European Athletics (EA) – News – Gotzis 2013: Sintnicolaas can land his biggest decathlon win – with a legend watching on

Instead Roman Sebrle will be guest of honour as some of the world’s greatest multi-eventers compete in the Hypo-meeting this weekend.

Sebrle, 38, was set for a final appearance at this iconic Austrian setting before a heel injury intervened.

But whether or not the five-times champion from the Czech Republic returns here, his place in its legendary status remains after the sensational events of 2001.

His victory in 9026 was a world record which stood until last summer when American Ashton Eaton scored 9039 in Eugene.

The only European to have edged towards Sebrle’s mark since then was Estonia’s 2000 Olympic champion Erik Nool with 8851 in 2001.

Yet Sebrle in the crowd should be enough inspiration for the rest over the next two days.

Gotzis is the biggest multi-events meeting before the World Championships in Moscow in August and now is the opportunity for Dutchman Eelco Sintnicolaas to achieve the best decathlon win of his career.

A year ago he finished second with a personal best of 8506 in a thrilling event as Belgium’s Hans Van Alphen beat him by just 13 points.

He could not repeat his performance in London, where he was 11th in the Olympics with 8034, but it all came together for him in March when he won heptathlon gold at the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Göteborg.

His victory was based on a series of fine individual displays to go alongside winning two of the seven events – the 60m hurdles and the pole vault.

In Austria this weekend, Sintnicolaas will face Kevin Dudas, of France, who was second in Sweden, and top Germans Rico Freimuth, who was sixth in the Olympics, and Pascal Behrenbruch, who was 10th.

But on this occasion, perhaps for the first time in his career, Sintnicolaas will be the one that the others might have to think about most. It will be as much a test for him, in how he handles such pressure.

Twelve months ago Germany's Michael Schrader lasted only seven events here, having been the champion in 2009 when his career was full of so much promise.

He is not returning to the Hypo-meeting, but his name will be on the lips of the decathletes because he has shown he is back.

Schrader chose this week's International combined events meetings in Ulm to produce the best decathlon in the world this year when he won in 8427, overtaking the 8390 from Belarussia's Andrei Krauchanka which had topped the rankings.

His performance produced personal bests in the 100m (10.52), Shot put (14.74m),  110m hurdles (14.02) and discus (45.62m).

As in the men competition, where defending champion Van Alphen is missing, Jessica Ennis is not back to defend her women's title.

The Olympic champion’s only heptathlon before Moscow will come in Tallinn at the end of next month, which means World champion Tatyana Chernova has the chance to establish authority in the event's rankings.

The Russian’s clash with Ennis will be one of the major stories at the World Championships and after losing to the Briton in Gotzis last year, she will be extra determined to triumph.

She finished third behind Ennis at the Olympics and the biggest danger to her this weekend could be France’s Antoinette Nana Djimou Ida. She was sixth in London with a personal best of 6576, still 304 adrift of Chernova’s greatest points tally.

Hanna Melnychenko, of the Ukraine, with a pb of 6445, cannot be discounted either from making an impression at a meeting which can provide so many lessons – the biggest being the indicator to where any problems need to be sorted ahead of the summer's major championship.