It all starts on Tuesday and for once, the Brits go in as one of the teams expected to do well and come near the top of the medal table

Here's who we're sending

MEN
100m: Dwain Chambers, Mark Lewis-Francis, James Dasaolu
4x100m Relay: Mark Lewis-Francis, James Dasaolu, Marlon Devonish, Christian Malcolm, Jeffrey Lawal Balogun, Leon Baptiste, Craig Pickering
200m: Marlon Devonish, Christian Malcolm, Jeffrey Lawal Balogun
400m: Martyn Rooney, Michael Bingham, Conrad Williams
4x400m Relay: Martyn Rooney, Michael Bingham, Conrad Williams, Rob Tobin, Andrew Steele, Richard Buck, Graham Hedman
800m: Michael Rimmer
1'500m: Andy Baddeley, Colin McCourt, Tom Lancashire
5'000m: Mo Farah, Chris Thompson
10'000m: Mo Farah, Chris Thompson
110m Hurdles: Andy Turner, William Sharman
400m Hurdles: Rhys Williams, David Greene, Nathan Woodward
Long Jump: Chris Tomlinson
Triple Jump: Phillips Idowu, Nathan Douglas
Shot Put: Carl Myerscough

WOMEN
100m: Laura Turner
4x100m Relay: Laura Turner, Joice Maduaka, Emily Freeman, Montell Douglas, Katherine Endacott, Elaine O'Neill, Hayley Jones
200m: Emily Freeman
400m: Lee McConnell
4x400m Relay: Lee McConnell, Nicola Sanders, Marilyn Okoro, Victoria Barr, Nadine Okyere, Kim Wall, Perri Shakes-Drayton
800m: Jenny Meadows, Marilyn Okoro, Jemma Simpson
1'500m: Lisa Dobriskey, Stephanie Twell, Hannah England
400m Hurdles: Eilidh Child, Perri Shakes-Drayton
3'000m Steeplechase: Hatti Dean, Barbara Parker
20 Kilometre Walk: Joanna Jackson
Pole Vault: Kate Dennison
Heptathlon: Jessica Ennis

Lost interest in athletics after Ovett & Coe retired.

What a fantastic start to the championships, Mo Farah winning Gold in the 10'000m and he headed a British 1-2 thanks to Chris Thompson following him home to claim the silver.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/athletics/8859274.stm

Mens 100m, what a race, Lemaitre got the gold for France but Lewis-Francis got the silver heading a 4 way "dead-heat" for 2nd spot, Chambers was amongst that but missed out on a medal finishing in 5th

Proof that dutch dirty tactics are not confined to Football, here in the mens 800m dutchman Robert Lathouwers takes a shortcut after being squeezed out by Irish runner David McCarthy, after cutting the track Lathouwers barges McCarthy out of the race in frustration, unsuprisingly, his reward was a big fat disqualification.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/athletics/8864097.stm

Amazingly, McCarthy recovered to qualify for the semi-finals as a fastest loser

Another 2 medals today, Phillips Idowu in the triple jump adding the European title to his world championship title last year and Martyn Bernard took a shock bronze in the high jump.

MEDAL TABLE AFTER DAY 3

1. Russia ................ 3 - 3 - 3
2. GREAT BRITAIN ................ 2 - 2 - 1
3. France ................ 2 - 1 - 3
4. Germany ................ 2 - 1 - 0
5. Belarus ................ 1 - 1 - 1
=6. Croatia ................ 1 - 0 - 0
=6. Latvia ................ 1 - 0 - 0
=6. Slovakia ............... 1 - 0 - 0
=6. Turkey ................ 1 - 0 - 0
10. Italy ................ 0 - 2 - 1

PLACING TABLE AFTER DAY 3

1. Russia ................ 96pts
2. France ................ 46pts
3. Germany ................ 45pts
4. GREAT BRITAIN ............... 40pts
5. Belarus ................ 35pts
6. Italy ................ 30pts
7. Portugal ................ 29pts
8. Ukraine ................ 28pts
9. Spain ................ 16pts
=10. Slovakia ................ 14pts
=10. Romania ................ 14pts
-----------------------------------------------------
=21. Ireland ............... 5pts

