‘On Camp with Kelly’ athlete Emma Jackson (City of Stoke AC) performed brilliantly to win a silver medal in the 800m at the European Athletics Junior Championships which took place in Hengelo, The Netherlands, from Thursday 19 to Sunday 22 July.

Emma finished in a time of 2:03.23 behind Romania’s Mirela Lavric, who also won the World Youth 800m title ahead of OCWK athlete Alison Leonard last week.

Emma ran a brave race, taking it out at a fast pace from the gun. At the bell, which Emma went through in just under 61 seconds, she and Lavric had broken away from the rest of the field and with 200 metres to go Emma had a lead of about four metres. But Lavric sprinted past her in the last ten metres to win gold in a personal best of 2:02.84. Machteld Mulder of The Netherlands came through to take bronze in 2:03.72.

After the race Emma said: “I am pleased with that! I knew that the Romanian was fast so I decided to run it hard. I did the best I could and fair play to her, she had a bit more than me at the end. It was my first major final and I wanted a medal and I got one.”

She added: “I would like to thank my coach Alan Morris who has been looking after me since I was 12 or 13. He has made me as fit as I am and has been brilliant this week, taking a time off work to come out here to support me.”

Unfortunately her team mate Hannah Brooks (Crawley AC), who was making her GB international debut at a major championship, was hampered by a hamstring injury in the final and was only able to finish eighth and last in 2:12.47.

Hannah had however run superbly in semi-final heat to qualify for the final. Despite having to cope with a delay of one hour and 40 minutes after competition was suspended due to storms, Hannah ran a brilliant race in a heat in which four athletes had faster times than her on paper. She came through strongly on the home straight to win in a new personal best time of 2:05.59.

After the final Hannah said: “I have had a hamstring injury all week and I just didn’t feel comfortable at all today. The physios have worked so hard on me. It is my first major championship and I didn’t want to waste the opportunity. I was so pleased to make the final and I just wish I could have run as I know I am capable of doing. It’s so frustrating.”

Emma also qualified well from her heat, running a controlled race to qualify in second place in 2:04.89, just behind Russia’s Aleksandra Uvarova.

Emma Pallant (Aldershot, Farnham & District) was disappointed to just miss out on a medal when she finished fourth in the 1500m final in a time of 4:18.71. The race was won by Romanian Cristina Vasiloiu in 4:15.30, with Emma’s training partner under coach Mick Woods, Steph Twell, in second with 4:16.03 and another Romanian, Daniela Donisa, in third in 4:18.19.

When the field went through the first 400 metres in just under 74 seconds Emma was running on the inside in fifth place and maintained this position up to the 700 metre point when Steph Twell took on the pace and split the field. As Twell extended her lead through the bell Emma was running strongly in third place but was pushed back down to fourth on the back straight when Donisa overtook her. She stayed in contact with the Romanian and kicked as they came into the home straight but could not quite catch her before the line. In front Vasiloiu caught and passed Twell on the home straight to take the gold.

After the race Emma said: “Being that close to a medal makes you very hungry for it next time. I’m just 18 so I will have the World Juniors next year to aim for. The race was a bit slow and aggressive at the start but it wound up quite nicely. It was so much easier to run when it was more spread out. I gave it my all and don’t think I could have done any more, but I really wanted that bronze medal.”

Cristina Vasiloiu was also the winner of the 3000m final in which Jess Coulson (Stockport Harriers) finished in seventh place in 9:25.53.

Jess ran steadily on the inside in fourth or fifth place through the early stages of the race. With two laps to go a group of six were away from the rest of the field, including three Romanians, Norway’s Kristine Eikrem Engeset, Russia’s Natalya Popkova and Jess. By the bell the pace was beginning to take its toll and Jess was in fifth place and had lost contact with the leading four – the Romanians Vasiloiu and Donisa (bronze medallist in the 1500m), Engeset and Popkova. These four went on to decide the medals, with the gold going to Vasiloiu in 9:13.51, the silver to Popkova in 9:14.17 and the bronze to Donisa in 9:14.54.

Jess dropped back to sixth on the back straight when she was passed by the third Romanian, Gabriela Neacsu, and was just pipped on the line by her fast finishing team mate Stevie Stockton, who took sixth in 9:25.52 to Jess’s 9:25.53 for seventh.

After the race Jess said: “It was good experience. I am still only 17 so can compete again in these championships in two years time. I thought that the pace would be quite slow at the start and I was boxed in so there was not much I could do about it. It was really windy and once they went and I was on my own I really felt it.”


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