Elise Thorner described her experience at the European Championships in Birmingham as one she “will remember for a long time,” despite narrowly missing out on a medal. The 25-year-old athlete, representing Wells City Harriers and Yeovil Olympiads, entered the competition as a strong contender following her silver medal performance at the Commonwealth Games and a new personal best time.
Throughout much of the women’s 3,000m race, Thorner remained in contention, hitting the bell lap in fourth place. However, she was unable to summon a final lap sprint and gradually fell back to finish fifth, recording a time of 9 minutes 18.14 seconds. The race was won by Germany’s Gesa Felicitas Krause.
Reflecting on her performance, Thorner said, “It was absolutely mad to be out there. It was definitely a different sort of race to what I have had all year. There were a lot more people around me than I thought there would be at that kind of pace. It was just amazing to be in the mix, but when I wanted to move, I couldn’t move, and I haven’t had that this year.”
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She added, “Whenever I’ve wanted to move, I’ve been able to make an impact, but I couldn’t do that here. It was very busy and I’ve not learned how to get out of a pack yet when I want to. But everyone was incredible out there, and it is so great to have different experiences. Next time I want to finish up higher.”
Looking ahead, Thorner remains optimistic about the remainder of her season, noting, “I have two Diamond Leagues left and, fingers crossed, I have enough points for the final. I have two, hopefully three, more races to go this season.”
Over the past year, Thorner has shown significant progress, edging closer to Elizabeth Bird’s national record of 9:04.35 set during the 2024 Olympic final. She acknowledged before the championship that surpassing this record might be necessary to secure a podium place. Although the pacing of the race was slower than anticipated, Thorner views it as a valuable learning opportunity.
“Each race I’ve done, I’ve felt incredible, and if I haven’t, I’ve been able to put forward a performance I’m proud of,” she commented. “This was no different. I just want to take each race as it comes, and even though I didn’t win this one, which is definitely what I was aiming to do, I am still really proud of myself.”
Thorner, originally from Bridgwater, also expressed her appreciation for competing on home soil. “I really took it out with me that this could be one of very few home championships I have the chance to compete in. It was just amazing when they called my name at the start, and there were so many cheers. It’s something I will remember for a long time.”