Donnelly wins GB's first women's marathon medal at Europeans

Abbie Donnelly became the first British woman to win a marathon medal at the European Championships as she claimed bronze in Birmingham on Sunday.

Great Britain also claimed a team gold, beating Italy and Spain to the top of the podium as Natasha Wilson finished fifth and Rose Harvey 14th.

Donnelly's performance is the best by a female British marathon runner at a European Championships since Kath Binns placed ninth in 1982.

In two hours 27 minutes 33 seconds, the Lincolnshire runner finished behind Hungary's Lili Anna Vindics-Toth, while Finnish favourite Alisa Vainio took gold in 2:22:26, cutting the championship record by nearly three minutes.

Great Britain's women's team marathon gold is the nation's seventh overall at the championships, leaving them one shy of leaders Italy going into the final evening of action.

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"It means everything to do this here in Birmingham," said Donnelly, formerly a cross country runner. "I've never done a home champs before so to have the crowd shout 'Abbie Donnelly' was an incredible experience."