George Mills won a second consecutive European silver medal at the Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn.
The 25-year-old, who is the son of former England footballer Danny Mills, again had to settle for second behind Norwegian star Jakob Ingebrigtsen in the 3,000 metres.
It was a repeat of last summer’s outdoor championships in Rome, where Mills lost out to Ingebrigtsen in the 5,000m.
Having stretched out the field, Mills hung on when he was overtaken by his rival, and, although the distance grew over the final lap, the British athlete comfortably crossed the line in second.
“When Jakob came round, I knew that would come at some point,” said Mills on BBC Sport.
“Four hundred (metres) out, I thought it was a bit early to try to defend. I thought, ‘OK, I’ll sit on and see if I can attack on the home straight’. Unfortunately he pulled away but I think I saw on the clock it was only a one-second gap and I think it was 1.2 in Rome so I’m getting closer.”
On his silver medal, he added: “Anything less now would have been really disappointing. I guess I did the minimum of what I could but I’m obviously happy to come away with a silver, but I need to work more for summer.”
Mills was joined trackside by his father Danny, who said of watching from the sidelines: “It’s horrible, it really is. I’ve said so many times it’s like watching a penalty shootout time and time again.
“The hour or so beforehand is absolutely terrible, I’ve got sore hands again from banging the boards. It’s tough, but he gave it absolutely everything.
“A lot of respect to Jakob, he’s got to be one of the best of all time. George is building all the time, getting more confident, and I’m sure sooner rather than later he’ll have his time.”
