Preston steeplechaser Jamaine Coleman has no regrets after crashing out at the first hurdle of the multi-sport European Championships.
Coleman finished 10th in Tuesday morning’s 3000m heats as he was unable to live with the pace set by frontrunners Osama Zoghlami, Karl Bebendorf and Tom Erling Karbo in Munich.
He missed out on a spot in the final by exactly two minutes to leave teammate Phil Norman flying the British flag solo in Friday night’s showpiece.
Fellow Brit Zak Seddon finished 11th in Norman’s heat as Zoghlami’s Italian compatriot Ahmed Abdelwahed romped to victory.
Coleman, 27, insists he had nothing more to give and a punishing final kilometre proved his undoing in Germany.
He said: “I knew it wasn’t going to be good enough.
“The race just didn’t suit me today.
“It was a fast last kilometre and for some reason I just didn’t have it in the legs.
“I gave it my all, there was nothing I could’ve done to run any faster."
Zoghlami, 28, stopped the clock in a speedy 8:30.67 on a boiling Tuesday morning in Munich.
Coleman finished almost ten minutes behind the Italian before teammate Norman, 32, ploughed through the red-hot conditions to run a brilliant race in 8:32.00.
He reckons all steeplechasers drew the short straw competing that morning and is hopeful for more favourable temperatures under the Friday night lights.
After a day filled with fantastic showmanship, sportsmanship and surprise its time to look at the standings. Now around the half way point of the championships the host nation are sitting top.
— European Championships (@Euro_Champs) August 16, 2022
With still another half to go, twists and turns are sure to come. Stay tuned folks 👏 pic.twitter.com/53A4xdEVsZ
Norman said: “I couldn’t have expected to get any more than that, to get auto qualified into the final.
“I was looking at the schedule and the temperatures and thought this was probably going to be tougher than the final, so I knew if I could make it through to the finals, the conditions would suit me better.
“I’m looking forward to Friday.”
The multi-sport European Championships Munich 2022, featuring Athletics, Beach Volleyball, Canoe Sprint, Cycling, Gymnastics, Table Tennis, Triathlon, Rowing, Sport Climbing, takes place 11th-21st August on the 50th anniversary of the Olympics Games in the German city. Watch daily live coverage across BBC One, Two, Red Button, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here