Dutch Sprinter Visser Wins European Championship 100m Hurdles by a Thousandth of a Second
Nadine Visser of the Netherlands won the 100m hurdles at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham with a time of 12.67 seconds, edging out Poland's Pia Skrzyszowska by a photo finish. Latvia's athletes will begin competing on Thursday.
One of the closest finishes of the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham came on Tuesday in the women's 100m hurdles, where Dutch athlete Nadine Visser claimed gold by the narrowest of margins. Her winning time of 12.67 seconds also delivered the Netherlands its first-ever medal in this event across the 27-year history of the European Championships.
Photo finish decides the gold
Second place went to Poland's Pia Skrzyszowska, the 2022 European champion, who recorded the exact same time of 12.67 seconds. With the two athletes essentially inseparable at the line, officials turned to photo-finish technology to determine the winner — Visser prevailed by just one thousandth of a second, leaving Skrzyszowska with silver.
France's Laetitia Bapte took bronze with a time of 12.73 seconds, while world champion Ditaji Kambundji of Switzerland finished fourth in 12.75 seconds.
Latvian athletes to start on Thursday
No Latvian athletes competed on Tuesday, but seven representatives from Latvia have travelled to Birmingham and will begin their events starting Thursday. In the javelin throw, Latvia will be represented by Anete Sietina, Patriks Gailums and Krisjanis Suntazs, while Valters Kreiss will compete in the pole vault and Oskars Grava in the 200m sprint. In race walking, Raivo Saulgriezis will contest the marathon distance and Modra Liepina the half-marathon.
The Latvian delegation also includes coaches Gints Palameiks, Mareks Arents, Viktors Lacis, Ilmars Saulgriezis, Andis Anskins and Modris Liepins, along with physiotherapist Toms Zvonkovs. The European Championships in Birmingham will conclude on Sunday.
