Kerr opts out of European Championships; trio of runners with Washington ties starts in Munich Tuesday...

The European Championships got underway at the Munich Olympiastadion Monday, almost 50 years after the 1972 Olympics at that venue.

As the championships got underway, one surprise was in the men's 1500 meters heats, as Josh Kerr of Great Britain and the Seattle based Brooks Beasts, who was expected to contend for a medal, was not even on the start lists.

It turned out that Kerr got COVID after the 1500 meter finals at the world championships in Eugene, then raced two weeks later at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

In the finals, Kerr finished 12th in 3:35.72, well off his season best of 3:30.60 set in the finals at the world championships. It was then that Kerr withdrew from the British team for the European Championships.

In a text to publisher Paul Merca, Brooks Beasts coach Danny Mackey said that Kerr is feeling better a few days after racing at the Commonwealth, but will decide their racing schedule after the European Championships.

Tuesday, Kerr's Beasts teammate Marta Pen Freitas (Paul Merca photo), representing Portugal, runs in the first round of the women's 1500 at 10:15 am local time (1:15 am in Seattle). 

Pen Freitas needs to finish in the top four to automatically qualify for the finals on Friday, or have one of the four fastest non-auto qualifying times from the two heats.

Also competing Tuesday is Washington's Brian Fay, representing Ireland in the men's 5000 meter final at 9:08 pm local time (12:08 pm in Seattle).

On Thursday, Washington alum Amy-Eloise Markovc, representing Great Britain, will run in the finals of the women's 5000 at 9:25 pm local time (12:25 pm in Seattle).

Markovc, who announced that she has been picked up by On Running after ending her relationship with Reebok before the world championships, recently announced on her social media channels that she's moving back to Great Britain. 

She spent the last several years after graduating from the University of Washington in Charlottesville, Virginia with the Reebok training group.

The time schedule and results site for the European Championships is available here.

NOTE: European Athletics contributed to this report.

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