When Amy Hunt crossed the finish line in Birmingham on Friday night, the 24-year-old British sprinter threw her arms in the air and sprinted back to hug her teammate. After years of silver medals at world and Commonwealth championships, Hunt had finally done it — she was a European champion.
Hunt won the women's 100 meters in 11.00 seconds, beating Poland's Ewa Swoboda by just 0.02 seconds. Belgium's Delphine Nkansa took third place. Hunt's time of 10.99 seconds in the semi-finals had been the fastest of anyone entering the final, and she delivered when it mattered most. Dina Asher-Smith, the previous title holder, finished fifth.
"After individual world and Commonwealth silvers, it is a long-awaited golden moment for 24-year-old Hunt," the Guardian reported.
But Hunt was not the only star of the evening. Norway had a night to remember. Jakob Ingebrigtsen, the Olympic 1,500-meter champion, made his return from injury by winning the men's 5,000 meters in 13 minutes 15.29 seconds. Coming into the final bend, Ingebrigtsen was boxed in behind two other runners and appeared to have no path to gold. Then he found a gap, accelerated, and left the competition behind. "This surely ranks as one of the most thrilling wins of his career," the Guardian noted.
Norway kept the momentum going in the mixed 4x400-meter relay. Henriette Jaeger made a final push on the home stretch to overtake Britain's Yemi Mary John, securing gold for Norway in a time of 3 minutes 9.62 seconds. Britain took silver, and the Netherlands won bronze.
In the field events, Italy's Leonardo Fabbri successfully defended his men's shot put title, and the Netherlands' Jessica Schilder won the women's shot put. At the end of the night, Norway topped the medal table with two golds.
The championships continue Saturday, when Keely Hodgkinson competes in the 800-meter heats and Romell Glave goes for gold in the men's 100 meters.