Yelena Slesarenko of Russia wins the women's High Jump in Oslo 2007 (© Getty Images)
This weekend the SPAR European Cup comes back to one of the most traditional athletics venues in Europe: The Munich Olympic Stadium. Built in 1972 for the Games it was the venue for the European Championships 30 years later. Additionally the SPAR European Cup was staged in this stadium ten years ago. In 1997 a total crowd of 53,000 watched the event, although the weather was very wet on the second day. Organisers were hoping for a similar turnout this Saturday and Sunday but it is a target difficult to reach. Something like 40,000 spectators would still be a success.
Munich’s wet weather tradition in athletics – the European Championships had some tremendous downpours five years ago, but still were a success – could continue this weekend since forecasts don’t look too promising. The weather will surely not stop the Russian women. A year ago in Malaga they extended their win streak to ten and everything else than another triumph in Munich would be a major surprise.
In the history of the European Cup, which began in 1965, there were only either Russian or German winners in the women’s event Russia (including the former Soviet Union) have won the cup 15 times while the Germans have 12 victories so far (former GDR and reunited Germany). But the last time the Germans won was in 1996 and their team does not look strong enough to make it close in Munich.
It is all different in the men’s event. In the last decade four countries won the SPAR European Cup: Great Britain (4 times), Germany (3), France (2) and Poland (1). France is the defending champion in Munich. A year ago in Malaga the French just snatched victory from a surprisingly strong Russian team. The Russian men showed their strongest SPAR European Cup performance since the days of the Soviet Union. These two will be in contention for victory again, but the German team looks capable of a strong performance. Performing on home soil they might even be slight favourites. However Great Britain will always be in with a chance as well. Once again the men’s event could well be decided not before the very last event – the 4x400 m.
Men’s contest – Is home advantage enough for Germany?
Besides France, Russia, Great Britain and Germany other teams in the SPAR European Cup will be Poland, Ukraine and the two teams who achieved promotion last year: Greece and Belgium.
France’s team on paper looks perhaps a bit weaker than last year but in a European Cup a lot of things can happen. Naman Keita, bronze medallist in the 400 m Hurdles in the 2004 Olympics, had been one of the French winners last year in Malaga. He will run again in Munich. Another winner from Malaga, pole vaulter Romain Mesnil, will meet Germany’s Tim Lobinger, which could be a tough battle.
In the sprint hurdles there will be another French-German duel with Ladji Doucouré meeting Thomas Blaschek. But Britain’s Andy Turner might also have a say in this one. Bob Tahri would have been a very potential winner of the steeple chase, but the Frenchman will run the 3,000 m flat instead.
This could play in the hands of Germany. This year’s hosts had a disastrous Cup performance last year, when they had travelled to Malaga as defending champions but then finished eighth. Germany would normally have been relegated but since they are hosts that rescued their place in the SPAR European Cup.
The Germans are now eager to prove that they belong to the top nations in Europe. And indeed their team looks capable of even winning since the team is fine balanced. Despite a late withdrawal of 200m runner Tobias Unger, Blaschek, Lobinger, all the four throwers (Peter Sack/Shot Put, Robert Harting/Discus Throw, Mark Frank/Javelin Throw, Markus Esser/Hammer Throw) and the 4x400m Relay team look capable of winning. Steeple chaser Filmon Ghirmai, who is coached by Dieter Baumann, and high jumper Eike Onnen are also in with a chance.
Britain will be strong in the sprints with Craig Pickering (100m), Marlon Devonish (200m), Tim Benjamin (400m) plus the middle distances: Michael Rimmer will run the 800m and Nick McCormick races the 1500m. Triple jumper Phillips Idowu has won at the IAAF Golden League Meeting in Oslo in a tough competition a week ago and long jumper Chris Tomlinson should also do well. Additional Britain should collect plenty of points in the relays. The team of Great Britain have nice memories of recent SPAR European Cups staged in Germany, because they won in Munich in 1997 and in Bremen in 2001.
It remains to be seen if Russia can again be in contention for victory. Besides javelin thrower Aleksandr Ivanov their best hopes are probably in the jumps: High jumper Andrey Tereshin, pole vaulter Yevgeniy Lukyanenko and long jumper Ruslan Gataullin should all do well. Gataullin will meet Greek’s long jumper Louis Tsatoumos, who has already jumped 8.66 m this season.
Women’s contest – Can anyone catch Team Russia?
Behind Russia the teams of Poland and the Ukraine had taken places two and three a year ago in Malaga. France, Germany and Spain as well as the two promoted teams of Greece and Belarus will compete in Munich’s Olympic Stadium.
Russia had a points total of 155 last year. And their nearest rival from Malaga, Poland, was more than 40 points adrift. In Munich it may well happen that Russia’s women will win half of the 20 events. Since the event decided first on Saturday will be the 400 m hurdles Russia might take the lead right from the start. World record holder Yuliya Nosova (52.34), who had won the gold at the World Championships two years ago, will be the big favourite in this race. And there will be much more to come from Russia. Olympic high jump champion Yelena Slesarenko, who won the Oslo Golden League event a week ago, and Tatyana Lysenko, the World record holder in the hammer throw (78.61 m), are another two, who should score maximum points.
Germany’s women had not met expectations a year ago as well. There was no such desaster as happened to the men’s team but fifth place was disappointing as well. It was in 1996 when the German women last won this event. There will be no winning chances this weekend but they should improve compared to last year.
Germany’s best asset will be their throwers. Franka Dietz will go for her fourth European Cup win in the discus event and her third in a row. Petra Lammert (Shot Put) and Christina Obergföll (Javelin), who beat her national rival Steffi Nerius to qualify for Munich, could win as well while Betty Heidler (Hammer) should score high. Pole vaulter Carolin Hingst enters competition with the highest jump of all eight athletes this season (4.61 m) but she still has to prove that she is capable to produce such a result when it matters internationally. She will meet Poland’s Monika Pyrek and the European Indoor silver medallist Yulia Golubchikova (Russia), who both have jumped 4.60 m so far this season. There was bad luck concerning Kirsten Bolm. The sprint hurdler had to withdraw from Munich due to an Achilles tendon problem.
Four events for Halkia
It will be interesting to see how the newly promoted Greek team will do. The Olympic 400m Hurdles Champion Fani Halkia will have to collect plenty of points in this fight against relegation. She will not run the hurdles though but compete at 200m, 400m and in the 4x400 m relay. The Olympic silver medallist from Athens in the Triple Jump, Hrisopiyi Devetzi, also belongs to the Greek women’s team.
Jörg Wenig for the IAAF
