DOUG GILLON
in Annecy, France

Great Britain staged a glorious last hurrah yesterday at the SPAR European Cup final in Annecy. The men's team won the competition, being staged for the last time in its traditional format, with their biggest winning margin ever. They totalled 112 points, 14 ahead of Poland. The GB women's third place, behind Russia and Ukraine, was their best for 14 years, and the two British squads equalled their record of nine victories (seven men, two women).

That was back in 1989, when the GB team boasted future icons such as Linford Christie, Steve Backley, Tessa Sanderson, Sally Gunnell, Colin Jackson, Kris Akabusi, John Regis, Tom McKean, Dalton Grant and Yvonne Murary. If the class of 2008 goes on to emulate such forebears, then Britain has indeed struck a rich seam.

It was their fifth men's victory, but the first since 2000. Though they won here in 2002, they were stripped of that title following the doping positive of Dwain Chambers which continues to cloud the sport.

A forest of Union flags greeted the national anthem and the large British contingent sang lustily. Marlon Devonish, making his ninth appearance in the event, contributed one of three victories on the second day (200 metres) but was not sufficiently quick off his mark to avoid the traditional captain's ducking in the steeplechase water jump. In truth, it was a blessed relief on a day when the mercury hit 94 degrees.

He was proud to accept the trophy. "It hurt to lose the cup in 2002, but you have to move on," he said. "I prefer to focus on the future." However he acknowledged the loss of major medals due to Chambers's transgressions. The sole survivor from the 2004 gold-medal relay quartet, Devonish will contest both sprints at the UK trials. "If successful I may double in Beijing." The heat may have been ideal Olympic preparation, but the level of performance was significantly below what will be needed to cut it in China. Phillips Idowu, world leader in the triple jump who won yesterday with 17.46 metres, and was the only Brit to achieve a performance worthy of medal contention in Beijing. Andy Baddeley showed style, blistering acceleration, and rode the luck that all champions require as he won the 3000m last night, despite having been boxed in, fourth with 140m remaining. However he runs the 1500m in Beijing, where he will face a host of Africans.

Idowu had his hair dyed "fire red" according to the colour chart. But it seemed to have faded to an extravagant claret, rich as the local Savoy wine, by the time he had finished.

Silence proved golden for Idowu. As soon as he stepped on the runaway, the crowd began clapping his run up. He was not ready to start. "I quietened them, because I wanted to keep focused." he said. He, Devonish, and Baddeley were the toast of the second day after six victories on Saturday.

These came from Tyrone Edgar (100m), Martyn Rooney (400m), Mo Farah (5000m), Jenny Meadows (800m), Nicola Sanders (400m), and the men's sprint relay quartet.

Edgar is the latest in a production line of rippling-muscled British sprinters. His victory in 10.20sec was the 15th by a GB athlete since Scotland's Olympic champion, Allan Wells, started in 1981. If the wind, at 1.8m in his face, had been the other way round: "I'd have done something fast," said Edgar.

Meadows took the 800m high on emotion and wearing a black ribbon on her vest. Her father, Keith, died three weeks ago today. She wore his wedding ring on her right hand, and had his name printed on her left.

This was a title Olympic champion Kelly Holmes failed to win. Indeed, Meadows is only the second British winner since Diane Modahl, in 1994.

"Dad was my avid fan, followed me absolutely everywhere," she said. "He had cancer and it was quite a shock, because we only found out four weeks before. If he had known I'd got to the European Cup, he would have been very, very proud, and to win it . . . I am sure he is smiling. It's my little tribute to him. I'll be doing Beijing for him too, hopefully.

"He had all the ticket prices written down, and when we were going to go. I wore his wedding ring today, so he actually ran the race with me."

The only GB athlete to join the ranks of those qualified for the Olympics over the weekend was long jumper Jade Johnson, second with 6.81m, an improvement on her four-year-old best by a centimetre - and eighth best in the world this year - after two years off lottery support. "I'd a nightmare last night: a room-mate with a few sinus problems. At 2am the hotel put me up in a bed in the basement next to a piano on the dancefloor, with an ice machine chucking out ice every 220 minutes. I only got three hours' sleep."