Euopean Team Championships 1st Division – Italy leads after day one, Femke Bol smashes 400m CR

Italy leads over Great Britain by 9.5 points scoring a total of 141 points at the end of the first day of the European Team Championships at the Slaski Stadium in Chorzow (Silesia). Poland is third with 127 points. The opening day was highlighted by three championships records set by Femke Bol in the women’s 400 metres (49.82), Havard Ingvaldsen in the men’s 400 metres (44.88) and Ewa Swoboda in the women’s 100 metres (11.09). 

Italy achieved four individual wins with Samuele Ceccarelli in the men’s 100 metres, Nadia Battocletti in the women’s 5000 metres, Tobia Bocchi in the men’s triple jump and Sara Fantini in the women’s hammer throw.

Women’s 400 metres: 

European indoor and outdoor champion Femke Bol won the women’s 400 metres setting the championships record with 49.82, the first sub-50 seconds time in the history of the European Team Championships. Nataliya Kazmarek from Poland finished second in 50.34. Cynthia Bolingo from Belgium improved her seasonal best in third place with 50.95. 

Bol broke the 50 seconds barrier for the first time in her career clocking 49.75 at last year’s edition of the Diamond League meeting in Chorzow 

Femke Bol: “It’s one of my favourite stadiums. The crowd is great. I always want to run faster. I focus on the hurdles now. so it’s a bit harder to get the pace on the flat and I was a bit lost. The most important thing is that I got maximum points for the Netherlands. At the World Championships I just want to enjoy racing. If I don’t enjoy racing, what’s the point of doing it”. 

Women’s 100 metres: 

European indoor silver medallist Ewa Swoboda from Poland won the women’s 100 metres in a championships record of 11.09. Rani Rosius from Belgium finished second equalling her PB with 11.20 ahead of N’Ketia Seedo from the Netherlands, who took third place with 11.24. 

Ewa Swoboda: “I am very happy about my race. I was going crazy by today’s weather. I have fulfilled my plan 100%, maybe 95%. I have given all my best and tomorrow we will see each other in the relay. First I thought the other girls were much closer to me but now I see I have made the difference. The most important thing is to get the points for the team. After my last team competitions I was a little bit nervous. I was afraid about my bad luck. This time it went awesome”. 

Men’s 400 metres: 

Havard Ingvaldsen Bentdal from Norway won the men’s 400 metres…