Ireland, who have had only one gold medal winner at the European Athletics Championships since the event began in Italy 90 years ago, added four more names to that honoured roster tonight thanks to an astonishing effort from the 4x400m mixed relay team.
In an event making its debut at these championships, Thomas Barr, Rhasidat Adeleke, Chris O’Donnell, and Sharlene Mawdsley clocked a national record of 3:09.92.
Even an athlete of the talent and commitment of Femke Bol could not prevent the Irish from living up to their fondest dreams tonight. While she moved the Dutch from distant fourth to bronze on the last leg, almost overtaking the home silver medallists as she recorded the fastest female split time of 49.21, the world 400m hurdles champion was not able to repeat her heroics at last year’s World Championships in the women’s 4x400m, when she managed to bring her team home for gold in similar circumstances.
Ultimately there was no way Ireland were going to lose this one. Their two female runners, in particular, gave inspired displays. Their headily-rising 21-year-old talent Adeleke produced an irresistible power surge on the second leg as she moved from fourth to create a five-metres lead for her team in a split of 49.53. After taking over in second place from Barr, Mawdsley – traumatically disqualified for obstruction after appearing to have reached this year’s 400m final at the World Athletics Indoor Championships – produced her own inspired final effort to move into the lead again and bring the green shirts home for gold, clocking 49.40 on anchor.
Bol, biding her time as a distant fourth-placer, ended at top speed, moving past Belgium’s Helena Ponette and bringing the Dutch home third in 3:10.73, just a step away from Italy’s Alice Mangione, who secured silver in a national record of 3:10.69. Belgium had the consolation of a national record of 3:11.03 in fourth.
Full Result:
| Country | Athlete | Leg | Time | Total Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | Christopher O’DONNELL | 4th leg | 46.09 | 3:09.92 |
| Rhasidat ADELEKE | 1st leg | 49.53 | ||
| Thomas BARR | 2nd leg | 44.90 | ||
| Sharlene MAWDSLEY | 3rd leg | 49.40 | ||
| ————– | ———————— | ——— | ——- | ———— |
| Italy | Luca SITO | 1st leg | 44.75 | 3:10.69 |
| Anna POLINARI | 4th leg | 51.10 | ||
| Edoardo SCOTTI | 3rd leg | 44.78 | ||
| Alice MANGIONE | 2nd leg | 50.06 | ||
| ————– | ———————— | ——— | ——- | ———— |
| Netherlands | Liemarvin BONEVACIA | 5th leg | 46.10 | 3:10.73 |
| Lieke KLAVER | 2nd leg | 50.74 | ||
| Isaya KLEIN IKKINK | 4th leg | 44.68 | ||
| Femke BOL | 1st leg | 49.21 | ||
| ————– | ———————— | ——— | ——- | ———— |
| Belgium | Jonathan SACOOR | 2nd leg | 44.96 | 3:11.03 |
| Naomi VAN DEN BROECK | 4th leg | 51.10 | ||
| Alexander DOOM | 1st leg | 44.16 | ||
| Helena PONETTE | 3rd leg | 50.81 | ||
| ————– | ———————— | ——— | ——- | ———— |
| Great Britain | Charlie CARVELL | 3rd leg | 45.67 | 3:13.97 |
| Hannah KELLY | 8th leg | 51.48 | ||
| Lewis DAVEY | 7th leg | 45.62 | ||
| Emily NEWNHAM | 5th leg | 51.20 | ||
| ————– | ———————— | ——— | ——- | ———— |
| Czech Republic | Matěj KRSEK | 6th leg | 46.20 | 3:14.24 |
| Lada VONDROVÁ | 3rd leg | 51.04 | ||
| Vít MÜLLER | 5th leg | 45.26 | ||
| Barbora MALÍKOVÁ | 6th leg | 51.74 | ||
| ————– | ———————— | ——— | ——- | ———— |
| Poland | Karol ZALEWSKI | 8th leg | 46.54 | 3:15.32 |
| Marika POPOWICZ-DRAPAŁA | 6th leg | 51.12 | ||
| Maksymilian SZWED | 8th leg | 45.69 | ||
| Aleksandra FORMELLA | 7th leg | 51.97 | ||
| ————– | ———————— | ——— | ——- | ———— |
| France | Wilfried HAPPIO | 7th leg | 46.40 | Disqualified |
| Sounkamba SYLLA | 7th leg | 51.14 | ||
| Muhammad Abdallah KOUNTA | 6th leg | 45.51 | ||
| Louise MARAVAL | ? | ? |
