Team GB's Joseph Scanes took the first gold of the Athletics U18 European Championships in Italy, Rieti. The Brit shone in the 3000m final in an epic final spurt.
The U18 European Athletics Championships first day in Italy's Rieti ended with a bang, as a day of heptathlon, heats and qualifiers ended with the first final of the tournament - the men's 3000 meters.
Team GB's
Joseph Scanes was definitely a big hope for medals with a PB of just under 8:11, but it was French youngster
Mezianne Benhammou who set the pace, racing to the lead.
Benhammou kept a solid pace throughout the race, leading the pack to 2000 meters in about 5 and a half minutes. However, by the end his juice had run out, with Scanes and the two Germans
Maximilian Rath and
Jonathan Albustin contesting the medals by the finish line.
The first U18 European Championship gold came down to Scanes and Rath, with the Brit extending himself 21 hundredths of a second ahead at the death. The first gold of the games goes to Great Britain and Scanes, but all three medalists deserve credit for achieving their personal bests in the final under maximum pressure.
Joseph's new PB and European gold-worthy time reads 8:09.19. Check out our
European U18 Athletics Championships -page, where you can find the full schedule, previews and more useful information about the games in Italy's Rieti.
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