Lots of medals today led by Andy Turner getting his gold in the 110m hurdles. There were also silvers for Michael Bingham (400m) and Christian Malcolm (200m). And there were bronzes for Martyn Rooney (400m), Jenny Meadows (800m) and Perri Shakes-Drayton (400m Hurdles)

MEDAL TABLE AFTER DAY 4

1. Russia ................ 8 - 5 - 6
2. France ................ 4 - 2 - 4
3. GREAT BRITAIN ................ 3 - 4 - 4
4. Germany ................ 3 - 1 - 1
=5. Belarus ................ 1 - 1 - 1
=5. Spain ................ 1 - 1 - 1
=7. Belgium ................ 1 - 0 - 0
=7. Croatia ................ 1 - 0 - 0
=7. Latvia ................ 1 - 0 - 0
=7. Slovakia ................ 1 - 0 - 0
=7. Turkey ................ 1 - 0 - 0

PLACINGS TABLE AFTER DAY 4 (1st 8pts, 2nd 7pts and so on)

1. Russia ............... 181
2. GREAT BRITAIN ................ 101
3. France ................ 91
4. Germany ................ 76
5. Spain ................ 49
6. Italy ................ 44
7. Belarus ................ 40
8. Poland ................ 37
=9. Portugal ................ 29
=9. Czech Republic ................ 29
------------------------------------------------------
15. Ireland ................ 17

Loads of medals again today, Silver for Michael Rimmer in the 800m and then the gold rush, Jessica Ennis gets the gold everyone wanted her to get in the Heptathlon and David Greene headed a British 1-2 from Rhys Williams in the 400m Hurdles. Oh and Ireland get their first medal with Derval O'Rourke getting silver in the 100m hurdles.

But the night belongs to Mo Farah who elevates himself to the stuff of legends by completing the 5'000 and 10'000 double

MEDAL TABLE AFTER DAY 5

1. Russia ................ 8 - 6 - 7
2. GREAT BRITAIN ................ 6 - 6 - 4
3. France ................ 6 - 2 - 4
4. Germany ................ 3 - 4 - 4
5. Belarus ................ 2 - 1 - 1
6. Turkey ................ 2 - 0 - 0
7. Ukraine ................ 1 - 3 - 1
8. Poland .............. 1 - 2 - 4
9. Spain ................ 1 - 2 - 1
10. Belgium ................ 1 - 1 - 1
-----------------------------------------------------------------
=20. Ireland ................ 0 - 1 - 0

PLACING TABLE

1. Russia ................ 219
2. GREAT BRITAIN ................ 140
3. France ............... 127
4. Germany ................ 109
5. Ukraine ................ 81
6. Poland ................ 70
=7. Spain ................ 65
=7. Italy ................ 65
9. Belarus ................ 50
10. Czech Republic ............... 39
----------------------------------------------------
15. Ireland ................ 24

Jessica Ennis is a lash.

Thats it, all over, bronzes in the Womens 4x100m and the Long Jump (Chris Tomlinson) and also a silver in the Mens 4x100m. A total of 19 medals is our best performance in the European Championships since 1990.

FINAL MEDAL TABLE

1. Russia ................ 10 - 6 - 8
2. France ................ 8 - 6 - 4
3. GREAT BRITAIN ................ 6 - 7 - 6
4. Germany ................ 4 - 6 - 6
5. Turkey ................ 3 - 1 - 0
6. Spain ................ 2 - 3 - 3
7. Ukraine ................ 2 - 3 - 1
8. Poland ................ 2 - 2 - 5
9. Belarus ................ 2 - 2 - 1
10. Croatia ................ 2 - 0 - 0
----------------------------------------------
=21. Ireland ................ 0 - 1 - 0

FINAL PLACING TABLE - TOP 20

1. Russia ................ 262
2. France ................ 183
3. GREAT BRITAIN ................ 167
4. Germany ................ 152
5. Spain ................ 110
=6. Ukraine ................ 96
=6. Poland ................ 96
8. Italy ................ 92
9. Belarus ................ 56
10. Portugal ................ 45
11. Turkey ................ 41
12. Czech Republic ................ 39
13. Belgium ................ 30
14. Romania ................ 29
15. Netherlands ................ 28
16. Norway ................ 26
17. IRELAND ................ 24
=18. Slovakia ................ 21
=18. Lithuania ................ 21
=20. Croatia ................ 19
=20. Hungary ................ 19