European Team Championships: Dai Greene suffers surprise defeat

World 400m hurdles champion Dai Greene suffered a shock defeat at the European Team Championships in Gateshead.

Greene, running in only his second race of the season, finished second to Germany's Silvio Schirrmeister.

On Sunday Brett Morse finished fifth in the discus with a 59.45 metre throw as Germany's Robert Harting win with 64.25m.

And Rhys Williams helped the 4x400m relay team take first place as GB and Northern Ireland finished third.

Greene, who ran 49.39 seconds, admitted his disappointment, saying: "I didn't put together a good race. I didn't expect them to be as fast as they were.

"I was a bit surprised how I didn't run a bit faster.

"I thought I started well, I was nice and aggressive in the back straight. [There were] too many errors and I was found wanting at the end.

"Fair play to the German lad, he ran a great race."

It was the first time Greene had failed to win in the European Team Championship having won at the previous three championships.

The 27-year-old had raced just once outdoors previously this season after undergoing surgery on a double hernia, finishing fifth in the Rome Diamond League meeting on 6 June.

"I was rusty going into Rome and felt that things had got better since then," Greene added.

"But I was found out a bit here in the windy conditions.

"[I've] got the Birmingham Grand Prix next week and after that a few more Grand Prix and hopefully I'll get a bit sharper and a bit fitter and the times will keep coming down."