Il Nuovo Postiglione - Britain's Hunt wins 200m for European sprint double

Hunt, who won the 100m on Monday, ran a strong second half of the race for victory in 22.19 seconds.

Ireland's Rhasidat Adeleke claimed silver in a national record 22.28sec, a hundredth of a second faster than Britain's Dina Asher-Smith, who won bronze.

The result means Hunt can continue in her bid to snare four championship golds as she also plans to compete in both the women's and mixed 4x100m relays.

"Two out of four, baby!" said Hunt. "The 100m is harder mentally and 200m is the hardest physically.

"I have had a lot of health things going on this year. It meant the 200 has been scary, nearly fainting after a lot of my 200m this year. It was an amazing race.

"I am thinking of my coach. I am just thinking of him and not making the mistake of getting caught up in other people's battles. This is becoming a magical week and one I will remember for the rest of my life.

"No celebrations and no champagne until Sunday night. I have got a debt to the ladies. We have got to come out here and make sure we show them who the best sprinting nation is in Europe."

The bronze for Asher-Smith, who won the European sprint double in Berlin in 2018, was a record-equalling seventh continental medal.

It drew her level with Croatian discus thrower Sandra Elkasevic and Norway's Jakob Ingebrigtsen.

Asher-Smith had set the early pace in a race held in front of a raucous 20,000-strong crowd at Alexander Stadium.

She was quickly out of the blocks to steal a march on Hunt on her inside.

But Hunt, a Cambridge University graduate in English, kept her nerve and tracked her veteran teammate down the home straight.

She made the pass with 20 metres to go and erupted in joy as she streaked through the line, quickly brandishing a Union Jack flag and wearing a tiara.

A.Mariconda--INP