Russians placed first in European track and field championships

The Russian team have won first place at the European track and field championships, which ended in Munich on the day before.

Six days of contest have brought the Russians 7 gold, 9 silver and 8 bronze medals.

On the final day of the tournament the British team, in a last-gasp effort, managed to catch up with the Russians in the number of golds, but overall was placed second, since the British have far fewer silver and bronze awards -- 1 and 6, respectively. Third place in team scoring went to the Spanish, who obtained 6 gold, 3 silver and 6 bronze medals.

Experts point to a weak performance by the hosts, who ranked only 7 in overall placings, with two gold awards.

Altogether, track and field athletes from 29 countries have won prizes at the European championships, which are held once in four years.