Emily Newnham delivered an emotional message to her mum after claiming a breakthrough 400m hurdles silver medal at the European Championships in Birmingham.
The rising star from Dartford revealed her mother has been in hospital in recent months, and was not able to be in the stands at the Alexander Stadium to see her daughter go second on the UK all-time list behind Sally Gunnell.
Newnham lowered her personal best by 0.59 seconds as she stormed into second from lane nine.
“Mum, I love you so much, you are an inspiration this year and keep fighting, you’ve got this,” the 22-year-old said.
“She has been in the hospital for the past three months and it’s been hard not having her in the stands here with me.
“But I’m so grateful that she’s still here and I hope she’s proud of me and can keep fighting."
Newnham arrived in the Second City with a senior silver medal already in her possession from the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.
Coming into the home straight in Birmingham, she reeled in the athletes in third and second and challenged heavy favourite Emma Zapletova of Slovakia, who won by a margin of 0.42 seconds.
She added: “I don’t think you have enough time to be concerned, you just have to focus on getting to that finish line as fast as you can.
“I knew being in lane nine I had to go out hard which I never seem to do so I was definitely thinking today, run fast and who knows what can happen.
"It was hard being in lane nine. I'm not someone that usually is known for getting out hard, so I wanted to be unpredictable today and try and go a bit harder and finish strong.
“It wasn’t until I got to the bend that I could kind of assess where I am at, you are so focussed on getting to that finish line that first, so it is all eyes on the prize.”
Canterbury’s Charlotte Henrich, who helped the Novuna GB & NI team win their first medal of the Championships with mixed 4x400m relay silver on Monday, narrowly missed out on a place in the individual 400m final.
The 19-year-old finished third in her semi-final in 50.51, two-tenths of a second off the mark needed to get through as one of two fastest losers.
Novuna is the Official Finance Partner of British Athletics and proud sponsor of the GB & NI Athletics Team. From everyday goals to world-class dreams, Novuna backs the ambition of millions across the UK — from supporting British businesses and individuals’ plans, to powering British Athletics on the global stage. Find out more at www.novuna.co.uk
Share