European Athletics Indoor Championships: GB's Jeremiah Azu claims 60m gold as Andrew Robertson wins bronze

British athlete Jeremiah Azu clinched the gold medal in the men's 60m final at the European Indoor Athletics Championships, securing his first individual international title. Simultaneously, his teammate Andrew Robertson earned a bronze medal, adding to the British team's honors.

Azu crossed the finish line with a personal best of 6.49 seconds, ahead of Sweden's Henrik Larsson (6.52 seconds). Robertson finished third with a time of 6.55 seconds, and the trio stood together on the podium on Saturday night. Previously, Azu had qualified fastest in the morning's preliminary round and then improved his personal best again to 6.52 seconds in the semi-final, also setting a European-leading time.

In the medal-deciding race just two and a half hours later, Azu performed at his best, winning the first gold medal for the British team in Apeldoorn, Netherlands. Azu said after the race that he didn't realize he had won at the time, thinking Larsson was far ahead of him. He described his state at the finish line as giving it his all, completely unable to judge his surroundings.

Azu became the ninth British male athlete to win the event and the first since Richard Kilty's back-to-back wins in 2017. The podium success of Azu and Robertson follows the bronze medals of 1500m runner Revee Walcott-Nolan and the mixed 4x400m relay team, further enhancing the overall performance of the British team.

For 34-year-old Robertson, this is a long-awaited individual international medal. He was called up to the team at the last minute and had previously finished fourth in 2021. Robertson joked that this time last week he was enjoying cheesecake with his family in Scarborough. Although he only received the substitute notification on Wednesday, he had been preparing to compete, as it has been a long-term goal of his. He is very satisfied to have run the second-best time of his career at the age of 34.

Azu had previously tasted gold as part of the British team at the 2022 European Championships in Munich, where his bronze medal in the 100m was his first individual medal at that level. Despite playing a key role in the British team's bronze medal in the 4x100m relay at the Paris Olympics last summer, Azu described his first Olympic experience as "bittersweet" due to being disqualified for a false start in the individual event.

Subsequently, after starting a family, he made the important decision to change his training regime, leaving Marco Airale's team in Italy and returning to his hometown of Cardiff to reunite with his former coach, Helen James. The young Welsh athlete defended his British indoor 60m title in February, and it now appears that he has benefited from this move, returning to the guidance of the coach who encouraged him to pursue the sport from a young age.

As a two-time European Under-23 100m champion, Azu now aims to achieve his first individual global podium finish at the World Indoor Athletics Championships in Nanjing, China, this month. Azu excitedly stated that the past few months have been like a dream and that he is very grateful to God for finally becoming a European champion. He also reflected on how short life is and how great it is to have these moments, saying he is honored to be here and calling himself a European champion.

British newcomer John Otugade was eliminated in Saturday's semi-finals, finishing fifth in the race with a time of 6.67 seconds. In other events on the penultimate day of competition, Ireland's Mark English finished third in his semi-final with a time of 1:45.89, qualifying for Sunday's men's 800m final, but British newcomer Justin Davies failed to qualify.

The British team will have multiple opportunities to add to their medal haul on the final day of competition in Apeldoorn. British athlete George Mills will aim to prevent Jakob Ingebrigtsen from winning his fourth consecutive men's 3000m title, which would mean the Norwegian athlete would equal the record of seven European indoor titles. Ingebrigtsen, who just won the 1500m title, easily won his heat and will be a strong contender to complete a third consecutive 1500m and 3000m double.

However, Mills, the son of former England international Danny, will compete as the fastest European 3000m runner this year and controlled his heat to reach the final, joined by his teammate James West. Three British athletes have qualified for the women's final, with two-time bronze medalist Melissa Courtney-Bryant, the fastest European woman this year, joined by 18-year-old newcomers Innes Fitzgerald and Hannah Nuttall.

Morgan Lake will be aiming for her first international medal since the 2018 Commonwealth Games, competing in the women's high jump final, where Ukrainian Olympic champion and world record holder Yaroslava Mahuchikh will be vying for her third consecutive title. British captain Scott Lincoln will be aiming to qualify for the men's shot put final in the morning, while Jade O'Dowda will compete in the women's pentathlon, and sprinters Bianca Williams, Joy Eze, and Amy Hunt will be competing for medals in the women's 60m.

The men's and women's 4x400m finals will also compete for relay honors, with Dutch star Femke Bol aiming to cap off her home championships with a second gold medal. The final day of competition will begin at 09:00 GMT and will be broadcast live on BBC Two, as well as the BBC Sport website and app.