Joel Clarke-Khan warns he has more to give at European Championships

By Will Jennings in Munich

Joel Clarke-Khan warned he has more to give after scraping through to the European Championship final in Munich.

The West Midlands high jumper, 22, cleared the bar at 2.21m on his third attempt on Tuesday night to keep his outside medal hopes alive.

Clarke-Khan will be flying the British flag solo on Thursday as teammate David Smith was unable to progress in the other qualifying group.

The Worcester star was not satisfied with his opening display and hopes technical tinkering over the next 24 hours can fuel his pursuit of a podium finish in Germany.

“That was a bit of a challenge,” said Clarke-Khan, whose career is supported by Pitching In, a grassroots investment programme set up by Entain - owner of Ladbrokes and Coral – in partnership with SportsAid.

“I’ve not made it easy for myself by leaving it to the third attempt, but a final is a final so I’ve done what I needed to do to get there.

“If I can just turn a few things around in the next couple of days, and be firing a bit technically better, that will be better in the final.”

Clarke-Khan is the two-time defending British champion but is yet to make his big breakthrough on the international stage.

He was eliminated in qualifying at last month’s World Championships in Oregon as his effort of 2.21m proved insufficient in hauling him through.

Clarke-Khan competed for Team England at the Commonwealth Games – his long-term aspiration after growing up training at the Alexander Stadium – and improved on that Eugene showing with a leap of 2.22m to finish fifth.

But he’s so far been unable to produce his best – a 2.27m set in Bedford earlier this summer – at major international level.

Clarke-Khan says the pressure is now off in Munich and hopes channelling a carefree mentality can help him sparkle under the lights.

“I feel a lot more relaxed now that I’ve made it through,” he added.

“I look forward to seeing what I can do on Thursday evening.”

Entain, owner of Ladbrokes and Coral, is proud to be championing the next generation of British sporting heroes by providing talented young athletes with financial support and personal development opportunities in partnership with SportsAid. Visit entaingroup.com to find out more.