British long jump star Jazmin Sawyers shocked fans by wearing a pink blanket moments before claiming a silver medal at the European Championships.The athlete – nicknamed ‘frogs’ legs’ for her extraordinary leaping ability – has gone viral after swaddling herself in the heat-retaining device. She also wore a pair of sunglasses on the track, only to remove them seconds before flying over the sand. Her best jump was 6.99m. Sawyers, 32, has now earned three medals during her European Championship career – and this one is among her most impressive accomplishments after she recovered from a long-term Achilles rupture which ruled her out of the 2024 Paris Olympics. She finished just one centimetre behind victor Larissa Iapichino.’I’m so thrilled,’ Sawyers told talkSPORT. ‘I actually went into the Championships ranked 11th, which says you’ll maybe scrape into the final. British long jump star Jazmin Sawyers has gone viral for wearing a blanket before her run-up Sawyers claimed a silver medal at the European Championships with a leap of 6.99m It has been a strong summer for the 32-year-old, who has battled back from an Achilles rupture’I thought I was capable of being right up there. I couldn’t quite find another centimetre but I’ve got years to keep improving. That’s the best series of my life. In front of a home crowd, it’s beautiful.’While her athletic feat deserves huge credit, Sawyers has also found herself at the centre of a social media buzz around her blanket.The pink comfort, complete with blue stars, kept her legs warm before she competed.’Jaz Sawyers might have won gold had she wore a more aerodynamic outfit for long jump,’ one X user quipped.’When you’re competing at 8pm but your bedtime is 9pm,’ another said.’This is an aesthetic and i’m 100% here for it,’ said another.One said: ‘She’s on fire! Never wanted a girl to succeed more, been through hell with the Achilles.’It has been a joyful summer for Sawyers, who also picked up gold in the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow earlier this month.Her triumphs are well-earned after multiple setbacks throughout her career, including that Achilles blow which saw her require surgery and led to her commentating for the BBC rather than competing in the Olympics.She said earlier this month: ‘The hardest time to believe [in yourself] is in the moments after you have failed again.’The failure comes thick and fast in sport. Every single time it happens, you have to pick yourself up and go “despite this new evidence I have that says I can’t do it, I still choose to believe that I can.”‘Sawyers has been helped by a cleaner, uninterrupted training schedule which has allowed her to reach her top level.She told Athletics Weekly: ‘That’s what I’ve been waiting for. That’s what I expect from myself. I put it down to being able to train leading up to the Championships.’Now I have evidence that I should be jumping that far based off training numbers and past competitions. At this stage in my career, I understand how to jump well. That sounds silly, but you’re always tweaking things and figuring things out.’