Perri Shakes-Drayton wins double gold in European Indoors
Last updated on .From the section Athletics
Perri Shakes-Drayton sealed double gold at the European Indoor Championships, winning the individual 400m in 50.85 seconds and the 4x400m relay.
In the individual race Eilidh Child won silver in 51.42 with Shana Cox sixth, before the trio won relay gold with Christine Ohuruogu in a British record.
Britain also took gold in the men's 4x400m after being briefly disqualified for an infringement.
Nigel Levine won silver in the 400m and Mukhtar Mohammed took 800m bronze.
In all, Britain won eight medals, with Holly Bleasdale's pole vault title on Saturday making it four golds alongside three silvers and a bronze.
The women's 4x400m team, led off by Child, led from the very first leg to win in a new championship record of three minutes 27.56 seconds, finishing 0.22 ahead of Russia, with Czech Republic getting bronze.
Shortly afterwards the men's team of Michael Bingham, Richard Buck, Levine, who ran a superb third leg to put them in the lead, and Richard Strachan clocked 3:06.96 to finish more than half a second clear of Russia. They were initially disqualified because Buck came off the track but that was overturned when it emerged he had been knocked by a Polish rival.
Earlier in the day, it was London-born Shakes-Drayton, a 400m hurdles specialist, who caught the eye with her first individual gold at a major championship.
"A lot of people were tipping me for gold," she told BBC Sport. "I said I can't be too complacent - I just wanted to stay out of trouble.
"I just hope it will benefit me when it comes to the outdoors really."
While Shakes-Drayton was one of the favourites heading into her race, Levine had to produce a season's best to take silver in the men's race.
"I can't believe it," the Bedford athlete said. "It's the first time I've made the European final and to get silver, I'm speechless.
"They're all humans, they're all beatable. I just went out there, did my best and finished second with a season's best from lane three."
Asha Philip matched her personal best in reaching the final of the 60m in a tight field finishing sixth, while Chris Tomlinson came in seventh in the long jump, with a leap of 7.95m.
However, there was disappointment for 800m runner Jenny Meadows, who finished fourth in her final in a time of 2:01.52.
She led after three laps but faded badly and was overtaken in the final 200m as Ukraine's Nataliya Lupu won the gold medal in 2:00.26.
Meadows was the defending champion, having had her silver medal from Paris in 2011 upgraded when Russian athlete Yevgeniya Zinurova failed a drugs test.
However, she missed the 2012 season through injury and only made her competitive comeback at the British Athletics Birmingham Grand Prix in February.
"It's a difficult situation - I've only been running for 12 weeks," said Meadows. "I said in my team captain's speech not to leave any energy on the track.
"It is really a lack of preparation which costs me because once she went past me and a bend comes up. it's very difficult.
"It dents my ego - I'm a better athlete than that."
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@stocklord - I agree! I find their commentary really irritating. I don't like to criticise but for me it spoils the coverage. Just because someone was a fantastic athlete doesn't make them a fantastic commentator, sadly
Leave it to the couch potatoes in here to say everything than
well done.
Proud of you Team GB and hope its a step forward to reaching your future goals.
Why are you continuing to jabber on about the lack of athletics talk on here when you've contributed absolutely nothing to it yourself in about half a dozen posts on this article alone?
There's still an afternoon of indoor action to come. Looking forward to GB picking up a couple of more medals should we perform in the relays.
Denise Lewis won gold at Heptathlon. Meaning she is expert at 7 athletis events. Colin Jackson won more titles than any other British Athlete.Not only is he a fantastic hurdler he actually won The European indoor 60.
He is also a fantastic coach.
These are all great athletes and that is what they did best, one or two are good in front of the camera, but four or five is a crowd. Why are there numbers growing, Cram, Lewis, Jackson, Edwards and now Radcliffe! Is this a good use of license payer’s money?
No, it's not bias. Jenny Meadows was the team captain. Therefore she was given an extensive interview. With no disrespect to Ms Child, she was beaten by a UK Athlete. The bulk of the interview time will be dedicated to the leading athlete representing this country. I note your complaints did not extend to Shana Cox. I believe she contributed to the UK 1-2. She held everybody else up.