Greene pips British team-mate Williams to claim gold in the 400m hurdles at the European Championships

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By Sportsmail Reporter

Done it: Britain's David Greene celebrates after winning the Men's 400m Hurdles final


Dai Greene clinched Britain’s fourth gold medal of the European Championships here with a storming run in the 400metres hurdles final last night with fellow Welshman Rhys Williams taking the silver.

The result was never in doubt even before the starting gun was sounded, such was Greene’s dominance in Europe this year, and he did not disappoint, reaching the first hurdle in front and never relinquishing his lead.

By the time the 24-year-old cleared the final hurdle his lead was substantial, and his time, 48.12sec, was the fastest of the season in Europe. Williams managed to pip Stanislav Melnkyov, from the Ukraine, to finish second with a personal best of 48.96.

Mo Farah and Chris Thompson in the 10,000m earlier in the week may beg to differ but this was the most impressive performance by two British athletes in the same race inside the Olympic Stadium.

Greene came to prominence only last year when he broke through on to the senior scene with a seventh place in the world championships final in Berlin.

This year he came to Barcelona as Europe’s No 1-ranked 400m hurdler, having posted the five fastest times of the season.

He had chosen a career in track and field ahead of football, having been on Swansea City’s books right up until the age of 17 when he decided to switch sports.

Ironically, for a man born in rugby-mad Llanelli, and who played on the wing for his school team, his idol was neither Welsh rugby icon Ieuan Evans nor Welsh athletic star Iwan Thomas but the Wales and Manchester United footballer, Ryan Giggs.

On his only visit to Spain as a footballer, aged 14, he managed to score a penalty in a shoot-out against Real Madrid and believes to this day that if he had put his mind to it he would now be playing at the Liberty Stadium on the left wing for the Swans.


Delight: Greene also recorded a personal best

‘I kept getting injured and being shouted at by the coach, and back then I wasn’t as strong mentally as I am now,’ he said.

‘I wasn’t enjoying myself so I walked out. The lessons I’ve learned from the experience have made me hungrier to succeed in athletics. Now I like being shouted at and I have a very strong work ethic.’

Football’s loss was athletics’ gain, which is why he found himself at the Olympic Stadium in Barcelona last night and in the company of his good friend Williams, who followed up a bronze at the 2006 European Championships at Gothenburg by finishing second behind his practice partner.

It turned into a local training session for the two boys from west Wales. Williams is best-known for being the son of the legendary Welsh and Lions rugby winger JJ Williams, although many more performances like last night and soon JJ will become simply, ‘Rhys’s Dad’.

Not that Williams Jnr minds. ‘He deserves all the accolades he has received for what he achieved in sport,’ he said. ‘If it wasn’t for his help I probably wouldn’t have achieved half the things I have, nor the attention I’ve received.’


Heads down: Great britain's Michael Rimmer takes silver in 800m

Thirty minutes earlier Michael Rimmer took Britain’s 12th medal of these Championships with silver in the 800m, following a rich vein of success in this event at these championships that included wins for Sebastian Coe in 1986, in a British 1-2-3, and for Tom McKean in 1990.

Throw in Steve Ovett, Steve Cram, Peter Elliott and David Sharpe and for many years Britain dominated this event at all championships.

Rimmer, who qualified fastest for last night’s final, and second fastest in terms of personal bests, was disappointed immediately afterwards, despite his first major medal.


The 24-year-old, sporting his lucky T-shirt under his vest, felt forced to take the lead with a full 300m remaining because Spain’s Luis Marco, who finished seventh, was setting too slow a pace.

It was a brave move by Rimmer who still led as the field turned the final corner but in the home straight Poland’s Marcin Lewandowski overtook him to win in a slow 1.47.07. Rimmer finished in 1.47.17.

‘I’m gutted,’ he admitted. ‘The Pole put me under pressure but I still thought I had enough. Maybe I tightened up a little. He was just a bit stronger than me on the day. I don’t know what more I could have done.

‘I’m going to hate standing on that podium hearing someone else’s national anthem. I wanted to win it for Britain as it’s been 20 years since we last did it. I want to apologise to everyone who was watching.’

For the former disc jockey from Liverpool this was still the crowning moment of a career that had promised much but, until last night, delivered little, certainly when it came to major championship medals. This morning he may realise life is not quite so bad after all.



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