Eloise 5^th in the 5000m at the U23 European Championships in Espoo Finland

The Great Britain and Northern Ireland team hit the ground running on day one of the European U23 Championships in Espoo, Finland, with a medal for Megan Keith Gold – 5000m

Multiple European cross country medallist Megan Keith (coach: Ross Cairns, club: Inverness) secured her maiden continental track title as she won the women’s 5000m.

After a steady beginning, GB & NI’s Megan Keith and Eloise Walker (Trevor Painter, Edinburgh AC) sat comfortably in fourth and fifth positions in a race lead out by Germany’s Blanka Dorfel and Lisa Merkel. The U23 women kept an even pace until eight laps to go when Walker pushed forward to move into first place, with Spain’s Maria Forero hot on her heels, and Keith moving into third place.

The leading bunch of three continued to pull away from the rest of the race, until the final 200m, when Keith overtook both her teammate and Spain’s Forero to take first place, which she firmly held across the line, to finish in 15:34.33.

Behind Keith, there were scenes of concern for GB athlete, Eloise Walker, as she fell only 20m from the finish line having given it her all but made a valiant recovery to push across the line in fifth place in a time of 15:55.87.

Report from British Athletics