Jakob Ingebrigtsen makes Euros history, Armand Duplantis and Marcell Jacobs delight
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(From left) Belgium's Jochem Vermeulen, Norway's Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Italy's Pietro Arese after the 1,500m race at the European Championships in Rome.
PHOTO: AFP
ROME – Jakob Ingebrigtsen became the most successful male European athlete in Rome on June 12, while Armand Duplantis won his third pole vault title and Marcell Jacobs clinched a second gold as part of the Italian relay team.
In a high-octane final night of the European Athletics Championships featuring some of the leading competitors on the global stage, the large crowd at the Stadio Olimpico were treated to some sterling performances.
Not least from Olympic champion Ingebrigtsen, who at just 23 years of age claimed his third successive 1,500-5,000m double after winning the 1,500m in a championship record of 3min 31.95sec.
Those six golds establish him as Europe’s leading male athlete, beyond Britons Mo Farah and Roger Black and then-West Germany’s Harald Schmid, who all also won six European medals, but they were five golds and a silver.
“I just do my best in every race and sometimes it goes very well,” said the Norwegian.
“Today it’s about winning. At the same time, I’m looking for answers in every single question I’m asked. Today I got a lot of good answers.”
Duplantis, the Olympic and two-time world champion, was untouchable in the pole vault, an event he has dominated in recent seasons. He bettered his own championship record by 4cm to 6.10m for gold and went close on three occasions to improving his own world record of 6.24m.
“I did not really think I was attempting the world record today,” the Swede said.
“It was not part of the plan. After the 6.10, there was just too much energy there. I looked at my parents and we both had the same idea. We were like, ‘It is just fun, so why not?’”
Italy topped the medal table with 11 golds, nine silvers and four bronzes for an overall haul of 24. France, Britain, Norway and Switzerland each collected four golds.
Given Team Italia’s dominance, it was fitting that Olympic champion Jacobs, who had retained his 100m crown on June 8, had the final word by helping the 4x100m men’s relay team to victory.
He teamed up with Matteo Melluzzo, Lorenzo Patta and Filippo Tortu for victory in 37.82 seconds.
Draped in Italian flags, Jacobs immediately led his teammates up into the stands to embrace Italian President Sergio Mattarella, government and federation officials, to wild applause and cheers from the partisan crowd.
“We hit the track with a lot of enthusiasm and energy. We wanted to win at all costs and we achieved it,” he said.
Lke Jacobs, Britain’s 100m winner Dina Asher-Smith led her country to victory in the 4x100m women’s relay in 41.91sec.
The relays also saw a handful of athletes ensure they leave for home with more than one medal.
Gold medallist in the 400m hurdles, Femke Bol secured her second gold and third medal of the championships (after a bronze in the 4x400m mixed relay) as she anchored the Dutch 4x400m women’s relay team to victory. Bol, with Lieke Klaver, Cathelijn Peeters and Lisanne de Witte, timed 3:22.39.
Ireland took silver in a national record of 3:22.71, allowing Rhasidat Adeleke to also pick up her third medal after a silver in the 400m and gold in the 4x400m mixed relay. AFP, REUTERS
