European Athletics U18 Championships: Superstar Paige wins 'unexpected' medal

The surprise package of the European Athletics U18 Championships has came in the form of a Falkirk Victoria Harriers athlete, with shot put star Paige Stevens taking home a bronze medal for Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
By Ben Kearney
Published 5th Jul 2022, 21:35 BST
Paige Stevens, 17, has won a bronze medal at the Jerusalem 2022 European Athletics U18 Championships (Photo: Jurij Kodrun/Getty Images for European Athletics)Paige Stevens, 17, has won a bronze medal at the Jerusalem 2022 European Athletics U18 Championships (Photo: Jurij Kodrun/Getty Images for European Athletics)
Paige Stevens, 17, has won a bronze medal at the Jerusalem 2022 European Athletics U18 Championships (Photo: Jurij Kodrun/Getty Images for European Athletics)

Paige, 17, took home the medal on Tuesday evening in Jerusalem, Israel after reaching the final thanks to her notching a personal best in the qualification round on Monday.

Primarily a heptathlete, she came to the championships ranked outside of the top ten and was unlikely to reach the final, yet alone pick up a medal.

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However, Paige shocked herself and her teammates by recording another lifetime best of 16.69m to take home a bronze medal.

Paige Stevens poses for a picture alongside fellow medal winner Cleo Agyepong after the event (Photo: Jurij Kodrun/Getty Images for European Athletics)Paige Stevens poses for a picture alongside fellow medal winner Cleo Agyepong after the event (Photo: Jurij Kodrun/Getty Images for European Athletics)
Paige Stevens poses for a picture alongside fellow medal winner Cleo Agyepong after the event (Photo: Jurij Kodrun/Getty Images for European Athletics)

Coached by Alison Gray, the teen admitted her goal was simply to hit the top eight.

"Words cannot describe how I am feeling,” she said speaking to British Athletics. “I came in ranked eleventh so I came in to just enjoy the experience and I certainly wasn’t thinking about medals, my goal was top eight.

"The personal best in the qualifying round gave me great confidence, particularly in that final round when I need those extra few centimetres to take bronze.”

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On the podium, she joined fellow British shot-putter Cleo Agyepong who took home a gold medal for her record-breaking 17.39m throw.

Great Britain and Northern Ireland currently sit at the top of the medal table at the end of day two.

Related topics:IsraelJerusalemNorthern Ireland

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