'Two out of four, baby' - Hunt wins 200m as she eyes historic quadruple

Britain's Amy Hunt charged to 200m glory to secure her second gold medal of the European Championships - but the sprinter has her sights set on a historic quadruple in Birmingham.

The 24-year-old wants to "be iconic" and become the first athlete to win four European gold medals in the same tournament.

And after triumphing in the 100m on Monday, she added another gold to her collection with a season's best time of 22.19 seconds in the 200m final on Thursday.

Hunt reeled in rival and compatriot Asher-Smith down the back straight to cross the line first.

"Two out of four, baby!" Hunt told BBC TV.

"This is becoming a magical week and one I will remember for the rest of my life."

Hunt is set to compete in the women's and mixed 4x100m relay events later and says there will be "no celebrations and no champagne until Sunday night".

"I have got a debt to the ladies," she said.

"We have got to come out here and make sure we show them who the best sprinting nation is in Europe."

Asher-Smith was beaten to silver by just 0.01 seconds by Ireland's Rhasidat Adeleke, who set a new national record.

"It unfolded exactly how I thought it would," two-time European 200m silver medallist Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake said on BBC Radio 5 Live.

"I knew Dina would run a blistering bend and then say 'Amy, come and catch me'. And that's what Amy has done."

After struggling in the 200m earlier this summer, Hunt said she was ready for a "renewal of our vows" in the event.

And the Briton kept her promise with a composed performance that ended with her powering through the final 40m to beat her competitors and clinch gold.

"Amy was phenomenal. She came off that bend like a train," three-time world heptathlon champion Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill said on BBC TV.

"It was so exciting to see Dina and Amy side by side. Amy said she was going to do it - and she did."

Hunt held her arms aloft and pointed to the sky as she emulated Asher-Smith's 100m-200m European double in 2018.

"Amy has it all. The speed, the endurance, the confidence, and now the double," said former men's 1500m world champion Steve Cram.

"This is Amy's stage at the moment."

'Disappointed' Asher-Smith 'held on as hard as she could'

After getting off to a rapid start, Asher-Smith was unable to hold off Hunt and Adeleke in the final push, but in finishing third she claimed a ninth European medal - a tally only bettered by the 10 of Polish ex-sprinter Irena Szewinska.

"Dina was not handing it to Amy. She was going to make her work hard," former British 400m runner Allison Curbishley said on BBC Radio 5 Live.

"Asher-Smith held on as hard as she could. Then she started to over-stride, and the hips dropped."

After finishing fifth in Monday's 100m final, Asher-Smith returned for the 200m to continue her bid to win a historic seventh gold and become the joint-most successful athlete in the history of the championships.

But there was further disappointment for the 30-year-old, who won European 200m gold in 2016 and 2018.

"I'm disappointed to have a bronze, but I think 10 years after my first one it is such an achievement to be in a place to come back year after year," Asher-Smith told BBC TV.

"It doesn't matter what's going on in my life, just come and continue to be one of the fastest women in the world. Happy to have done that today."

Before the race, there were hopes of a British one-two-three on the podium, with Asher-Smith, Hunt and Eduan holding the three fastest times in Europe this year.

However, Eduan - who beat Hunt to win her first British title in June - finished sixth.

But Hunt's second sprint gold continues Britain's dominance in the sprint events in Birmingham after Romell Glave and Jeremiah Azu secured a one-two finish in the men's 100m, while Matthew Hudson-Smith stormed to 400m victory on Wednesday.

GB's Glave and Azu claim European 100m one-two