European Athletics (EAA) – News – Austria, Bulgaria, Estonia, Lithuania and Slovenia teams for Paris

Austria will send 10 athletes to the forthcoming European Athletics Indoor Championships, which will be held in Paris from 4-6 March.

The complete team is: men – Ryan Moseley (60m), Clemens Zeller (400m), Raphael Pallitsch and Andreas Rapatz (both 800m), Andreas Vojta (1500m), Manuel Prazak (60m hurdles), Roland Schwarzl and Dominik Distelberger (both heptathlon); women – Beate Schrott (60m hurdles) and Jennifer Wenth (1500m).

The Austrian team will be aiming to end a medal drought which extends back to 2005.

The 2010 European Athletics Championships 400m hurdles silver medallist Vania Stambolova, who is the second fastest in Europe over 400m indoors this winter, is Bulgaria’s big hope for a gold medal.

Bulgaria will be sending a 12-strong squad and, like their Austrian counterparts, the country has not had an athlete on the podium at the European Athletics Indoor Championships for six years.

The rest of the Bulgarian team is: men – Martin Arnaoudov (60m hurdles), Viktor Ninov (high jump), Nikolay Atanasov (long jump), Momchil Karailiev (triple jump) and Georgi Ivanov (shot put); women – Inna Eftimova (60m), Teodora Kolarova (800m), Venelina Veneva (high jump), Petia Dacheva and Andriyana Banova (both triple jump), Radoslava Mavrodieva (shot put).

High jumper Veneva won a bronze medal at the 2005 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Madrid.

Like Bulgaria, Estonia is also sending 12 athletes to this year’s Championships, including 2009 winners Mikk Pahapill and Ksenija Balta, who will defend their titles in the men’s heptathlon and women’s long jump respectively.

Another man who is familiar with what a medal from the Championships looks like is triple jumper Jaanus Uudmäe, whose father Jaak was on the podium three times between 1977 and 1980, winning silver medals in 1977 and 1980 as well as a bronze in 1979 when wearing the vest of the former Soviet Union.

The rest of the Estonian team is: men – Rasmus Magi (400m). Roman Fosti (1500m), Raigo Toompuu (shot put), Andres Raja (heptathlon); women – Anna Iljustsenko and Grete Udras (both high jump), Veera Baranova (triple jump), Grid Sadeiko and Kaie Kand (pentathlon).

Lithuania is planning to send eight athletes to Paris. No Lithuanian has won a medal at the European Athletics Indoor Championships since the country started competing as an independent nation in 1992 but pentathlon world leader Austra Skujyté, the 2004 Olympic Games heptathlon silver medallist, obviously has a chance to bring that streak to an end.

Skujyté returned to multi-events competitions this winter after concentrating on the shot put for the last two years.

The rest of the Lithuanian team is: men – Rytis Sakalauskas (60m), Povilas Mykolaitis and Darius Aucyna (both long jump) and Darius Draudvila (heptathlon); women – Lina Grincikaite (60m), Egle Balciunaite (800m) and Airine Palsyte (high jump).

Slovenia will have seven women and two men at the Championships. Triple jumpers Snezana Rodic and Marija Sestak both have the credentials to get among the medals.

Rodic was sixth at both the 2009 European Athletics Indoor Championships and 2010 European Athletics Championships while Sestak trumped her compatriot and took the silver medal in Torino two years ago.

The rest of the Slovenia team is: men – Rozle Prezelj (high jump) and Miran Vodovnik (shot put); women – Nina Kovacic and Sara Strajnar (both 60m), Marina Tomic (60m hurdles), Sara Bercan (pole vault) and Nina Kolaric (long jump).

Pole vaulter Tina Sutej, who cleared a national indoor record of 4.47m earlier this month, is not part of the team as she is at Arkansas University in the United States and concentrating on the American collegiate (NCAA) championships on 11-12 March.

European Athletics (EAA) – News