Daryll Neita makes bold prediction about chance of European Championship success

Daily Mirror

12 hours ago

Daryll Neita has tasted success but remains desperate for her maiden major individual crown – and feels Birmingham next summer would be the perfect destination at which to achieve it.
Daryll Neita believes the stars are aligning in her pursuit of a maiden European gold on home soil. The 28-year-old sprinter won 100m continental bronze at Munich 2022 before adding 200m silver to her name two years later in Rome.
Neita was part of the women's 4x100m quartet who recorded their best Olympic result since 1965 with silver at Paris 2024 but remains desperate for her maiden major individual crown – and feels Birmingham next summer would be the perfect destination at which to achieve it.
‌
"It feels to me like it's meant to be," she said. "I've done the bronze in the 100m and silver in the 200m, so the only other option is for me to win double gold.
‌
"That's how I see it and there's no better place to do it than at home. That British cheer is definitely what can get me onto the podium again.
"I've made an adjustment in terms of my training set up and the plan is that by next summer I will be raring and ready to go. I'm feeling really confident."
The European Athletics Championships come to the UK for the first time next August, with Alexander Stadium in Birmingham playing host.
The track hosted the 2022 Commonwealth Games, when Neita clocked her 100m personal best of 10.90s, adding to the her enthusiasm in returning next summer in pursuit of gold.
"It makes me really excited because I love that track," she said. "There's good vibes to be going back there. Being able to race in front of a home crowd and with friends and family who often don't get to see my race is brilliant.
"We don't get many chances to do that as athletes and so when you do, it's so much more special."
‌
A quarter of a million tickets for the event will go on sale in September, and prices starting from just £10 for adults. Organisers have ambitions to create one of the most talked about European athletics events in history and Neita wants to play her part in giving athletics on the platform she feels it deserves.
"I think it's really exciting, we want to be on top of that podium as GB athletes and it being at home can help that," she said. "We know the UK has the best cheers. I can honestly could feel them under my skin, which is amazing.
"Birmingham can bring the spirit of the UK up, and I really hope it can bring back that feeling of London 2012 or Birmingham 2022. This sport has been growing in the past few years and it's been great to be part of that evolution.
"For so long there was this talk of athletics needing to be picked up and needing help to get more eyes on it, so it's great to see the amount of opportunities that are now coming through.
"People are interested in it, we just need the exposure."