Great Britain and Spain closed the Bergen 2025 European Athletics U23 Championships in brilliant fashion, setting European U23 and championship records in the 4x400m finals.
Bergen 2025 was live streamed on the European Athletics website courtesy of Eurovision Sport.
Brilliant Brits hold firm
In the women’s 4x400m, Great Britain fielded 400m hurdles gold medallist Emily Newnham and 400m silver medallist Yemi Mary John and were the pre-race favourites. They were led off by Rebecca Grieve, 8th in the individual event, who handed on to Newnham in the lead.
Newnham ran an excellent 50.9 split and handed on to Poppy Malik with a five metre lead. Mailk maintained the advantage and with John taking the baton, the British had a clear run to gold ahead of Germany and Spain.
The Spanish team, anchored by 800m silver medallist Rocio Arroyo, began to make gradual inroads. But John had the situation well in hand and cruised away down the home straight and on to a European U23 record of 3:26.52.
Spain chased home for silver in 3:28.06. In the final strides, Germany’s last leg runner Anouk Krause-Jentsch was overtaken by France’s Alexe Deau who ran a superb split of 50.07, adding 4x400m bronze to the individual 400m bronze she won on Saturday (19).
Taking part in her seventh race of the championships, 400m gold medallist and 200m silver medallist Henriette Jaeger ran the second leg for Norway, who finished sixth in a national U23 record of 3:30.88. Switzerland meanwhile had 800m winner Audrey Werro on the final leg and placed seventh in 3:31.38.
Three-way battle for gold
The men’s race developed into a fascinating three-way struggle between Spain, Germany and France. Spain fielded individual fourth placer David Garcia on the opening leg and he delivered the baton imperceptibly ahead to Ángel González.
The Spanish second leg runner went shoulder to shoulder with France’s Maxime Wassmer and Germany’s Max Husemann as they broke from lanes and held firm to lead, giving Spain a marginal lead.
Markel Fernandez, sixth in the 400m final, took the third leg for Spain and finished it dead level with France’s Benoît Moudio Priso.
Crucially however, Spain held the inside and Gerson Pozo, 8th in the individual emerged from the first bend in front with Allan Lacroix poised on his shoulder. Germany’s Florian Kroll, seventh in the individual, was also well within striking range.
Spain hold firm and Phijffers charges
The Dutch quartet, who had Olympic mixed 4x400m relay champion Isaya Klein Ikkink on the second leg looked adrift and out of contention, despite 400m champion Jonas Phijffers taking the baton for the final leg.
Priso stayed with Pozo right to the home straight and moved wide to strike, but Pozo had saved enough in reserve and resisted the challenge. He sprinted away to win in 3:02.02, taking 0.11 off Russia’s championship record and European U23 record from 2007.
Priso anxiously checked back as Kroll and rapidly approaching Phijffers began to close in. But the line came in time as France took silver in 3:02.60, Germany bronze in 3:02.83. The Netherlands were just 0.06 further back in fourth after a barnstorming final leg of 43.79 from Phijffers.