Nafi Thiam could not quite match her opening throw of 53.00m on her second go - but it still went over 50m, which no other competitor has managed so far.

Behind her, there is a bit of a scrap developing for the other medal positions. Switzerland's Annik Kalin and Sofi Dokter of the Netherlands have put in strong showings in the javelin.

Watch as Sharlene Mawdsley runs a brilliant fourth leg to secure gold for Ireland's mixed 4x400m relay team.

Just sensational.

Ireland's Chris O'Donnell says winning the European 4x400m mixed relay title in Rome is "unbelievable" and "everything we've dreamed of".

A delighted O'Donnell told RTE Sport after the race: "When I started going into the blocks, I really felt I was doing it for the whole country.

"I wasn't nervous, I was really excited because I've seen these guys next to me and the support we have in the stadium. It's unbelievable, we just can't get over it."

Mawdsley, who clocked an impressive 49.40 for her 400m, relived her final leg as she passed a Belgian athlete before storming home.

"I was getting a bit impatient, I wanted to take her on the bend but then I said 'just go for it'. I have trained my life for this," she said.

"Tom and I were saying earlier that we felt so good in the warm-up - we were wondering what was going on.

"Honestly it's everything to me, probably everything to the team. The whole stadium was just amazing and the Irish fans turn up every time and it's just super."

Image source, Getty Images

What a moment this was last night.

Ireland secured a first European Athletics Championships gold medal since 1998 as their 4x400m mixed relay team clinched a sensational victory in Rome. The Irish quartet of Chris O'Donnell, Rhasidat Adeleke, Thomas Barr and Sharlene Mawdsley finished 0.77 seconds ahead of Italy with the fancied Netherlands team led by Femke Bol having to settle for bronze.

Bol was left with too much to do in the final leg as the Dutch finished 0.81 seconds behind an Irish quartet that took 1.61 seconds off the national record set when they finished third behind the USA and the Netherlands at last month's World Relays in the Bahamas.

Legendary distance runner Sonia O'Sullivan was the only Irish athlete to have previously lifted European gold after achieving the 5,000m and 10,000m double in 1998 having won the 3,000m title four years earlier.

Now, we can add O'Donnell, Adeleke, Barr and Mawdsley to that roll of honour.

Let's have a look back to yesterday now, at the biggest headlines from day one. It was a hectic day...

Here's Nafi Thiam now with her first throw in the javelin...

It's a huge effort, well over the 50 metre mark, far surpassing the others so far.

It's 53.00m exactly. What a remarkable athlete Thiam is.

28 degrees celsius, a breeze in the air and not a cloud in the sky.

You could not ask for better athletics conditions.

The first group of heptathletes have just taken to the field for the javelin, the sixth discipline of seven in that competition.

Current leader and two-time Olympic champion Nafi Thiam is involved in this group, with Britain's Jade O'Dowda (eighth) to take part in the later cohort.

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Image source, Reuters

Our first event of the night, the men's 20km race walk, has just begun.

We'll bring you occasional updates from this one. Sweden's Perseus Karlstrom starts as favourite, with Callum Wilkinson of Britain also involved.

If it's half as dramatic as yesterday's women's race, we are in for a treat.

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Callum Wilkinson is the first British medal hope off the block tonight, as he goes in the men's 20km race walk final. That starts at 17.00 BST.

Jade O'Dowda (eighth) concludes her heptathlon campaign as the only Brit standing, following the withdrawal of Katarina Johnson-Thompson yesterday evening. The penultimate event, javelin, starts at 17.05 BST, with the 800m rounding us off at around 20.45 BST.

Jacob Fincham-Dukes is in the men's long jump final, starting just after 19.05 BST, while Scott Lincoln - after finishing sixth in the men's shot put qualifying last night - goes for a podium finish from 20.00 BST.

On the track, George Mills, Jack Rowe and James West all go in the men's 5000m final, starting at just before 21.30 BST.

There are also semi-finals in the men's 800m, starring Brits Elliot Giles and Thomas Randolph, the women's 100m hurdles - look out for Cindy Sember - the men's 110m hurdles with Tade Ojora competing, and the men's 100m. CJ Ujah came through qualifying for that last night to join Romell Glave, who received a bye.

