It was a night for rewriting history at Roma 2024 with the continent’s female icons starring on a memorable night at the Stadio Olimpico.
Sandra Elkasević and Nafissatou Thiam etched their places in European Athletics Championship history as they defended their titles in glorious style.
Seventh heaven for Elkasavic
Elkasevic, formerly Perkovic, clinched an incredible seventh successive European gold in the women’s discus. The Croatian, no stranger to history-making as a double Olympic and double world champion, set out her stall right from the start. She launched a season’s best 67.04m in the opening round and it was beyond all her competitors.
The Netherlands’ Jorinde van Klinken added another silver to the one she won in the shot a day earlier. Lillian Ca took her first major senior medal at the age of 37. The Portuguese thrower’s second round 64.53m was good enough for bronze.
"This gold medal means a lot to me," said Elkasevic afterwards. "Here in Rome I won my seventh gold medal at a European Championships and as Rome was built on seven hills I wanted to have a medal for each hill. It was an amazing crowd. Thanks to the Italians and also to the Croatians who came here to support me.
"I knew that I am the best one here and that I can throw far. But I am still a human and I get a little nervous. If something does not go according to the plan, it is not good. I opened really good, and the second one was even better. 67.04 is my SB (season's best).
"It is emotional because this is my first medal for me and my husband under the name of Elkasevic, like there is a new girl in town. I won six under the name of Perkovic and this is the first one for our family. And that gold goes to him."
Thiam back to her best with championship record
Nafissatou Thiam won her third successive European title, following Berlin 2018 and Munich 2022. After injury kept her on the sidelines in 2023, the Belgian has regained her status as the planet’s premier heptathlete.
Heading into the final two events with a 77 point lead, Thiam, whose javelin personal best of 59.32m was set at Gotzis in 2017, looked quietly pleased with her performance with the spear after recording a season’s best of 53.00m with the first of her three throws. Two subsequent efforts of 50.40 and 51.50 confirmed she was in the zone.
It left her 209 points to the good going into the 800m and it would have been understandable if she had coasted home to gold. But not Thiam. She ran a fully committed 800m, clocking a personal best of 2:11.79. She was further rewarded with a championship record of 6848 points.
"Actually, I was very nervous on the first day," admitted Thiam "I felt this was the first time after a very long time when I actually felt my belly. I did not know what was going on. I felt like I am 16 again. So I am glad I did my first start of the season here at the big championship."
Silver went to Auriana Lazraq-Khlass, who has been one of the breakout athletes of the championships. The French athlete recorded personal bests in the 100m hurdles, high jump, shot put and 200m on day 1. She was at it again in the javelin, when she landed a lifetime best of 48.23m, a 4.30m improvement on her previous best.
She rounded off a dream competition by running 2:12.07 in the 800m, her sixth personal best overall. "Heptathlon is what I love," said the effervescent athlete. "It is made for me and I am made for it. It brings the best out of me and I am giving everything.
"This was a perfect heptathlon! I have so many emotions right now. This will be my first Olympic Games and this silver medal is my first medal at a European Championships. 2024 - this year is my year, my arrival at the top. Event after event I saw that this is a great competition for me. I felt that I am in big shape. Now I know for Paris that anything is possible."
Bronze went to Thiam’s Belgian team-mate Noor Vidts, who also had some personal bests to savour. Day one’s shot of 14.79m and day two’s javelin throw of 42.12m. She rounded off a fine competition with a gutsy front running performance in the 800m, clocking 2:09.35.
It is her first major medal outdoors after finishing fourth in the Tokyo Olympics, fourth at Munich 2022 and fifth and sixth at the 2022 and 2023 World Athletics Championships respectively.
Samba-Mayela smashes best
France’s Cyréna Samba-Mayela was a sensational winner of the women’s 100m hurdles, speeding to a championship record of 12.31 (+0.8ms) leaving a class field in her wake in a high quality race. She also sliced 0.21 off her personal best and grabbed the world lead in the process.
"I have never felt so alive, that is amazing," she said. "Like it is part of the plan. I am so happy to see that everything is functioning. By the grace of God I am able to do what I am doing right now. The atmosphere here is so cool.
"Everybody is screaming and enjoying and I am enjoying it, too. I am just taking the vibrations. It is like fuel for me. Of course, I am looking forward to Paris. It will be the best for me. I am walking on a positive path, it is more and more encouraging."
Silver went to Switzerland’s Ditaji Kambundji, setting a European U23 record of 12.40, upgrading from bronze two years ago in Munich. Defending champion Pia Skrzyszowska of Poland was third, but she too was in celebratory mood with a personal best of 12.42.
Chris Broadbent for European Athletics