Jazmin Sawyers says long jump’s global appeal helped haul her into the multi-sport European Championship final in Munich.

The West Midlands star leapt 6.60m in her Tuesday morning heat to finish fourth and secure her spot in Thursday night’s final.

Home favourite and Olympic champion Malaika Mihambo, Ukrainian Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk and super Serb Milica Gardasevic grabbed the top three spots in a star-studded qualifying round in Germany.

Sawyers, 28, admits she was struggling for motivation after the Commonwealth Games but the magical Munich crowd roaring on their hero helped her battle through.

The Staffordshire athlete, who narrowly missed out on a medal in Birmingham after a ninth-place finish at the World Championships, said: “I have been ultimately disappointed with the results of the two Championships so far this summer.

“That feeling of trying to drag myself back up to the level where I am excited to compete has been really tough.

“This crowd helped today.

“We were standing there for the warm-up and it seemed like the entire stadium migrated to the long jump pit to watch Mihambo.

“I like being a part of these long jump events because we have superstars dotted all around the world.

“We get the same in Serbia, it happens in Germany, it’s just so great. This is really cool that I get to do this.

“Yes I am tired, but ultimately this is something I get to do and I am very grateful for it.”

Mihambo, 28, grabbed a brilliant gold in Tokyo last summer before cementing her hegemony with more glory at last month’s World Championships in Oregon.

She defended her title won in Doha three years ago and showed no signs of letting her dominance slide with another polished display in Munich.

Mihambo jumped 6.99m on Tuesday to beat Bekh-Romanchuk, the 2019 World Championship silver medallist, and send the home crowd into raptures.

Sawyers was closely behind after fouling on her first jump and admits spirits are rising heading into what promises to be a Thursday thriller in Germany.

She added: “My first round jump, which was a foul, was a really good jump but I backed off a bit on my next jump to make sure I hit the board, and it still ended up being a 6.60m jump.

“It’s rare that I can back off so much and jump so far, so that tells me I am in really good shape and gives me a lot of confidence for the final.

“You never know how you are going to pull up after competing at a Commonwealth Games nine days ago so I’ve been feeling really tired, but that has given me a lot of confidence.”

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