European Athletics Championships: Eilidh Child takes gold in women's 400m hurdles
Last Updated: 17/08/14 3:34pm
Britain’s Eilidh Child added European gold to her Commonwealth silver as she held on down the home straight to win the women’s 400 metres hurdles in Zurich.
The 27-year-old was the poster child for Glasgow 2014 but had to settle for second place when running in a Scottish vest at Hampden Park.
It looked like she may miss out again in Zurich as her rivals began to gain on her heading towards the final barrier, but she dug deep into her reserves to cross the line first in 54.48 seconds.
Anna Timimets of Ukraine was just eight hundredths of a second behind in the silver medal position, while Russia’s Irina Davydova took bronze.
These moments are what you dream about and it's my first major gold medal.
Eilidh Child
"I came off the last hurdle and my legs were going so I didn't know what had happened, I just wanted to make sure I'd won," Child said.
"I wanted to take it on from the start and hang on. I executed my race plan the way my coach wanted me to. I'm delighted, I'm happy with the outcome.
"I didn't feel people coming up behind me but I'm so relieved I got the gold medal. It's amazing - thanks to my coach, my family and my support team I coped with the pressure.
"These moments are what you dream about and it's my first major gold medal. I love my athletics and competing - if you enjoy it, you deliver. Come next year, there's no reason why I can't be among the best in the world."
hild's fellow Scot Lynsey Sharp, who also took silver at the Commonwealth Games, came second again in the final of the women's 800m.
In a quick race, Maryna Arzamasova won gold in a European leading time of 1:58.15, with Sharp trailing the Belarusian by more than half a second but still able to record a personal best of 1:58.80 and earn Great Britain another medal in what has been a successful championships thus far.
Poland's Joanna Jozwik (1:59.63) took bronze just ahead of Yekaterina Poistogova (1:59.69) of Russia with another Brit, Jessica Judd, crossing the line seventh in 2:01.65.
Veteran distance runner Jo Pavey could not recreate her 10,000m heroics in the women's 5,000m, coming home in seventh position as Meraf Bahta of Sweden took the gold medal.
