The Novuna Great Britain & Northern Ireland team signed off the European U18 Athletics Championships in emphatic fashion, collecting seven more medals on the final day to secure top spot on the overall medal table.
Three titles crowned an outstanding final session. Tito Odunaike (Marshall Milton Keynes, David Johnson), Lucy Bull (Cheltenham & County Harriers, Carolyn Franks) and Freddie Rowe (Havering AC, Patrick Gahagan) all struck gold, while Alistair Street (Kilbarchan AAC, John Rodger) and Ned Scott (Winchester & District AC, Bronwin Carter) claimed silver. Oliver Downs (Invicta East Kent AC, Alex Pope) and Lucia Bertacchini (Winchester & District AC, Andrew Fisher) completed the medal haul with bronze.
Odunaike produced one of the standout performances of the championships. The talented triple jumper soared to a championship record of 16.12m, equalling his lifetime best and the world U18 lead. More than half a metre separated him from the rest of the field, underlining the dominance of his victory.
Bull enjoyed a breakthrough competition in the women’s javelin, unleashing a personal best of 56.60m to take the European title in style, while Rowe judged the men’s 1500m to perfection. The Havering athlete timed his finishing effort superbly to claim gold in 3:55.33.
Behind him, Street completed a memorable British one-two, crossing in 3:56.80 to secure the silver medal after another composed championship performance.
Scott also delivered when it mattered most, sending the javelin out to 70.02m to finish second, while Bertacchini continued her impressive championships with a determined run for bronze in the women’s 400m hurdles, clocking 58.13.
The final medal of the day arrived through the versatility and resilience of Downs. After ten demanding disciplines, he dug deep over the concluding 1500m to secure bronze in the decathlon with a UK U18 record tally of 7341 points. Fellow Briton Douglas Knox (Springburn Harriers, Alasdair Strange) also impressed, finishing with a lifetime best of 7255 points.
Elsewhere, there was no shortage of encouraging performances.
Leila Newth (Ealing Southall & Middlesex AC, David Johnson) twice improved the UK U18 triple jump record before eventually placing fourth with a best of 13.16m, highlighting her immense potential.
The women’s 3000m developed into one of the fastest races of the championships, where Poppy Guest (Aldershot Farnham & District, Mick Woods) battled to fifth in 9:33.84 and Sonny Allen (Highgate Harriers, Errol Peak) followed closely in sixth with 9:34.50.
In the 1000m medley relay, Shivelle Marshall (Croydon Harriers, Paul Weston), Holly Ryan (Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers, Ty Holden), Darcy Coslett (Llanelli AC, Rhys Williams) and Bertacchini combined impressively to finish fourth in 2:07.59. The men’s quartet, however, saw their campaign end in disappointment following a disqualification.
Jorjia March (Chelmsford AC, John Clarke) fought gamely in the women’s 800m final, placing eighth in 2:07.84.
Earlier in the day, Isabella Moulton (Woodford Green AC with Essex Ladies, Tony Jarrett) ran 13.80 in the women’s 100m hurdles semi-finals, while Alessia Scala (Blackheath & Bromley Harriers AC, John Bancroft) cleared 1.70m to finish 11th in the high jump final.
The final-day medal rush ensured Great Britain & Northern Ireland departed the championships as the leading nation, combining championship-winning performances with a depth of talent that promises much for the years ahead.
| Rank | Country | Medals | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Great Britain & NI | 824 | 14 |
| 2 |  Czechia | 625 | 13 |
| 3 |  Spain | 456 | 15 |
| 4 |  Germany | 425 | 11 |
| 5 |  France | 343 | 10 |
| 6 |  Finland | 301 | 4 |
| 7 |  Italy | 242 | 8 |
| 8 |  Poland | 152 | 8 |
| 9 |  Greece | 121 | 4 |
| 9 |  Netherlands | 121 | 4 |
| 9 |  Switzerland | 121 | 4 |
| 12 |  Türkiye | 112 | 4 |
| 13 |  Slovenia | 101 | 2 |
| 14 |  Bulgaria | 100 | 1 |
| 14 |  Cyprus | 100 | 1 |
| 14 |  Slovakia | 100 | 1 |
| 14 |  Ukraine | 100 | 1 |
| 18 |  Hungary | 021 | 3 |
| 18 |  Ireland | 021 | 3 |
| 20 |  Austria | 012 | 3 |
| 21 |  Croatia | 011 | 2 |
| 22 |  Estonia | 010 | 1 |
| 22 |  Latvia | 010 | 1 |
| 22 |  Romania | 010 | 1 |
| 25 |  Sweden | 001 | 1 |
