Adam Gemili claims 4x100m gold for Great Britain at European Championships in Amsterdam while Dina Asher-Smith and Jack Green also medal
09:00, 11 July 2016
updated: 09:34, 11 July 2016
Adam Gemili claimed a gold medal at his second straight European Championships on a glorious night for Kent athletes in Amsterdam on Sunday.
The 22-year-old Dartford sprint star helped GB to glory in the 4x100m relay in the climax of the Championships at the Olympic Stadium.
Gemili won the individual 200m at the previous games in Switzerland in 2014 and will run in the same event at the Rio Olympics next month but withdrew from the individual 100m in Holland to focus on the relay.
He joined James Dasaolu, James Ellington and CJ Ujah to storm to gold in a time of 38.17secs, with Gemili helping build Ujah enough of a lead to hold-off the challenge of Frenchman Jimmy Vicaut by 0.21secs.
The victory was GB's second straight in Europe, with Gemili having helped them to relay gold in Zurich - but the British team have suffered four straight disqualifications at global championships, including London 2012 where Gemili was involved in a botched handover.
The former Dartford Grammar School pupil is hoping for redemption in the relay at Rio where they are hoping to battle the USA and Jamaica for the medals.
His Blackheath & Bromley AC teammate Dina Asher-Smith added a silver medal in the women’s 4x100m relay to the gold she claimed earlier in the championships in the individual 200m.
The 20-year-old British record holder over 100m and 200m clocked a season’s best time of 22.37secs to become the first Brit to win the women’s 200m at the European Championships.
On Sunday night the Orpington ace joined Asha Philip, Bianca Williams and Daryll Neita to come home in 42.45secs, 0.41 behind the host nation who stormed to a national record, with Germany taking bronze.
Asher-Smith did match Rio rival Dafne Schippers in her leg, however, giving hope she can become the first British female sprinter to win an Olympic medal for 56 years at Rio.
There were mixed emotions for Hythe hurdler Jack Green, who failed to finish the 400mH on Friday night after hitting a hurdle on the final bend, despite having run a season’s best 48.98 to qualify from the semi-finals the previous day.
Green then ran a storming third leg of the 4x400m relay on Sunday night, handing over to anchor and specialist 400m runner Matt Hudson-Smith with the lead, only for the British Champion to be overhauled on the final straight and having to settle for bronze behind Belgium and Poland after running 3:01.44.
Delano Williams and Rabah Yousif ran the opening two legs before handing over to Green, 24, who will contest the hurdles at his second Games in Rio after winning his first senior international medal.
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