Barcelona round-up: Spain open gold account

Christophe Lemaitre completed the European sprint double by taking the 200metre crown by the narrowest of margins at Barcelona's Olympic Stadium tonight as host nation Spain celebrated their first gold medal of the championships.

The 20-year-old from France came through strongly in the closing stages to edge out Britain's Christian Malcolm by 0.01seconds, winning in 20.37secs.

Another Frenchman, Martial Mbandjock, claimed the bronze in 20.42.

Lemaitre, who won the 100m title following another trademark late surge on Wednesday, said: 'It was a very tight race. My start was not as good as I expected. I had a lack of confidence in the middle of the race. I tried to do my best to pick up well during the last metres.

'Now I am so glad to be the winner. This is such an important day for French athletics.'

Spain's Arturo Casado delighted the raucous home fans by taking 1500m gold in the final event of the day.

He won in 3:42.72 to take the title ahead of Germany's Carsten Schlangen with another Spaniard Manuel Olmedo taking bronze.

'I can't believe it yet. I'm the European champion - at home,' said Casado.

'After so many fourth positions in previous championships it was about time. I am the happiest man in the world right now.'

There was a Russian one-two-three in the women's 400m as they took their medal total to 19, including eight golds, five of which they won today.

Tatyana Firova won in an European leading time of 49.89.
Kseniya Ustalova was second, also dipping below 50seconds to finish in 49.92, with Antonina Krivoshapka taking bronze.

Firova said: 'It's great that we all made it on the podium. I hope that we will be in this shape at London 2012.'

The men's 400m final did not go with the form book with Belgian Kevin Borlee winning in 45.08.

His twin brother Jonathan, who leads the European rankings this year, could only mange seventh while David Gillick was fifth.

'It is fantastic. It is the first time in 35 years that Belgium have won a gold medal,' said Kevin Borlee.

'I am disappointed for Jonathan, he deserved to be on the podium.'

With world pole vault record holder Yelena Isinbayeva not competing as she is taking a break from the sport, victory went to her fellow Russian Svetlana Feofanova with 4.75m, German pair Silke Spiegelburg and Lisa Ryzih were second and third.

Russia also tasted victory in the women's 800m and 400m hurdles, Natalya Antyukh breaking the championship record to win the latter in 52.92 with Bulgaria's Vania Stambolova taking silver and Briton Perri Shakes-Drayton bronze.

Mariya Savinova won the 800m in 1:58.22 ahead of Yvonne Hak of Holland and Briton Jenny Meadows.

Russia's Yuliya Zarudneva won women's 3000m steeplechase gold, Spain's Marta Dominguez and a second Russian, Lyubov Kharlamova, second and third.

Briton Andy Turner won 110m hurdles gold ahead of France's Garfield Darien and Daniel Kiss of Hungary.

Germany's Betty Heidler took the women's hammer title, Russia's Tatyana Lysenko claiming silver and Pole Anita Wlodarczyk bronze.

In the 50km walk, France's Yohann Dinz claimed the title ahead of Pole Grzegorz Sudol and Russian Sergey Bakulin. Robert Heffernan was fourth just days after finishing in the same position in the 20km event while Ireland's other representative in the event, Colin Griffin, was 11th.

Heffernan completed the course in a new national record time of three hours 45.30 minutes, just under five minutes behind winner Diniz.

There was also disappointment for Paul Hession, who was sixth in the 200m final in 20.71 as France's Christophe Lemaitre completed the sprint double.

Derval O'Rourke, who took European silver in Gothenburg four years ago, qualified with ease for the semi-finals of the 100m hurdles, winning her heat in a season's best of 12.88.

Fionnuala Britton was 11th in the 3000m steeplechase final.

Niamh Whelan made it to the 200m semi-finals where she could only manage sixth in 23.31, while Deirdre Ryan failed to make it past high jump qualifying, a season's best of 1.90m not enough to take her into the final.