Dobson claims 400m silver as Caudery wins pole vault bronze
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Charlie Dobson took 400m silver to gain his first major individual medal at the European Athletics Championships, as team-mate Molly Caudery won pole vault bronze in Rome.
Dobson, 24, clocked a blistering 44.38 seconds to set a personal best in the final.
But that was not enough to deny Belgiumâs Alexander Doom, who triumphed in a championship record 44.15secs.
Gold medal favourite Caudery, crowned world indoor champion in March, could not improve on a second-time clearance at 4.73m, as Switzerlandâs Angelica Moser took a surprise victory as the only athlete over 4.78m.
Those medals took Great Britainâs tally to nine following golds for Dina Asher-Smith and the womenâs half marathon team on Sunday.
Elsewhere during Mondayâs evening session, Laviai Nielsen ran a personal best 50.71secs to finish sixth in the womenâs 400m final, in which Irelandâs Rhasidat Adeleke (49.07secs) took silver behind Polandâs Natalia Kaczmarek (48.98secs).
Mark Pearce placed 13th with a time of eight minutes 26.92 seconds in the menâs 3,000m steeplechase final, won by Frenchman Alexis Miellet (8:14.01).
Daryll Neita cruised to victory in her womenâs 200m semi-final, confirming her place in Tuesday nightâs medal race in a time of 22.51secs.
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Published45 minutes ago
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Delight for talented Dobson
Dobson has tasted success as part of Britainâs menâs 4x400m relay quartet in recent years, winning European gold and world bronze, but he travelled to Rome seeking individual silverware on the international stage.
Two years ago, he was tipped as a future star by former British 400m record holder Iwan Thomas, while Colin Jackson believes, external he is set to be Great Britainâs breakthrough athlete at Paris 2024.
The signs look promising.
Despite breaking the 45-second barrier for the first time only last month when he ran a personal best 44.46secs, Dobsonâs unbeaten semi-final time of 44.65secs appeared effortless as he qualified fastest for Mondayâs final.
And he further lowered his lifetime best as he and world indoor champion Doom engaged in a duel for gold, the Briton only losing touch with his rival in the closing stages of another statement display.
Disappointment despite medal for Caudery
Caudery has enjoyed a rapid rise to prominence over the past 10 months, so much so that, for the first time in the early stages of her senior career, she arrived at these championships as the standout favourite for gold.
The Cornwall athlete was seeking a first major outdoor title following her breakthrough indoor success in Glasgow at only her second global championships three months ago.
But, despite boasting a world-leading height of 4.86m in 2024, she struggled to build momentum in the final and required second attempts at 4.68m and 4.73m before bowing out.
Cauderyâs disappointment at bronze speaks volumes of her recent progress, and she will now continue to build towards her eagerly anticipated Olympic debut in Paris.
Nielsen âproudâ after âone of toughest weeksâ
Nielsen could not have asked for much more than a personal best performance in the 400m final â and certainly not after a distressing week on a personal level.
Following her final, the 28-year-old, fourth at the world indoors, said she could only take positives from her run as she revealed her coach recently suffered a cardiac arrest.
âThis has been one of the toughest weeks of my life, Iâm so proud of myself,â Nielsen told BBC Sport.
âMy coach Tony suffered a cardiac arrest a week ago. Heâs recovering well but it was the scariest moment of our lives.
âI think Iâm very resilient and I need to remain as focused and clear headed as I can. Itâs not easy to stand up there on your best day â but to stand up there on your worst day is just so promising for the rest of the season.â
More to follow.