A MORE dramatic European Cup would be hard to imagine than the one that took place here over the weekend. For the Great Britain team, it covered the extremes of joy and frustration as Paula Radcliffe made a sparkling comeback but found herself captaining a women’s squad relegated for the first time. The men, despite seven event victories, were left counting the cost of Mark Lewis-Francis’s disqualification in the 100 men’s metres and a fall in the 4 x 400 metres.
Radcliffe, with her British and Commonwealth record in the 5,000 metres, was the sole British winner in a women’s squad that produced only two other top-three finishers. Kelly Sotherton’s second place in the long jump, an outstanding performance for a heptathlete, and Susan Scott’s third in the 800 metres were all too rare moments of comfort.
The women finished last of eight nations and were relegated from the Super League. It means that next year they will be competing outside the elite for the first time since 1967. “We will just have to make sure we go back up next year,” Radcliffe said. “We were hit by a lot of bad luck and withdrawals.”
After the middle distance squad had collapsed around Radcliffe before the competition, Kelly Holmes making herself unavailable, Jo Fenn withdrawing through poor form, and Hayley Tullett and Jo Pavey pulling out injured, the misfortunes of Ashia Hansen and Sophie Claxton added to the misery. Hansen suffered a serious knee injury in the triple jump and Claxton pulled a hamstring in the 100 metres hurdles.
Although Russia, through Liliya Shobukhova, had to settle for second place in the 5,000 metres, they won eight of the 20 events to win an eighth successive European Cup. They scored 142, followed by Ukraine on 97, while Britain brought up the rear on 63, three behind seventh-placed Spain.
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Britain’s men led after the first day despite Lewis-Francis false-starting himself out and costing his team a predicted maximum eight points. In the final analysis it was the difference between the fourth place they achieved and victory. Germany won the cup with 107.5 points, with France on 105, Poland on 104, and Britain on 102.5. They would have have won but for a mishap in the 4 x 400 metres, the last event.
Two of the heroes of Saturday, Tim Benjamin and Chris Rawlinson, were involved in an unfortunate second changeover that resulted in the latter falling. Rawlinson picked himself up and, with Daniel Caines on the last leg, they managed fifth place, close enough to the winner, Germany, to suggest they would have won.
Benjamin was left with spike marks in his right thigh as the team began to reflect on what might have been. Had they won the relay, they would have finished joint top with Germany but won the trophy for a fifth time in eight years on the basis of recording more event wins.
Benjamin, in the 400 metres, and Rawlinson, who won the 400 metres hurdles for a third time, were two of Britain’s Saturday heroes. Further victories were recorded by John Mayock at 5,000 metres, by the 4 x 100 metres team, and by Chris Tomlinson, in the long jump, and Carl Myerscough, in the shot.
Andy Turner, third in the 110 metres hurdles, kept Britain in front early on the second day but last places, by James McIlroy in the 800 metres and Jermaine Mayes in the 3,000 metres steeplechase, left no room for error. Christian Malcolm delivered a seventh men’s victory, in the 200 metres, but Tim Thomas, in the pole vault, Nick Nieland, in the javelin, and Chris Thompson, in the 3,000 metres, dropped valuable points.