Keely Hodgkinson defended her European 800m title with a dominant victory despite struggling with illness, as Great Britain also won women's 4x100m relay gold on the final night of action in Rome.

Hodgkinson, 22, led throughout and held off her rivals in the closing stages to win in one minute 58.65 seconds.

However, following her victory the Olympic and two-time world silver medallist revealed she had become unwell a day earlier.

"Sometimes you’ve just got to find a way to win," Hodgkinson told BBC Sport.

"I wanted to go out and get a good time today but I'm happy with the win. I think I would have been disappointed if I didn’t try."

In a golden conclusion to the six-day championships for the British team, the women's 4x100m relay quartet featuring Dina Asher-Smith, Desiree Henry, Amy Hunt and Daryll Neita also triumphed.

Led off by 100m champion Asher-Smith and brought home by 200m silver medallist Neita, they took victory in 41.91secs, ahead of France and the Netherlands.

Asher-Smith told BBC Sport: "That felt amazing, we are definitely trying new things before the Olympic Games. Obviously, we are looking to absolutely do amazing in Paris."

Neita said: "To finish the championships with a gold medal with these amazing ladies, it’s just an incredible feeling, really electric and I really have a good feeling going into Paris."

Those golds helped the British team finish third in the medal table, with four golds and 13 medals in total, as hosts Italy topped the final standings ahead of France.

Also at the Stadio Olimpico on Wednesday, there were golds for Sweden's pole vault world record-holder Armand Duplantis and Norway's Jakob Ingebrigtsen, as Italy's Lamont Marcell Jacobs and Dutch star Femke Bol shone for their relay teams.

Source: BBC 

BDST: 1043 HRS, JUNE 13, 2024
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