A historic Gold-Silver for Germany

The women’s 3000m boiled down to a German championship playing out on the European stage. But unlike at their national indoors a fortnight ago, the finishing order was reversed, and it was Hanna Klein who used her finishing speed to claim her first European Gold in a PB of 8:35.87min ahead of Konstanze Klosterhalfen (8:36.50min).

Klosterhalfen, who surged to the front after the first kilometre, clocking a 2:49.73 second kilometre, and only Klein and Britain’s Melissa Courtney-Bryant could live with it. Klein tracked her compatriot’s slipstream until the final lap, then powered past, her final kilometre covered in 2:45.35. Klosterhalfen hung on for silver in 8:36.50, with Courtney-Bryant taking bronze in 8:41.19.

“It was a perfect race for me, not too fast from the beginning and getting very fast at the end,” said Klein. “The way I could keep up with Klosterhalfen just made me feel stronger and stronger, because I could trust my speed at the end. I am very proud of both of us.”