Coventry's Jake Minshull admitted a “tough” night on his home track after missing out on the European Championship final in Birmingham. The 21-year-old, who studies at the University of Birmingham and trains three times a week on the Alexander Stadium track, had received a bye to the semi-finals and arrived full of confidence following his breakthrough silver at the Commonwealth Games.
Semi-final exit despite faster time
The continental showpiece brought a tougher field, however, and Minshull's time of 48.73 seconds, while quicker than that which took him on to the podium in Glasgow, was only enough for fifth in his semi-final here. Reflecting on the performance, Minshull said: “It was tough. I knew coming into this it was like a final and I was going to have to give it my all.”
He added: “Looking at the qualifying times, I would have had to run a PB to get through. I knew I could have done that but it just wasn't there for me. From the Commonwealth final, I had a slight issue with my duct and I was just managing that for the last week or so. But I felt back to full fitness coming into this and I felt I had a shot at making the final. When you're in the final, you never know what can happen. I'm just a bit annoyed I couldn't get it done but that's sport for you.”
Eyes on Budapest Ultimates
Minshull has a year left of his human sciences degree in the second city but hopes September will bring more than just a return to student life. He has his eyes on the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest, a new event designed to pit the best against the best in a thrilling season finale. World rankings are among the entry criteria to be used, and though Minshull competes in a stacked field, he hopes he can compete enough between now and then to earn his place.
“I will probably get a few more races in,” he said. “I'm just trying to climb up those rankings as the 400m hurdles is so tough at the moment. If I can push that ranking up, maybe to Ultimates at the end of the season, if I can do that. If not, it just puts me in a better position for next year.”
Home support and gratitude
Minshull hopes his experiences of back-to-back major championships on UK soil will also stand him in good stead, while he has provided plenty of memories for his family and friends to savour. “The atmosphere was great,” he said. “It's literally a home race for me, I have my whole clan back from Glasgow plus an extra 10 or 20 people watching. It was great to have them supporting me and I'm really grateful.”
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