European Athletics Championships: Thiam wins heptathlon, bronze for Vidts

Heptathlete Nafi Thiam took gold for a record third consecutive European Athletics Championships on Saturday. Compatriot Noor Vidts took bronze in Rome, her first medal in a major outdoor championship.

Thiam finished the competition with 6,848 points, a championship record and more than enough to qualify for the Olympic Games in Paris, where she also hopes to secure a third Olympic title. The 29-year-old also has two world titles and three European pentathlon titles to her name.

Thiam completed her first full heptathlon in two years in Rome, after 10 months without participating in an official competition for 10 months. "I didn't really know what to expect and am very satisfied with this performance,” she said. “But at the Games in Paris, I want to do even better.”

In particular, she wants to improve in the sprint events - the 100m hurdles and the 200m. “We will work on the start and pure speed. That was the only thing that was a bit disappointing this championship, without being really bad."

Vidts finished in third place with 6,596 points, just behind the French athlete Auriana Lazraq-Khlass. She has two world indoor titles in the pentathlon, but this is her first medal in a major outdoor championship. "This medal is another milestone for me,” she said. “I've proved that I can compete for the top prizes outdoors as well. And it’s still possible to improve."

_{​Nafi Thiam and Noor Vidts celebrate at the European Athletics Championships in Rome © BELGA PHOTO JASPER JACOBS}