London, UK - Birmingham athlete Kelly Sotherton will take on Ukraine’s reigning Olympic Heptathlon champion, Natalia Dobrynska, from the Ukraine in a special three-event challenge set to take place at the Aviva Grand Prix in Birmingham on 21 February 2009.

The meeting is one of a series of ten IAAF Indoor Permit meetings in 2009.

Sotherton, who came fourth at the Olympic Games in Beijing this summer, returns to the Birmingham NIA after a year which saw her missing out on a medal by just 74 points whilst Dobrynska performed superbly in the Bird’s Nest Stadium in Beijing to take the gold medal. The pair will take on the 60m Hurdles, Long Jump and the 400m.

Sotherton is competing in all three of the UK Athletics indoor Major Events in the New Year including the Aviva International Match at Glasgow on 31 January 31 and the Aviva European Trials and UK Championships in Sheffield on 14 / 15 February.

“2008 was a tough year but I'm looking forward to getting back into competition at the Indoors,” said Sotherton.  With the European Indoor Championships in March and the World Championships in August I have plenty to focus on and I am looking forward to it.”

Dobrynska is looking forward to competing in Birmingham again: “I have had a great year and am keen to take this good form into 2009. There are the World Championships in Berlin but before that I am returning to Birmingham, where last time I was there I came 5th at the Aviva Grand Prix.”

“I will be up against Sotherton who for me is still one of the girls to beat in the Heptathlon,” commented the Olympic champion. I am sure she is hurting after Beijing and knowing her character she will come out stronger and keen to prove any doubters wrong. I look forward to taking on Kelly at her hometrack in Birmingham.”

Henry Robson for the IAAF