25th July 2009

Medal Hat-trick

 

25 July 2009

Team GB’s track and field athletes took three medals on the final day’s action of the European Youth Olympics in Tampere, Finland to take their overall athletics tally to five medals. Star of the show was Jennifer Batten who added 200m gold to the 100m title she took earlier in the week.

The Stroud sprinter took gold in 23.80, which would have been a new personal best but for the illegal following wind of +2.7 metres per second.  Batten said: “That was amazing. It didn’t feel as comfortable as it might have looked because it was quite a tiring race. At the 100m mark I knew no-one was near me so I felt alright then.

“It couldn’t have gone much better for me this week. I’ve had such a good week and I’ll remember this for a long time. It’s been an awesome experience and hopefully it will stand me in good stead for the future because this is still only the start of my career.”

Liam Clowes was another British sprinter who had the honour of stepping on the medal podium after finishing third in the men’s 200m in 21.50 (+0.6m/s), fine consolation after his 4th place finish in the 100m final earlier in the week.

The Cheshire flyer said: “To get a personal best is absolutely awesome. I knew I had it in me and I knew I could come away with a medal. I was a little nervous beforehand but they were good nerves. I’m just so happy to get a medal.”

Team GB’s purple patch on the track continued as Adelle Tracey (Godalming) took the 800m silver medal in a photo finish. Running a time of 2:09.92, she benefitted from a well timed dip at the finish line to secure her medal.

She said: “When I found out I’d won silver, it felt amazing, I’m really happy to get a medal. It was very nice to be up there on the podium, I’ve not done that before. When the anthems we’re playing I had a look at the Olympic flag and was thinking to myself I’m a youth Olympian and I’m really happy.”

Thomas Atkinson (Cleck Heaton) finished just outside of the medals, coming home an agonising fourth in the men’s 800m with a time of 1:57.09. Sixth was the finishing position of Team GB’s other four finalists. Georgia Atkins (Ashingdon) in the women’s long jump with a leap of 6.00m, which equalled her personal best.

Atkins then teamed up with Lucy James (Bedford), Laura Burke (Shepperton) and Jennifer Batten (Stroud) to place sixth again in the 4x100m final. The quartet got the baton safely around the track in 47.50 seconds.

Meanwhile in the field javelin thrower Samuel Taylor-Outridge (Newport Pagnell) and pole vaulter Cameron Walker-Shepherd (Stapleton) both placed sixth with a throw of 65.41m and a vault of 4.65m respectively.