European Athletics Championships 2024: Dina Asher-Smith in acid test as Keely Hodgkinson leads British hopes
The 2024 European Athletics Championships begin in Rome on Friday.
For most athletes competing, the event serves as a dress rehearsal for this summer’s Olympics, which get underway on July 26.
Here, Standard Sport looks at four leading British medal hopes for the European Championships as they look for a major boost ahead of the Games in Paris...
Dina Asher-Smith (100m)
Having relocated to Florida to work with new coach Edrick Floreal, Rome will be the first acid test as to where Britain’s leading sprinter currently stands.
She faces stiff competition from, among others, British team-mate Daryll Neita in the 100m semi-finals and then finals on Sunday night.
Jemma Reekie (1500m)
An impressive winner over 800m earlier this week in Stockholm, Reekie instead shifts her attention to the slightly longer distance in Sunday’s final at 9.40pm.
The 26-year-old Scot has flourished since switching to Jon Bigg, husband of Sally Gunnell, as her coach last season.
Molly Caudery (pole vault)
The 24-year-old has become one of the more recent revelations of the British team.
She paints herself as a shambles away from the pole vault runway but will bid to add to her World Indoor gold in the final at 7.15pm on Monday alongside team-mate Holly Bradshaw.
Keely Hodgkinson (800m)
One of a number of rising stars in British middle-distance running, 22-year-old Hodgkinson set the world lead for the 800metres just a week ago in Eugene, Oregon, and is the form runner currently over two laps of the track going into Wednesday night’s final at 8.28pm.
A gold medal is surely in the offing.
