Confident Thomas’s superb win unable to protect GB’s position

Nottingham athlete Turner has been in excellent form in the 110m hurdles this season, setting five of the best six times in Europe, and he was a comfortable winner as he overcame a sluggish start to triumph in 13.64secs in wet and windy conditions.

Thomas’s win in the 1,500m proved to be a more complicated affair after she found herself boxed in as the field came to the bell.

The Wakefield runner dropped back before launching a strong attack in the home straight to pick off her rivals and claim victory in 4mins 6.85secs.

Delighted Thomas said: “I knew I could win the race, I’m so confident at the moment and my finish is so strong after the work I have put in.

“I have run 4:06 (yesterday) and I have been boxed in and been clipped and things. I really believe I can run fast.”

Turner, meanwhile, was just pleased to have put a smile on the face of coach Charles van Commenee.

Van Commenee has been involved in an unedifying spat with triple jumper Phillips Idowu over the latter’s withdrawal from this competition, and Turner said: “I came into the race confident, I felt good, the conditions were tough but I’m just happy to win the race and keep Charles van Commenee happy.”

Despite those victories Team GB lost the third place they had held after Saturday’s first day of competition, with their hopes of overhauling Ukraine finally being ended during the men’s 4x400m relay.

The women’s team of Kelly Massey, Nicola Sanders, Lee McConnell and Perri Shakes-Drayton had produced a fine display to finish second in their race and the men’s quartet appeared to be on for a good finish until Michael Bingham’s attempt to hand over to York’s Richard Buck for the final lap ended with the baton on the floor. Bingham then threw the baton to Buck, leading to a disqualification.

Van Commenee said: “A total anti-climax. Richard Buck went too soon, but that comes with relay running, there is just no excuse.”

It also proved to be a disappointing day for Tiffany Ofili-Porter in the women’s 100m hurdles.

Ofili-Porter, who has switched her allegiance from America, was some way below her best as she finished third behind Belarus’s Alina Talay in her heat

She then dropped to fourth overall due to the first heat proving to be quicker.

“I just wasn’t sharp, I don’t enjoy the rain but if it rains on me, it rains on everyone else, so that is not an excuse.

“I’m going to get some good training in, put it behind me and look to the future,” she said.

Abi Oyepitan was sixth overall in the women’s 200m while Daniel Talbot was a creditable third in his heat and fifth overall in the men’s race, France’s Christophe Lemaitre following up his impressive win over Dwain Chambers in the 100m on Saturday to cross the line first in 20.29secs.

Helen Clitheroe, the European Indoor champion over 3,000m, produced her lifetime best in the 5,000m as she came in third behind Spain’s Delores Checa and Gareth Warburton clocked a season’s best in an impressive outing in the 800m.

Andy Baddeley suffered disappointment as he left his finishing kick too late in the 3,000m.

Baddeley allowed the leading group to open up a slight gap on him down the back straight and he left himself too much to do in the final 100m as he ended up fourth.

Chambers had to be content with second place behind France’s rising talent Christophe Lemaitre in the 100m as his 21-year-old rival underlined his world-class status with a personal best of 9.95secs.

The battle between Europe’s fastest two men was the highlight of an opening day in which Team Great Britain finished on 157 points, to trail leaders Russia (213).

Team GB captain Dai Greene opened the day with an expected victory in the men’s 400m hurdles but the only other success came in the men’s 4x100m relay.

There were, however, impressive performances elsewhere with European bronze medallist Jenny Meadows claiming second in the 800m and Goldie Sayers defied expectation to take silver in the women’s javelin.

There were slight disappointments for Middlesbrough long jumper Chris Tomlinson and Perri Shakes-Drayton in the 400m hurdles as they claimed third places.

All eyes had been on the clash between Chambers and Lemaitre, however, and the race did not fail to deliver with the young Frenchman claiming a national record.

Chambers had reason to be content with his performance, too, after clocking a time of 10.07secs, but the 33-year-old admitted he was no match for his young rival.

“He has so many advantages with his height and those long legs that keep striding past me...he is like an antelope,” he said.

“He is young and enthusiastic, but at my age, I just have to keep chasing him and focus on my own race.”

Earlier, Greene did not produce his most convincing performance but it was enough to secure him gold in a time of 49.21.

The Welshman had to shrug off the attention of Georg Fleischhauer over the final 50m before he secured his victory to hand a Great Britain team, without the likes of Mo Farah, Idowu, Jessica Ennis and Christine Ohuruogu, a good start to the competition.

Team GB had to wait until the end of the day for their next triumph after the men’s 4x100m team of Christian Malcolm, Craig Pickering, James Ellington and Harry Aikines-Aryeetey took gold.

The men had only just seen their female team-mates disqualified, following a tentative final changeover between Laura Turner and Abi Oyepitan, but stormed to victory in 38.60.

In between those successes, Sayers claimed an unexpected silver with her third-best throw of 64.46m, and Meadows needed a late kick to take second in the 800m behind Mariya Savinova.

“I was thinking about going for home further out, but I don’t think it would have made a difference to the result, maybe just made it a quicker time for me,” Meadows said.

Shakes-Drayton had to be content with third after posting a time of 55.06 in the women’s 400m hurdles and Tomlinson improved on his season’s best with a leap of 8.12m in the men’s long jump.

“I wasn’t quite connecting, but to jump those sort of distances when you are not feeling great is a good sign,” he said.