The hurdles finals come after 9pm UK time, while the men's 100m is the showpiece event to close out this evening's entertainment.

17:00 BST - Men's 20km Race Walk final

17:05 BST - Javelin throw heptathalon women group A

18:20 BST - Javelin throw heptathalon women group B

18:50 BST - Men's 800m semi-final

19:06 BST - Men's Long Jump final

19:12 BST - Women's 100m Hurdles semi-final

19:38 BST - Women's 110 Hurdles semi-final

20:02 BST - Men's Shot Put final

20:10 BST - Men's 100m semi-final

20:37 BST: Women's Discus Throw final

20:43 BST - Women's 800m heptathalon final

21:08 BST - Women's 100m hurdles final

21:18 BST - Men's 110m Hurdles final

21:28 BST - Men's 5000m final

21:53 BST - Men's 100m final

One down, five to go.

After a sensational first day of action in the European Athletics Championships, we return to Rome this evening for more of the same.

Nine gold medals are on offer, including some serious British interest. Let's get into it...

BBC Sport

Watch as Spain's Laura Garcia-Caro starts to celebrate winning a medal in the 20km race walk only to be pipped to bronze on the line by Ukraine's Lyudmila Olyanovska at the European Athletics Championships.

Morning Session

09:05 BST - Men's Hammer throw

09:15 BST - 3000m Steeplechase

09:40 BST - Women's Pole Vault qualification groups A and B

09:50 BST Women's 100m round one

10:30 BST Men's Hammer throw qualification group B

10:45 BST - Men's 400m round one

11:10 BST - Long Jump heptathlon qualification groups A and B

11:20 BST - Women's 400m round one

Evening Session

17:00 BST - Men's 20km Race Walk final

17:05 BST - Javelin throw heptathalon women group A

18:20 Javelin throw heptathalon women group B

18:50 BST - Men's 800m semi-final

19:06 BST - Men's Long Jump final

19:12 BST - Women's 100m Hurdles semi-final

19:38 BST - Women's 110 Hurdles semi-final

20:02 BST - Men's Shot Put final

20:10 BST - Men's 100m semi-final

20:37 BST: Women's Discus Throw final

20:43 BST - Women's 800m heptathalon final

21:08 BST - Women's 100m hurdles final

21:18 BST - Men's 110m Hurdles final

21:28 BST Men's 5000m final

21:53 BST - Men's 100m final

Great Britain's Jemma Reekie wins her 1500m heat at the European Championships in Rome.

Nafi Thiam builds a lead over Katarina Johnson-Thompson after the high jump event in the women's heptathlon at the European Championships in Rome.

BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

The European Athletics Championships take place in Rome from Friday 7th June to Wednesday 12th of June, with GB athletes due to take part every day of the event. Keely Hodgkinson, Molly Caudery, Dina Asher-Smith and Daryll Neita are the standout names representing Great Britain however, there will be no Laura Muir, Josh Kerr, Matthew Hudson-Smith and Zharnel Hughes.

Among the non-GB athletes in action are Lamont Marcell Jacobs, Femke Bol, Karsten Warholm, Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Armand Duplantis.

In the women's 100 metres, four time European gold medalist Dina Asher-Smith will be competing for GB, while Daryll Neita will be in action in the Women's 200m event.

In the women's 800m, Keely Hodgkinson will be in action as the reigning European gold medalist will be looking to defend her crown in Rome on the path to Paris. Her defence begins in the morning session on Tuesday 11th June, with the semi-finals of the event taking place at 09:10 BST.

Away from the track, Molly Caudery and Holly Bradshaw will be representing Great Britain in the women's pole vault event.

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Athletics offers a wide range of sport and the opportunity to throw, run or jump.

Who is it for?

Everyone. The different disciplines suit different body shapes and sizes.

Is there a cheap option?

As long as there is space for a race, you can practise athletics.

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Starting out young

England Athletics Funetics , externalscheme introduces 4-11 year-olds to the fundamental skills, Scotland Athletics offers Run, Jump, Throw , externalfor ages 5-12, while Welsh Athletics , externaland Athletics Northern Ireland , externalhave great networks to get you started.