Euro U23 championships

[LopenUupunut]

Highlights so far...

Christin Hussong's 65.60 CR in women's javelin

Mariya Ponomaryova, another brilliantly talented Chegin pupil, winning the w20kW in 1:27:17 (also CR), ahead of Anežka Drahotová

Noemi Zbären's 12.71 (-0.2) CR in the w100H

Fabian Heinle's 814 (-0.4) to win the mLJ

Nick Miller of UK winning the mHT (a few years ago I'd have thought a line like that could only be a typo...)

Sweden's Bengtsson and Meijer going 1-2 in the wPV, as they did at the 2009 World Youths. Meijer has really improved this year after being stuck for quite a while.

Live results here; live feed here (may not be available in all countries).

The Finnish performance has not conformed to stereotypes; we're a non-factor in the javelin, but qualified two athletes to the m400H final (both as semi-final winners - Oskari Mörö and Jussi Kanervo) and three to the mTJ final. Overall we've done at least as well as could be expected; hopefully we'll get a medal someplace.

[user4]

Highlights so far...
Fabian Heinle's 814 (-0.4) to win the mLJ
...

Another talented German long jumper ? .. when it rains it pours.

[LopenUupunut]

.. when it rains it pours.

Sums up the weather so far

[Sinafan]

Haase wins the 200m ahead of Freese, 23.16 to 23.22 PB, yesterday Haase won the 100m ahead of Burghardt. That was the last hurrah at youth level from the golden EJR Tallinn 2011 relay which fittingly now swept the sprints at the same place 4 years later. Obviously they are the huge favorites for the relay.

[charliebrad93]

Great results by the Germans but let's not get carried away, there is a lot of talented young British girls who could have won those titles but chose not to attend e.g. Dina Asher Smith, Bianca Williams, Desiree Henry and Jodie Williams.

[Sinafan]

Great results by the Germans but let's not get carried away, there is a lot of talented young British girls who could have won those titles but chose not to attend e.g. Dina Asher Smith, Bianca Williams, Desiree Henry and Jodie Williams.

Which is a pity. According to UK athletics regulations it was forbidden for British athletes to start in Tallinn (or any other youth championship) if they want to participate in Beijing, and I totally fail to see the point here. Surely these events are apart far enough and peaking for both can't be a problem.

[LopenUupunut]

Brilliantly gutsy run by Malmberg to take the w400H in 55.88... most exciting race of the meet so far?

Why does Sweden keep winning medals while we don't get any

[LopenUupunut]

We have a medal! *evil manic laugh*

The world is our oyster! We shall hammer it open and feast on the goo inside!

[Powell]

Kuchina fails three times at 1.81 !!!

[Powell]

I think the women's 1500 final was the race of the championships. Too bad it didn't end like I was hoping it would, but a brilliant duel between Terzic and Ennaoui nonetheless.

[gm76]

What happened to Kuchina? Is she injured?
I see that she started at 1.71, that's very low.

[norunner]

Great results by the Germans but let's not get carried away, there is a lot of talented young British girls who could have won those titles but chose not to attend e.g. Dina Asher Smith, Bianca Williams, Desiree Henry and Jodie Williams.

Dina Asher-Smith would have easily won both titles, Desiree Henry and Jodie Williams have shown almost nothing this year, so i doubt very much they would have been anywhere close to the medals. Bianca Williams also hasn't even run close to the times she achieved last year.
I do think however that the sprints were pretty weak, and i also think that Ewa Swoboda and Gina Lückenkemper will run faster winning times at the U20 champs in Eskilstuna (weather permitting) than Rebekka Haase ran in Tallinn.
The big breakthrough on the German side was Christin Hussong, with her 65.60m she is currently 5th in the world and she is by far the youngest among the top10, the only one born in the 90s.

[LNO]

Kuchina, she looked....uninspired

[Powell]

Which is a pity. According to UK athletics regulations it was forbidden for British athletes to start in Tallinn (or any other youth championship) if they want to participate in Beijing, and I totally fail to see the point here.

That's weird. Most other countries sent their best U23 athletes to Tallinn, and that included many who will go to Beijing and are capable of placing well there.

[Gabriella2]

I have never understood the U23's though. We don't need to ease athletes in gently at that age. I can understand the Youth and U20 but after that you're in the senior ranks now, so it's time to run with the big boys and girls.

On our GB girls, Williams and Henry have been below par this season and I doubt either would have medalled over 100m. Haase has run a few 11.2's this season, nothing they could match. Over 200m Williams would have medalled, but it would have been a tight battle.