In the men's hammer throw qualifying, Adam Kelly recorded 68.63 on his first attempt, with the hammer brushing the cage.

His second throw went into the cage and was ruled a foul, while on his third attempt he produced his best result of 71.63. It was not enough to advance – he finished 22nd overall, with the final qualifying spot going to a throw of 75.22.

"At the start, I felt that something was completely wrong. We looked at the video, there were some major mistakes, and we tried to correct them, but it was difficult," Kelly told ERR. "The overall standard in qualifying was very high. I had to try to throw 74.50. On the third attempt I started to feel something, and part of me hoped it had gone farther. But today you needed 75 meters," he went on.

In the women's 400m hurdles, Viola Hambidge – who brought down the Estonian record to 56.00 this season – clocked 56.66, an Estonian U23 record. The 20-year-old finished 17th overall, 0.32 seconds outside the final qualifying time of 56.34.

"It was pretty much the only race this season where my stride pattern didn't work out. I'm not happy," a disappointed Hambidge told ERR.

Her coach, hurdler Rasmus Mägi saw the positives, though, saying: "I think she ran the fastest opening part of a race in her life, but these were the most difficult wind conditions she has faced this season. The eighth and ninth hurdles didn't quite work out, but she has had fewer than 20 races in her life as a hurdler. I'm glad she made it to the European Championships and put together a perfectly decent race."

"It's not exactly my first time either, but it's a completely different kind of responsibility, completely different feelings inside, and at times you can feel a little helpless. Coaches tend to stay in the background and work quietly behind the scenes, and I'm trying to find the right balance with that," Mägi, who only recently announced he was not competing at the upcoming world championships, answered on what it was like to be at the European Championships from the coaching side.

Meanwhile Ann Marii Kivikas equalled her own domestic 100m record of 11.35 but missed the semifinals by 0.04 seconds, placing 16th. The final qualifying time was 11.31. "The level is very high," she said. "It didn't feel ideal – a bit loose and all over the place; I wasn't compact enough – but if you can equal the Estonian record despite that, everything is still good. I'd give myself a 5-." She will compete in Birmingham in the 200m on Wednesday.

Laura Maasik was unable to advance from the women's 3000m steeplechase heats, placing 14th in her heat in 9:57.06, finishing 27th overall among 33 athletes.

Henri Sai (25) will make his senior championship debut in the 100m heats Tuesday – running in the very first heat – and will also compete in the 200m. The 25-year-old lowered his personal best to 10.32 this year. In the evening session, pole vaulters Marleen Mülla and Allika Inkeri Moser will seek final places. Mülla, who raised the Estonian indoor record to 4.63m in the United States in February, will compete in Group A, while Moser – who recently finished fifth at the U20 World Championships – will compete in Group B. Moser's personal best is 4.52m, with a season's best of 4.40m. To reach the final, athletes must clear the qualifying standard of 4.55m or finish among the top 12."The main goal right now is to make the final and then produce my best result in the final. The Estonian record is definitely a goal – to go there and break it," Mülla said ahead of the competition.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!