Climbing European Championships: GB's Molly Thompson-Smith makes history
- Published
Thompson-Smith had a long injury lay-off after reconstructive surgery in 2017
Molly Thompson-Smith made history by becoming the first British woman to win a European climbing medal.
She took bronze in the Lead final at the European Championships in Moscow with a score of 31.
Russia's Viktoriia Meshkova won gold after scoring 36+ quicker than second-placed Czech climber Eliska Adamovska.
"It's amazing to be competing again," said the 23-year-old, who feared she would have to quit the sport through injury in 2017.
She now has a chance of Olympic qualification.
The result, when added to her scores in the individual speed and bouldering competitions, mean Thompson-Smith will return for the combined event which begins with the qualification rounds on Friday.
Should she and GB team-mate Will Bosi - who has reached the men's combined competition - then reach Saturday's final they will then be able to compete for the sole remaining Olympic qualification places for next summer's postponed Tokyo Games.
Before the event both climbers admitted they were aware of the risks of exposure to Covid-19 by travelling to the event in Russia which a number of other athletes withdrew from because of health concerns.
Watch 13 FA Cup second-round games on BBC iPlayer, the BBC Sport website and app this weekend. Find out more here.
