European Indoor Athletics: Gold for Andrew Pozzi

The 24-year-old won in 7.51 seconds to clinch the first major medal of his career after several injury-blighted years.

Pozzi, the world leader this year, breezed through his heat before beating second place Pascal Martinot-Lagarde and Petr Svoboda, who completed the podium positions, in the final at the Kombank Arena in Serbia.

Pozzi missed the whole of the outdoors season in 2014 with a foot injury having previously had foot surgery and battled a hamstring problem since 2012.

And the Loughborough-based athlete revealed he thought success might never come because of his fitness worries.

He said: "It's everything, it's just been so long. My first senior team was 2012 so it's five years now. I haven't really moved on from that because I haven't been able to put the work in. This was the first time I was coming in having done all the work.

"At the toughest times and darkest days I always believed I had what it took to be a medaliist at major championships but there were loads of times when I didn't know if it would actually happen.

"But I always thought it could so I never gave up. But for sure I doubted it more times than I thought it would come.

"Before I even took my first stride I saw everyone get out ahead and my heart stopped and then kicked into overdrive.

"I hit a few hurdles but coming off hurdle two there was no way I was losing that race."

It was Great Britain's first medal of the championships with Laura Muir having kept her hopes of double European glory on track.

The 23-year-old reached the final of the 3,000 metres and 1,500 metres.

She clocked eight minutes and 55.56 seconds - almost 30 seconds slower than her own European record - to finish fifth in her heat of the 3,000 metres before winning the 1,500 metres in four minutes and 10.28 seconds.

Muir - who jogged back to the team hotel - will race in the 1,500 metres on Saturday ahead of Sunday's 3,000 metre final.

She said: "I wanted to conserve as much as I could ahead of the finals tomorrow and on Sunday - home athletes always seem to pull it out the bag, so I had to keep an eye out for the other girl (Amela Terzic), but I got the job done.

"You always want to win a race, so you just have to be sensible and just do what is necessary. The job is done for tomorrow, so I'll just rest up now."

Muir has set European indoor records in the 1,000 metres and 3,000 metres this year but stated before these championships she wanted medals rather than records after previously missing out on the podium.

British team-mates Steph Twell and Eilish McColgan will join her in Sunday's 3,000 metres final after finishing second in their heats while Sarah McDonald qualified for the 1,500 metres final.

Laviai Nielsen cruised into Saturday's 400 metres final having finished second in her heat but Eilidh Doyle failed to progress past the semi finals.

Shelayna Oskan-Clarke also qualified for the 800 metres semi-finals, Lake Morgan reached the high jump final and Tom Lancashire will take his place in the men's 1,500 metres final.

Dan Bramble finished 12th in long jump qualifying after posting 7.64 metres, falling short of the 7.90 metres qualifying target and missing out on the final with debutant Nick Goolab missing out in the men's 3,000 metres heat.

Rachel Wallader was 10th in shot put qualifying after throwing 17.35 metres which meant she also failed to advance.