Newham & Essex Beagles Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake will go into next week’s European Championships in morale-boosting form after helping England retain their Commonwealth Games 4x100m relay title in Birmingham, writes Ziad Chaudry.

The 28-year-old made amends from his 100m final disappointment earlier in the week where he pulled up at the midway point with a hamstring injury and finished last in 11.10secs as Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala, the eighth fastest man in history, took gold in 10.02.

Mitchell-Blake ran a supreme third leg to give England, who had Jona Efoloko and Zharnel Hughes on the first two legs, a sizable lead over nearest challengers Trinidad & Tobago and Nigeria, who finished second and third respectively, and handed the baton to anchor man Ojie Edoburun to breeze down the home straight in 38.85.

And Mitchell-Blake, who will be back in GB colours in Munich, Germany next week (August 15-21) a month after claiming a relay bronze at the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon, admits he could not hear Hughes screaming for him during the third handover.

"I didn't hear him calling ‘hand’ - he called out three times, but the stadium noise was deafening,” he said. “It gets instinctive after a while, but we knew we would've been in with a shout for a gold medal, which we came here for, and glad we’re able to deliver.”

Clubmate Asha Philip - knocked out in the semi-finals of the women’s 100m - helped the England women’s 4x100m relay squad to silver in a season's best 42.41 behind Nigeria, who won in an African record of 42.10, and is also off to Munich.

And Victoria Ohuruogu will also be on Team GB duty in Germany after the 29-year-old younger sister of Olympic and World champion Christine ran a personal best of 50.72 to claim Commonwealth silver in the women’s 400m ahead of England teammate Jodie Williams (51.26).

Newham Recorder: England's Victoria Ohuruogu with her 400m silver medal at the 2022 Commonwealth GamesEngland's Victoria Ohuruogu with her 400m silver medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games (Image: PA Wire/PA Images)

Sada Williams, of Barbados, stormed to the title in a Games record 49.90 to add to the bronze won at the World Championships and Ohuruogu said: “I’m really chuffed to just go sub-51. I knew it was going to be tough. I always aim high but I just had to back myself. I got a silver, PB, I’m excited.

“I’m just so proud that our name is still on the track. I just want to say thank you to my family, my sister, my boyfriend, my support system. It’s been a rough year but we’ve got something out of it, so I’m happy.”

However, Ohuruogu suffered 4x400m relay heartache after Jessica Knight brought the baton home in first place in 3.25.83 ahead of Canada (3.25.84) as the England squad were later disqualified for a lane infringement.

There was a heptathlon bronze, though, for Beagles' Jade O'Dowda, who scored 6,212 points to finish behind England's Katarina Johnson-Thompson, who retained her title from the 2018 Gold Coast Games with 6,377 points, and Northern Ireland’s Kate O’Connor (6,233).

Newham Recorder: England's Jade O'Dowda won bronze in the women's heptathlon at the 2022 Commonwealth GamesEngland's Jade O'Dowda won bronze in the women's heptathlon at the 2022 Commonwealth Games (Image: PA Wire/PA Images)

O’Dowda, 22, described the moment when she was guaranteed a medal, saying: “I got lucky with the wind and just happened to catch a big one [in the javelin].

"In the 800m I just followed Kat and when we went past Kate [O’Connor], I thought it might be enough [to claim silver] but it wasn’t.”