Douwe Amels brought the Netherlands the country’s first high jump medal in 46 years.
One of the biggest surprises on the final day came in men’s high jump final as Douwe Amels won the first Dutch medal in 44 years in the event. The 31-year-old set a national record of 2.31 and became the European champion. While Ruud Wielart, the silver-medallist of 1977, was the last Dutch athlete to stand on the podium, Amels won the country’s first ever high jump gold in Istanbul. Andrii Protsenko, who had the best European mark coming to Istanbul, remained at silver with 2.29. Belgian Thomas Carney made a personal best with 2.29 and won his second consecutive bronze medal.
Norway had a historic night as they won first-ever pole vault gold with Sondre Guttormsen. Guttormsen who came in sixth in Glasgow four years ago made it to the 5.85 flawless and despite falling on his first two attempts at 5.85, guaranteed the gold with Emmanouil Karalis’s and Piotr Lisk’s faults in the earlier stages. While bronze-medallist Lisk of Poland failed to clear the 5.70 bar and went to 5.80, Karalis went up to silver position ahead of him.
Kevin Mayer’s third European indoor heptathlon gold medal came in Istanbul. The 2017 and 2021 titlist led the continent this season with 6348 points for the championship. Sander Skotheim won Norway’s first heptathlon medal in the event history by breaking the national record with 6318 points. Risto Lillemets, with a season best point of 6079, won bronze and carried Estonia to the podium for the first time since 2009.
Britain won the first long jump gold medal at the European Athletics Indoor Championships since 1984 in Istanbul. Jazmin Sawyer, who won bronze at the European Championships in Munich last year, set a Europe-leading mark with 7.00 metres and obtained her first continental title. Larissa Iapichino, in the meantime, brought Italy the first medal in 25 years. The 20-year-old long jumper broke the national record with 6.97 and won silver. World indoor champion of last year, Ivana Vuleta lagged behind her season best of 6.98 and settled for bronze with 6.91.