Lueckenkemper strikes again to help Germany top Euro athletics medals table

MUNICH: Newly-crowned European 100m champion Gina Lueckenkemper won a second gold as she spearheaded Germany to a decisive victory in the women’s 4x100m relay in Munich on Sunday.

The end of seven breathtaking days of top-quality track and field could not have been better scripted as the German quartet motored to victory in 42.34 seconds in the final event.

Status Quo’s ‘Rockin’ all over the world’ blasted over the tannoy as a packed-out Olympic Stadium went wild as Lueckenkemper celebrated with teammates Alexandra Burghardt, already a silver medalist in the two-woman bobsleigh at this year’s Winter Olympics, Lisa Mayer and Rebekka Haase.

The fancied British quartet, featuring 200m silver medallist Dina Asher-Smith on anchor, didn’t get the baton past the first leg thanks to a botched handover.

The Germans did, and swiftly, their gold ensuring the host country topped the overall athletics medals table with seven golds, seven silvers and two bronzes.

Britain finished second with six golds, six silvers and eight bronzes.

“If someone would have told me before the championships that I would come home with two gold medals, I would have said they’re crazy,” said Lueckenkemper.

Anchor leg Haase added: “Gina always told us that she has a gold medal and that she wanted one more medal tonight. One more, so we made it.”

The men’s 4x100m relay was missing Italy’s Olympic and European 100m champion Marcell Jacobs.

The Italian quartet, whom Jacobs led to Olympic gold in last year’s Tokyo Games, was deprived of a place after Turkey were reinstated after being impeded in the heats.

It was left to a strong British foursome to claim gold in a championship record of 37.67sec, smashing the previous best of 37.94 set by France in