SOPHIE Hitchon just missed out on a medal in the women's hammer at the European Athletics Championships in Holland.

The Burnley ace finished in fourth place with a best throw of 71.74m, a little over two metres off the podium.

Hitchon enjoyed a consistent performance in Amsterdam with all her throws over 70m but it wasn't quite enough to secure her a medal.

Poland’s Anita Wlodarczyk took gold in 78.14m with Germany's Betty Heidler second (75.77m) and Azerbaijan's Hanna Skydan taking bronze with 73.83.

The Blackburn Harrier had qualified with the sixth longest thrown on Wednesday and will now turn her attention to the Rio Olympics later this year.