It’s time for Day 3 of the European Athletics Championships on Wednesday (13), with five more finals on the schedule. Among them are the men’s 400m hurdles and the women’s 400m.
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Here are my picks for Day 3…
Decathlon Men – After Day One
1. Leo Neugebauer (Germany)
2. Makenson Gletty (France)
3. Tomas Järvinen (Czech Republic)
Neugebauer looks like the clear favourite to lead after Day One. His potential across the first four events is higher than that of his rivals, and his results this year point towards another strong start.
Gletty should be second thanks to his strength in the shot put and 400m, while Järvinen looks like the most likely choice for third, although his weakness in the shot put could cost him some points.
Hammer Throw Women
1. Krista Tervo (Finland)
2. Silja Kosonen (Finland)
3. Sara Fantini (Italy)
Tervo and Kosonen are the only two athletes in the field to have thrown beyond 77 metres this year. For Finland to leave the event without a medal would be a disappointment. Behind the two Finns, reigning champion Sara Fantini looks like the main challenger.
400m Men
1. Matthew Hudson-Smith (Great Britain)
2. Attila Molnár (Hungary)
3. Jonas Phijffers (NED)
Hudson-Smith arrives as a two-time European champion, the reigning Olympic silver medallist and the European leader this year. With the home crowd behind him, he has to be considered the favourite for gold.
Behind him, European indoor champion Molnár will look to challenge, having set a new Hungarian record this year. At just 23, Phijffers is the reigning European U23 champion and looked impressive in the heats.
400m Hurdles Women
1. Emma Zapletalová (Slovakia)
2. Paulien Couckuyt (Belgium)
3. Emily Newnham (Great Britain)
Zapletalová is the European leader and the only athlete in the field to have broken 53 seconds, having done so three times this year. She has a World Championship bronze medal to her name but is still searching for a major title.
Couckuyt set a personal best just over a week ago and appears to be in excellent form. Newnham comes into the championships fresh from a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games.
110m Hurdles Men
1. Just Kwaou-Mathey (France)
2. Enzo Diessl (Austria)
3. Théo Pedre (France)
It is an incredibly tight field in the hurdles, which could open the door for a surprise result. There are just three hundredths of a second separating the European No. 2 Kwaou-Mathey is the standout
performer on times this season, however, and gets my vote for gold.
Ones to Watch
Sander Skotheim – The big wildcard in the men’s decathlon. His ceiling is on a par with Neugebauer’s, but after injury problems and significantly weaker results in the high jump and long jump this year, he is much harder to place. If he has found his form, he could challenge for the top spots.
Patrik Simon Enyingi- Hungarian 400m runner who was part of the team that won a World Championship relay medal indoors this winter.
Anita Włodarczyk – With three Olympic titles, four World Championship titles and four European titles in the hammer, she is one of athletics’ biggest stars of the past decade. She has held the world record for ten years, but currently sits only sixth on this year’s world list. She finished second two years ago, but that was also her most recent international medal.
Louise Maraval – The reigning European silver medallist in the 400m hurdles has a strong chance of challenging for another medal. She has one of the best personal bests in the field, although she has yet to fully reproduce that level this season.
Jason Joseph – The Swiss hurdler has both a strong season’s best and personal best, but has not broken 13.30 since May this year.
Bonus Question: What will be the winning distance in the women’s hammer throw final?
Several throwers have the ability to challenge for gold, but I expect the winning throw to be well beyond 73 metres.
Tervo and Kosonen have both shown that they can reach that level, and with the best athletes getting several attempts in the final, I think it will take something special to win.
At the same time, 75 metres feels like a significant mark, where a throw would have to be genuinely world-class. My prediction: 74.50m.
Katharine Merry is an Olympic 400m bronze medallist and a respected athletics commentator and presenter