Geoff Kitchener returned from the European Veterans Athletics Championships at Nyiregyhaza in Hungary, held over 15-24 July, with two silver medals , writes Geoff Kitchener. Forty-one countries entered the championships, with Great Britain and Northern Ireland achieving the second highest medal score. Competition conditions were at times difficult, with the temperature generally in the 30s, reaching 38°C.

The relays were held on the final day of competition, and in the morning Geoff ran as anchor leg in the British M60 team for the 4x100m race. My anchor leg was fairly uneventful, but the handover between legs 2 and 3 can be seen to be quite nerve-wracking, being in effect a full length dive by Brian Williamson in mid-air (he did recover without serious injury). See video HERE. The team outran Finland, France and Russia, posting a time of 52.29 seconds, but was unable to overhaul a strong German contingent and was content with silver medal placing.

The medal order was the same in the afternoon when the 4x400m relays were held Germany, Great Britain and Russia and, with a slightly different team, Geoff again ran the anchor leg to take the Britons home in 4 minutes 14.27 seconds. Such is the depth of ability in British veteran sprinting that Great Britain was able to take medals in two thirds of the men and women relays.

As for individual races, Geoff could have wished for better, but was consistent in that he was on each occasion the fastest runner not to qualify for the 8 man final. In the 300m hurdles semi-finals he was 9th out of 13 overall with a time of 49.40 seconds; in the 200m sprint, 9th out of 17 overall; and in the 400m sprint, 7th equal out of 19 overall, clocking 62.52 seconds, but unable to progress to the final due to the qualification rules favouring slower and equal-timed runners in different qualifying races. Full results HERE.