Eunice Barber of France wins the European Cup Long Jump (© Getty Images)
The darling of French athletics, Eunice Barber, knows exactly how to handle the pressure, which is likely to intensify in the countdown to next month’s World Championships in Paris.
For she is escaping the glare of media intrusion by preparing to win her second World Heptathlon title - in Los Angeles with her coach Bob Kersee.
A fit again Barber represents one of the host nation’s best hopes of striking gold in the Stade de France and for two long days the fanatical home crowd will be following the rollercoaster drama of the seven event discipline.
A highly encouraging first Heptathlon for two years in Arles last month, where she scored 6694pts, put her top of the world rankings and offers real hope she has at last recovered from a serious nerve problem in her foot.
But fans of the enigmatic 28-year-old would be forgiven for casting a few doubts on whether the Barber of Seville could reign again on the global stage in front of a demanding Parisian public.
After magnificently winning the 1999 world title the popular heptathlete has been struck by a catalogue of misfortunes.
In the Sydney Olympics, injury ensured she did not make it past the Long Jump but with all her major rivals sidelined the defence of her World title in 2001 seemed a certainty in Edmonton.
Comfortably leading the competition going into the third discipline, the shot – she inexplicably fouled three times and blew her chance of gold. Last year was spent frustratingly on the sidelines with a nerve problem in her foot – an injury, which only cleared in February.
But Barber is a perfectionist, and when quizzed was she happy with her total in Arles, she candidly replied: “Not really, because of my injury I’ve not done any running and I’ve only started training in February. But I’m really determined and I’ve been training hard to find my best form.”
Not that Barber has spent her 18 months enforced absence from the sport feeling sorry for herself.
“I’ve not really been frustrated,” she surprisingly answers. “I’m someone who likes to think about life and how it functions. I’ve taken acting and singing lessons everyone gets time to relax. I like to challenge my voice.”
But a challenge is what she faces in Paris from a new generation led by World Junior record-holder and senior European Junior champion Carolina Kluft. The brilliant 20-year-old Swede threatens to be the main threat to Barber in what could be one of the great head to head clashes in Paris.
“She’s doing pretty good,” Barber said in reference to Kluft. “But I’m not really paying much attention to her, I didn’t even watch the European Championships.”
“But it is going to be really tough in Paris,” she admitted.
Barber is preparing diligently with her coach Bob Kersee, and two-time former Olympic heptathlon champion Jackie Joyner-Kersee in Los Angeles and only plans to return to Europe three weeks before Paris.
Indeed, the duo have been a huge source of strength for Barber. “Bob encouraged me loads after my injury he was really good,” she explained.
“Jackie has been helping my Shot Put. I remember Jackie was at my first Olympic Games in 1992 and it is a dream come true to be helped by Jackie, she’s been a really great inspiration.”
But ever the perfectionist, Barber believes the only discipline she is happy with at this stage of her preparation is the Shot.
Nonetheless, she is still confident of performing when it matters in front of her adoring home fans later next month.
“I know if everything goes well over the two days I can score more than 7000pts,” she said. “Athens and the Olympics next year is very important to me but so is Paris.”
For she is escaping the glare of media intrusion by preparing to win her second World Heptathlon title - in Los Angeles with her coach Bob Kersee.
A fit again Barber represents one of the host nation’s best hopes of striking gold in the Stade de France and for two long days the fanatical home crowd will be following the rollercoaster drama of the seven event discipline.
A highly encouraging first Heptathlon for two years in Arles last month, where she scored 6694pts, put her top of the world rankings and offers real hope she has at last recovered from a serious nerve problem in her foot.
But fans of the enigmatic 28-year-old would be forgiven for casting a few doubts on whether the Barber of Seville could reign again on the global stage in front of a demanding Parisian public.
After magnificently winning the 1999 world title the popular heptathlete has been struck by a catalogue of misfortunes.
In the Sydney Olympics, injury ensured she did not make it past the Long Jump but with all her major rivals sidelined the defence of her World title in 2001 seemed a certainty in Edmonton.
Comfortably leading the competition going into the third discipline, the shot – she inexplicably fouled three times and blew her chance of gold. Last year was spent frustratingly on the sidelines with a nerve problem in her foot – an injury, which only cleared in February.
But Barber is a perfectionist, and when quizzed was she happy with her total in Arles, she candidly replied: “Not really, because of my injury I’ve not done any running and I’ve only started training in February. But I’m really determined and I’ve been training hard to find my best form.”
Not that Barber has spent her 18 months enforced absence from the sport feeling sorry for herself.
“I’ve not really been frustrated,” she surprisingly answers. “I’m someone who likes to think about life and how it functions. I’ve taken acting and singing lessons everyone gets time to relax. I like to challenge my voice.”
But a challenge is what she faces in Paris from a new generation led by World Junior record-holder and senior European Junior champion Carolina Kluft. The brilliant 20-year-old Swede threatens to be the main threat to Barber in what could be one of the great head to head clashes in Paris.
“She’s doing pretty good,” Barber said in reference to Kluft. “But I’m not really paying much attention to her, I didn’t even watch the European Championships.”
“But it is going to be really tough in Paris,” she admitted.
Barber is preparing diligently with her coach Bob Kersee, and two-time former Olympic heptathlon champion Jackie Joyner-Kersee in Los Angeles and only plans to return to Europe three weeks before Paris.
Indeed, the duo have been a huge source of strength for Barber. “Bob encouraged me loads after my injury he was really good,” she explained.
“Jackie has been helping my Shot Put. I remember Jackie was at my first Olympic Games in 1992 and it is a dream come true to be helped by Jackie, she’s been a really great inspiration.”
But ever the perfectionist, Barber believes the only discipline she is happy with at this stage of her preparation is the Shot.
Nonetheless, she is still confident of performing when it matters in front of her adoring home fans later next month.
“I know if everything goes well over the two days I can score more than 7000pts,” she said. “Athens and the Olympics next year is very important to me but so is Paris.”
