Wimborne AC’s Piers Copeland was in Gävle, Sweden on Thursday 11 July for his qualifying heat in the European Under-23 Championships. His task was to qualify for the final. His third place ensured he was safely through to the final on 13 July.
In a top class field, with little to choose between athletes, Piers can’t be accused of doing it the easy way. With 100 metres to go and while placed 7th, few would have backed him for a medal. He had the speed in his legs though, and saw an opportunity to go for a gap very late on the inside. It was an extraordinary finish and can be seen here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciihEXisWf4&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR2oAf9TJDL3I9dV4NSHyPNLYt6vuDEJ3_poEZXPB0HddxWGy6TUuV2phig It was so close that on the clip Piers is shown as coming third. This was later corrected to the silver medal position. Well done Piers, a tremendous achievement.
