ON an apocalyptic afternoon, lightning flashed and thunder rolled, dispatching torrents at Gateshead to such effect that BBC TV was swept briefly off air.

This Wagnerian demonstration seemed to herald Germany's victory in the European Team Championships.

They led for much of the second day, but Russia snatched the final event, the women's high jump which was moved indoors, and convincingly held off the Germans in the final track events, the 4 x 400 metres relays, to deny the defending champions.

Russia finished on 354.5 points, Germany on 347.5, with Britain on 338 in third – their best total since the event was amalgamated for joint men's and women's teams.

One can take this as the official result for now. We have been here before. Britain won in 2002, only to be stripped of the title when team captain Dwain Chambers tested positive for drugs. The presence of convicted cheats in several teams here was a timely reminder.

There were three GB victories yesterday, including both 4 x 400m relays, and five on Saturday.

These added up to a most memorable performance by Scotland's Eilidh Child, who led the 4 x 400m quartet to victory just a day after having carved more than half a second from her own Scottish 400m hurdles record with victory in 54.42 seconds. This elevates her to world class – seventh in the world this year.

"I can think realistically now of being a finalist at the World Championships in Moscow and, without being disrespectful to rivals, I can think of being a contender," she said after her 51.7 split on the opening leg of the relay.

Child, who took individual silver and relay gold for Britain at the European Indoor Championships this year, was the only member of the GB team here to claim two victories. And it was notable that Britain could overlook Saturday's individual 400m winner, Perri Shakes-Drayton, to draft in a youngster for the relay.

Double Olympic champion Mo Farah was in his pomp, winning the 5000m, but other experienced competitors were less effective, and it was the new kids on the blocks, and the manner in which they came of age, on which head coach Peter Eriksson focused last night in a brief valedictory address.

"A lot of youngsters stepped up and did really great performances," said the Swede, quitting from the post he took up after London 2012. "It's really hard [to leave] - I'm going to miss it dearly."

Jessica Judd, who ducked her school prom, told her pals to watch her on TV. She sat A levels last week and passed the toughest of 800m examinations on Saturday with victory at the age of 18. Emelia Gorecka, second in the 5000m yesterday, is just 19. Charlie Grice, second in the 1500m, is also just 19.

Laura Weightman, runner-up over 3000m, is 21, and Sophie Hitchon, who smashed the UK hammer record for the ninth time yesterday, is also 21.

Tiffany Porter, lambasted in some quarters as a "Plastic Brit" after her pre-Olympic transfer from the USA last year, did her adopted country proud with the only individual home victory yesterday, in the 100m hurdles. World indoor silver medallist, Porter won in 12.62, just 0.6 outside her British record in testing conditions.

Gorecka, coached by Mick Woods, who also mentors Scottish steeplechaser Lennie Waite and Steph Twell, took a courageous second place for 11 points in the 5000m (15:40.52) just behind Russia's reigning European champion, but holding off the German former champion.

Ekaterina Sharmina, second to Judd in the 800m, returned to win the 1500m for Russia 24 hours later. Hannah England, famous for charging from seventh to second to claim world silver, wrote a contrasting script here, going from second to fifth in the final 150 metres as she paid the price for the effort of retrieving poor positioning. And Olympic finalist Andrew Osagie twice got himself boxed in, losing any chance of 800m victory. His karate black belt was of no avail.

In his first appearance in a GB vest since his Olympic double, Farah catapulted from the field at the bell, for all the world like Road Runner pursued by a pack of Wile E Coyotes. His final lap was 50.89sec – two seconds faster than his last in taking gold in London. Indeed, it would have won men's Olympic 400m gold in 1906, and the women's one-lap title until 1976.

However, his 12-point maximum was cancelled out by Holly Bleasdale. The 21-year-old world indoor pole vault bronze medallist was nursing injury and failed to record a height.

Despite laudable heroics, Britain were out of contention before the start yesterday.