Brilliantly-executed race sees Bath sporting scholar Justin Davies win first major medal of international career at European U23 Champs
University of Bath sporting scholar Justin Davies secured the first major individual medal of his international career as he won an excellent 800m silver at the European Athletics U23 Championships in Bergen, Norway.
The Team Bath AC runner, coached by Martin Rush, produced a perfectly-timed dip on the line to clock 1:44.97 and pip Italy’s Giovanni Lazzaro to second spot by one-hundredth of a second.
“This one really hasn’t sunk in, I don’t think it will sink in for a while,” said Davies, who is supported by an Alumni Fund Sports Scholarship at the University where he trains with the Student Performance squad and studies Biomedical Sciences.
“In the back of my mind I knew there was a chance I could get a medal. I thought, what the hell, just give it my best shot, try and play it as smart as possible and see what happens. Getting the silver medal is more than I could have ever hoped for coming into these championships.”
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Davies’ medal was one of 11 won by Great Britain & Northern Ireland at the championships, helping to secure second spot in the medal table.
It continues a superb season for Davies, who won his first British title at the UK Athletics Indoor Championships in February, broke the Welsh 800m record and has run inside the qualification standard for the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
The UK Athletics Championships, which double as official trials for September’s World Championships, are taking place at the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham on 2-3 August.
Applications are now open for 2025-26 sporting scholarships at the University of Bath. Visit teambath.com/scholarships for further details.
