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Defending champions Italy lead, but nailbiting climax ahead at Madrid 2025

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Defending champions Italy have moved to the top of the table at the end of another dramatic day at the European Athletics Team Championships 1st Division in Madrid on Saturday (28).

Overnight leaders the Netherlands won both the men’s and women’s 4x100m races in new national records. And there was also eye-catching doubles for the Swiss who won both the men’s and women’s sprint hurdles races and Czechia also savoured victory in both the men’s high jump and men’s 400m hurdles.

The performance of the evening undoubtedly belonged to Olympic champion Miltiadis Tentoglou setting a championship record and world lead in the men’s long jump. Plus former Olympic champions Anita Włodarczyk and Daniel Stahl showed they still have what it takes in the throws’ circles, winning the women’s hammer and men’s discus.

Dramatic conclusion set for Sunday

But there was a relentless consistency about the Italian team who scored stealthily throughout the programme. 

Lorenzo Simonelli was second in the men’s 110m hurdles, Ayomide Folorunso was second in the women’s 400m hurdles, Mattia Furlani was third in the men’s long jump, Eloisa Coira was third in the women’s 800m, and Erika Sarencini was third in the women’s triple jump - wherever you looked across the schedule, Italian athletes were contending for big points.

With 25 events of the 37 completed, the Azzuri lead on 290, 34 clear of four-time winners Germany, twice champions Poland are on 256.5 and the Netherlands (253.5), Great Britain (252) and Spain (249) will also be nurturing top three ambitions overnight.

Ukraine (160), Finland (158.5) and Lithuania (102.5) currently occupy the three relegation positions among the sixteen nations. But with a maximum of 192 points per team still up for grabs, a nail-biting climax is assured in the Estadio Vallehermoso on Sunday (29).

The Madrid 2025 European Athletics Team Championships 1st Division is being streamed live on the European Athletics website courtesy of the Eurovision Sport Platform.




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