting for the captain. But

now I think she has really made it clear that she is a real contender

in this event. She enjoys it, loves the experience of challenging Perri

Shakes Drayton, and is happy to take her on all the time. A great

performance. Those last three events from the

women have been really strong. Eilidh Child takes 12 points. When

you set out with such intense, you talk about rhythm, and I remember

Perri Shakes Drayton in Eugene, she knew she was not going to run well,

whereas today the only question was the home straight and the wind.

watched her from the blocks, and she worked hard over the first two

hurdles. There was no interruption whatsoever, which set it up

wonderfully well. That must have filled her with confidence. She made

a real decision alert -- early on. She is good on both legs. She has a

mature, strong leg on her good side and her bad side. When you are

running well, you end up with a performance like this. I am sure

Malcolm Arnold will be happy. One thing is for sure. Shakes

Drayton will have to be on form at the trials to hold off Eilidh Child.

after a performance like that, and in not the best conditions. How

delighted are you? Today was about performances. I

thought, go out there and win the race and I might get a good time. I

am over the moon. We saw an interview just before your

race about how you wanted to put a marker down for the rest of Europe

and the rest of the season. You have done that.

I have felt that a good time has been in there. It has just been

getting it right. Today has not been perfect. I wanted to drop the time a

bit more. Come the world's, that is when it will come good.

You look so controlled all the way around.

If I can get good conditions, hopefully everything will come

together and it will be even better. So, 12 more points for Eilidh Child.

One of the performances of the day. The Russian took third place. Let's

combine that altogether. There you can see the French runner gets into

the six position. Another great event for Great Britain. JONATHAN

EDWARDS: In terms of the overall standings, Russia are there. Great

Britain are in fifth place with 101 Britain are in fifth place with 101

points. Just 0.5 points behind France. Denise, you talked about

Eilidh Child 's technique. You have to give her credit. She has

plugged away, trying to improve the whole performance. To get the

QuickTime is committed technique has to be sound over the hurdles. This

is where Perri Shakes Drayton needs to brush up and take note because

this girl is coming and coming hard. Dai Greene has struggled with the

conditions. Four LE child, it almost had note impact at all. -- for any

child. It has been a case of crafting and

putting together the jigsaw, making sure everything comes together in

the right fashion. For her, it is now. She can go into the best of the

season thinking, I have ticked that box. Yes, the conditions are

difficult, but this could be Moscow. You don't know. Hopefully maximum

Looks relaxed. He is ready. Mo Farah is going for it! It is going to be a

glorious, glorious win! He is going to make it two gold medals for Great

Britain... Beautiful! STEVE CRAM: From one established star to one of

the future. Charlie Grice, coached by Sally Gunnell 's husband. He

trains up at St Mary's. What a day for him as well. He saw what Jessica

Judd it. What can he do? It will all be about tactics. He is five times

the German champion. No British athlete is anywhere near his time

yet. But Charlie is on the up. He is just 19 years of age. 3.38, a big

the best two has represented them in track. Charlie will be hoping the

pace is not too slow. The Turkish athlete is away quickly. He is a

former Kenyan who has only recently been given clearance to run. That

was pushed through. Charlie realises there is a race on here. This is

really quick. It is not the Diamond League, guys!

This was unexpected. He has gone straight to the front and taken it

hard. Only the Frenchman has gone with him.

What on earth are they doing? The second group, they haven't gone fast

enough. If the others went steady... If they just run sensibly,

was a windy day! It's crazy. Already, he is paying for that. What

he will find is that he is in no man's land, really exposed. He is

sitting there, waiting for the chasing pack to reel in. They are

is going on. He might not run 64 the last lap. But the others will not

catch up. Charlie Grice has got himself in a very good position

there. He needs to just make sure now he is running to win this second

race. And the man in front is really starting to struggle. If they were

just a little bit closer, they would have reeled him in. Charlie Grice

has already run really well. Can you racer! Well done! Another good

performance from him. Charlie Grice with a great second place there.

These guys are finishing like a train. Good, tactical race from C.

Goodspeed at the end. 11 points, really good performance. Excellent

run from Charlie. He was just concentrating on holding of the

coming up now. He would have been inspired. He wanted to show that the

youngsters can go out and perform without fear. Well done, C. I don't

think I have ever seen anyone win the European Championships with a 64

himself in 2008. No failure so far for Tom. Very good jumping. Came in

His second attempt and he plays it well. The only two athletes to have

cleared this height. Not a particularly prodigious height, like

you have got to beat what is put in front of you on the day, and so far,

Tom Parsons is doing that. But the Italian has far more failures to his

the German won it, the only athlete to go clear at that height. The

Polish woman had difficulties. No points for Great Britain, however,

and we will hear from Holly a little steeplechase. Scottish athletes who

was replacing another one. McColgan was intending to run, but she picked

up a little bit of a niggle. So Lenny stepping in. A tough race for

her. This is a lead goal -- a level she has not really competed out yet.

She will be very proud to be putting on the British vest and will be

doing her best to get as many points as possible. But tough in these

conditions today. Good athletes in here today. The German may well be

at the minute. Not bad for Great Britain at the moment. 114 on day

one, and close to Poland. We have to also watch out for the French as

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 51 seconds

Spanish 19.35 last year. This is a late replacement here as well. She

was originally going to do the 3000 flat. And there's the German. Bronze

medallist in Helsinki before the Olympics last year. The Polish, at

her best three or four years ago. Good athletes in here. But Lenny

better than her predicted position. Anything better than ninth and she

is above par. Slow start, Paula. Not surprising. We're looking here at

the Ukrainian athlete, who has gone straight to the front. She is

controlling the race had a fairly decent pace. Everyone else is pretty

happy to slot in behind her and get a feel for things over the first

couple of laps. Lenny is based in the US. She is born in Scotland, and

soon, she will be heading to the Commonwealth Games. But she is based

and trains in America. American trials taking place this weekend as

well, incidentally. Sweltering conditions there. But not that

today. The sun is out, which is good, but it is the wind that is

causing a lot of the racist trouble. The -- races trouble. It has been

the sprinters complaining about the wind. But you get behind you as much