GERMAN DASHES COMPATRIOT KLOSTERHALFEN’S HAT-TRICK HOPES WHILE JUDD’S MIND GAMES HELP LAND MORE BRITISH MEDALS
UNDER-23 WOMEN
FINDING yourself on the start line at a European Championships with another 62 athletes, you would think the chances of loneliness creeping in might be somewhat remote.
Yet that is precisely the emotion with which Jessica Judd had to contend almost right from the word go in Slovakia.
The German duo of Alina Reh and Konstanze Klosterhalfen, who was going for her third consecutive gold after twice being under-20 champion, set off with serious intent and embarked on a duel to which the rest of the competitors were not invited.
Judd, a 1500m semi-finalist at London 2017 and an athlete in fine cross-country form so far this winter, worked hard to reel them in as best she could.
On occasion, her efforts were working but, just as there looked to be a chance of catching the leaders, they kicked on to leave the Briton with bronze to fight for.
It was Reh who ultimately took the top prize, becoming the first German to win in this age group after completing 6.28km in 20:22 ahead of Klosterhalfen (20:25), with Judd a further 20 seconds back in 20:45.
This story is from the December 14, 2017 edition of Athletics Weekly.
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This story is from the December 14, 2017 edition of Athletics Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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