Exciting Night of Athletics in Rome
Sean Ingle, Rome – 10 June 2024
Two years ago, the 1997 world 4x400m relay champion Iwan Thomas dubbed young Charlie Dobson as the “Ginger Ninja” and predicted he would break his European championship 400m record. Despite Dobson having only run the distance twice, this bold prophecy came true on a remarkable evening in Rome.
However, while the 24-year-old Dobson ran a personal best of 44.38 seconds to secure silver, Belgium’s world indoor champion Alexander Doom soared to victory with a time of 44.15 seconds.
Dobson, who holds a first-class degree in aeronautical engineering, expressed his happiness after the race: “I’m over the moon. I couldn’t be happier.” This statement was somewhat surprising given that Dobson was the favorite for gold. Having endured numerous injuries and setbacks since winning a world junior silver medal in 2018, Dobson admitted he had not analyzed many 400m races. “I’ve watched a couple. I probably ought to watch more. I’ve definitely got some homework to do,” he said.
He also thanked Thomas for his support and advice before he started focusing on the 400m. “The 400m was not an event that I was planning to do. I picked it up during Covid as a bit of fun, and after doing some relays, my coach and I decided to take it seriously this year, and it is paying off so far,” Dobson added.
The fourth night of the championships, however, did not deliver the golden double whammy the British team had hoped for. In the women’s pole vault, world indoor champion Molly Caudery had to settle for bronze after clearing 4.73m. “I don’t think you should ever be disappointed with a medal, but I would have liked to have maybe come away with a slightly higher height,” Caudery admitted.
Gold was won by Switzerland’s Angelica Moser, who cleared 4.78m after failing her first two vaults of the night at 4.43m. Greece’s 2016 Olympic champion Aikaterini Stefanidi took silver.
Caudery reflected on the sting of defeat positively as she looked ahead to the Paris Olympics. “It’s more fire in the belly. It just shows that not everything goes to plan all the time. A medal is still great. I get to be on that podium. Once it all settles in and I get time to reflect, I’ll be better than I’m feeling right now,” she said.
Meanwhile, the race of the night came in the women’s 400m, where Poland’s Natalia Kaczmarek fought back in the home straight to edge out Ireland’s Rhasidat Adeleke with a time of 48.98 seconds – the fastest time in the world this year. Adeleke set a new personal best of 49.07 to win silver, with the Netherlands’ Lieke Klaver taking bronze. Britain’s Laviai Nielsen finished sixth in 50.71.
Tuesday night will see the return of Eilish McColgan, the 2022 Commonwealth Games 10,000m champion, after a challenging couple of years marked by a knee injury and the loss of her stepfather, John Nuttall, and her grandmother, Betty. “I’ve had such a tough year,” McColgan said. Despite not expecting to win, she hopes a bracelet from her grandmother will inspire her to qualify for her fourth Olympics. “Tough times force you into a different mindset when you stand on the start line. I think that’s why I’m doing the Europeans. I just think: ‘Well, what have I got to lose?’” she shared.
This version provides a concise yet comprehensive summary of the events and highlights from the athletics night in Rome.
