The Royal Palace of Madrid was the magnificent venue for the opening event - the women’s pole vault at the Madrid 2025 European Athletics Team Championships on Thursday (26).
The European Athletics Team Championships 1st Division from Madrid (26-29 June) and 2nd Division from Maribor (28-29) are being streamed live on the European Athletics website via the Eurovision Sport platform.
Svabikova keeps cool in searing sun
Held under tough weather conditions as the thermometer had reached 36ºC by the time of the event, it was 2023 European indoor bronze medallist Amalie Svabikova of the Czechia who managed maximum points (16) for her country as she beat Ukraine’s Maryna Kylypko on countback, both jumpers vaulting over 4.65m.
Svabikova first tried 4.30m to clear the bar at her second attempt, she skipped 4.45m, but cleared 4.55m at the first time of asking. It took her two tries to surpass 4.65m before failing on her first attempt 4.70m.
Once she secured the win, the Czech decided to raise the bar to 4.75m, a would-be championships record but she was not successful on her two attempts; the 25-year-old winner dedicated the victory to her mother who was celebrating her birthday as she watched on in the stands.
As for Kylypko, she had first time clearances over 4.30m and 4.45m but she needed all her three attempts to get over 4.55m and two tries to clear 4.65m before failing over 4.70m in her final jump of the contest; the 29-year-old Ukrainian set a season’s best to give 15 points to her country.
The only other vaulter exceeding 4.50 was Switzerland’s Angelica Moser, the European champion indoors and outdoors had to settle for third with a 4.55m second-time clearance while Italy’s Elisa Molinarolo came fourth place thanks to a 4.45m clearance.
Tutton grabs lifetime best
Group B witnessed the victory of the 20-year-old Briton Gemma Tutton; she needed three attempts to get over 4.30m but then she cleared a lifetime best of 4.45m on her opening effort to place fifth overall.
Lithuania Rugile Miklyciute managed a lifetime best and National record of 4.30m while one of the favourites, France’s Marie-Julie Bonnin, the Nanjing 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships gold medallist was never a factor as she had to settle for a 4.30m clearance, placing her 11th.