Andrei Krauchanka salutes his victory in Götzis (© Lorenzo Sampaolo)
The 6th European Under23 Championships (12 – 15 July) offers a blend of the already battle-hardened big names backed up by a host of young pretenders who will be hoping to deliver eye-catching performances and make their mark.
As usual the Russians have the all-round power to dominate the medal standings. Last time out in Erfurt they accumulated 31 medals to Germany’s 26 with France a distant third on 11 and Britain fourth.
Krauchanka and Pishchalnikova standout
One of the biggest new names at the championships is decathlete Andrei Krauchanka who shot into the limelight in May when he completely outshone the Olympic and World champions, Roman Sebrle and Bryan Clay. Going into Götzis with a best of 8013, the 21-year-old Belarussian racked up a formidable 8617 to emerge with a world leading mark and under-23 European record. World Junior champion in 2004 and bronze medallist at this year’s European indoor championships heptathlon, Krauchanka was pointed out by Sebrle himself as a future star three years ago.
The big name on the women’s side is Russian Discus Throw exponent, Daria Pishchalnikova, who created one of the upsets at the European Athletics championships in Gothenburg when she took on and beat the world leader, Franka Dietzsch of Germany. The Russian had already finished second to Dietzsch at the European Cup, but after throwing badly in the early rounds in Gothenburg and only qualifying for the final in 11th, hardly seemed a threat until she unleashed her winning fourth-round bombshell.
Pickering in pole position
Britain’s Craig Pickering, favourite for the 100m, picked up his first major senior medal last winter when he followed team-mate Jason Gardener home in the European Indoor championships on home turf to take silver. Since then, the Bath-based man has won the European Cup in convincing style and with a best of 10.15 this season is in pole position to pick up gold. His closest rival on paper is fellow-Briton Simeon Williamson, but Germany’s Christian Blum, national indoor champion, has improved his best to 10.26 this year and leads a strong German team. The Briton has solid backup for the sprint relay and the GBR quartet will be difficult to beat to gold.
High quality High
The men’s High Jump promises a quality competition between Sweden’s Linus Thörnblad and Russia’s Ivan Ukhov who have both cleared 2.34 and 2.33 respectively. Neither, however, has fired yet this summer. The Swede claimed bronze at last year’s World Indoor and added silver at the European Indoors in March, and so has the upper hand in competition, but both appear stuck on 2.20 in 2007 until the Swede went over 2.26 in early July. The form guide also points to Israel’s Nikki Palli (2.25), World junior silver last year and equal eighth in the European Indoors this winter, but the competition could well be wide open for someone to make a name for themselves.
Spiegelburg returns
In the women’s Pole Vault, Germany’s Silke Spiegelburg will be reacquainting herself with Debrecen where she won the World Youth championships in 2001. Two years later she became European junior champion, but finished outside the medals in the senior edition in Gothenburg in 2006.
Two event Ennis
Winner last weekend of the European Cup Combined Events in Poland, Britain’s Jessica Ennis is competing only in the Hurdles and High Jump. Over the barriers she confronts Turkey’s Nevin Yanit who made a spectacular breakthrough in 2006 with a nifty 12.88, a Turkish record. Belgium’s Eline Berings could also prove a handful as she dipped under the 13-sec mark last weekend for the first time with 12.99. Ennis, who won Commonwealth heptathlon bronze, is also competing in the high jump where she equalled the British record with 1.95 this year.
The men’s middle distances would not be complete without a solid Spanish presence. In the 1500m, Alvaro Rodriguez is fastest in the field by some two seconds with 3:37.04. Among his main rivals is host country Hungary’s Barnabas Bene, European Junior championship 5000m gold medallist and double European Junior cross country champion and winner of the inaugural under-23 title over the country last year.
Britain will be looking for a one-two in the 400m Hurdles where European Junior silver David Greene and Ben Carne lead the rankings. In the men’s Long Jump Poland’s Marcin Starzak is the only man to go over 8m this year when he went out to 8.13 in Warsaw and then snatched silver in the European Cup. In Salamanca he recently consolidated with an excellent 8.26.
In the women’s 400m Hurdles, Romania’s Angela Morosanu has dipped under 55 this season. Last year she was a finalist in Gothenburg over 200m and was a 400m-hurdle semi-finalist. Her best of 54.40 came in the Athens Olympic stadium this year when she took the B race.
In the women’s Javelin Throw, Russian Mariya Abumakova lies sixth in the world with 64.28, winning in Adler and setting her PB when she finished in second place to European champion Barbora Spotakova in Portugal. She clinched gold at the 2005 European Junior championships.
Michael Butcher for the IAAF
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