Athletics Great month ends on disappointing note for Eleanor

WHAT a bittersweet finale to the season it has been for Eleanor McIntosh.

- Kevin FAHEY

The 18-year-old Bristol & West AC 400m sprinter will never forget the month of July 2025 when, in the space of two weeks, she won her first English Schools’ title and then added silver in the England Under-20 Championships.

Both those performances underlined McIntosh's position as one of the best young female 400m athletes in the country and a strong contender for a place in the Great Britian team for the European U20 Championships in Tampere, Finland, from August 7-10.

Unfortunately, an individual place was just beyond her grasp as her personal best time of 54.02secs was an agonising 0.02secs off the qualifying standard set by the GB team chiefs.

But that still left McIntosh hoping the selectors would decide to take a women’s 4x400m team but even that, not inconsiderable, consolation prize was snatched from her grasp when the team was officially released this week.

“We (the GB women’s quartet) are ranked No 1 in Europe and I’m sure we would have won a medal, but the selectors said there was not enough room on the team,’ said McIntosh.