Skrzyszowska loses European 100m hurdles gold by 0.001 seconds in Birmingham photo finish

Semifinal command

Pia Skrzyszowska arrived at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham as the author of the second-fastest 100m hurdles time of the season, a mark that placed her among the favorites for gold. The 25-year-old Pole had stood on the podium at the previous two editions of the championships, adding to the expectations surrounding her. Her second place on the European season list gave her a guaranteed place in the semifinal, meaning she skipped the qualifying round entirely and was entered in the first semifinal series on Tuesday.

Skrzyszowska started strongly and widened her lead with each subsequent hurdle, winning her heat in 12.60 seconds. That time was the fastest across all semifinal runs, confirming her high form heading into the final. Before the race, she was identified as one of the principal candidates for a medal. Her most dangerous rivals were listed as Nadine Visser of the Netherlands, who held the best result in Europe this season, and Ditaji Kambundji of Switzerland.

In the qualifying round, Klaudia Wojtunik was the other Polish entrant in the 100m hurdles. She finished seventh in her series, which meant the end of her involvement at the championships in Birmingham. The biggest hopes for Poland in the event rested with Skrzyszowska, who advanced directly to the semifinal on the strength of her season ranking.

Photo-finish heartbreak

The final was scheduled for 22:30 on Tuesday. Skrzyszowska started well and quickly took the lead, holding the front of the race through the early part of the distance. Visser overtook her in the latter section, and the two ran shoulder to shoulder over the closing meters. There was no shortage of emotion across the race, but everything was decided at the finish line. Both athletes hit the line simultaneously, and the initial measurement appeared to favor the Pole.

After photo-finish analysis, the result was reversed: Visser was declared the winner by one thousandth of a second. Both runners were credited with a time of 12.67 seconds, with the margin of victory measured at 0.001 seconds. The fate of the gold medal was decided on the very last meters of the race. Laeticia Bapte of France claimed bronze in 12.73 seconds.

Reaction and Poland's second medal

After the race, a smiling Skrzyszowska spoke to TVP Sport about the outcome. The 25-year-old, who had arrived in Birmingham with the second-fastest time of the season, reflected on the photo-finish verdict and her relationship with Visser.

She's a very good friend of mine so I don't hold it against her, but of course I wanted to snatch this gold. I'm glad there is this medal.

Skrzyszowska's silver is Poland's second medal at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham. On Monday, Ewa Swoboda also won silver, in the 100m sprint. Both Polish medals came in sprint events over the same distance, with Skrzyszowska's in the 100m hurdles and Swoboda's in the flat 100m. The two podium finishes give the Polish team two silver medals from the opening days of the championships in Birmingham.