European Athletics – (EAA) – News – Preview: Russian athletes set to dominate the women’s 800m

European Athletics presents the second in a series of previews leading up to the Paris 2011 European Athletics Indoor Championships to be held from 4-6 March.

800m

Russians dominated the women’s 800m final two years ago, and few would bet against them doing the same in Paris.

Yuliya Rusanova won a very high class Russian championship final in Moscow two weeks ago in 1:58.14, the world’s fastest time of 2011 and 11th on the world all-time list. The 24-year-old finished ahead of Yevgeniya Zinurova whose 1:58.83 puts her second on the European lists, and these two will be looking to emulate Mariya Savinova and Oksana Zbrozhek who filled the top two spots in Turin.

Tatyana Paliyenko, the third Russian, is also a hot prospect with a PB of 2:00.17 this year. Indeed, with Russians holding 10 of the top 12 marks in Europe this year they could easily have swamped the final if allowed to enter more than the regulatory trio of athletes.

Jenny Meadows will be relieved they can’t. The Briton’s season’s best of 1:59.22 from Birmingham makes her the third quickest in the field. After picking up world indoor silver and European outdoor bronze last year she has her eyes on the top spot this time.

The only other non-Russian in the European top ten is Egle Balciünaite, a world indoor finallist who broke the Lithuanian record when she won in Düsseldorf on 11 February in 2:01.23.

Tatyana Petlyuk made the final last time and the Ukrainian is in form again after winning her national championships in 2:01.64, as is Linda Marguet of France who ran a PB of 2:01.87 when second to Meadows in Liévin.

Others to consider include the Czech Lenka Masná, second to Balciünaite in Düsseldorf, Yeliz Kurt who broke the Turkish record in Bratislava at the end of January, Germany’s Jana Hartmann, and Meadows’ teammate Marilyn Okoro, who was fourth in 2007 and fifth two years ago.

1500m

Two Poles head the 1500m entry lists as they look to upset the Russians in this event while European outdoor champion Nuría Fernández looks to add an indoor going to her list of achievements.

Anna Alminova won gold in Turin as Russia took first, fifth and sixth in the final. This time, the Russian threat comes from Yekaterina Martynova, Yelena Arzhakova and Yelena Korobkina.

Martynova and Arhzakova finished first and second at the Russian championships to win their places ahead of compatriots Yevgeniya Zolotova and Anastasiya Vosmerikova who have run quicker times.

Sylwia Ejdys and Renata Plis both clocked personal bests in Stockholm last week, 4:05.38 and 4:07.10 respectively. Ejdys has twice won the European Cup and has an outdoor best of 4:02.30, while Plis won the Polish 800m title.

Neither Fernández nor her equally experienced Spanish teammate Natalia Rodríguez have any track form this year, but they will both be threats. Rodríguez was third behind Fernández in Barcelona last summer and has won World and European indoor silvers in the last 24 months.

With Helen Clitheroe concentrating on the 3000m, Britain’s chances rest with Hannah England and Stacey Smith, who have also spent the winter season lowering their PBs – England to 4:07.13 in Stockholm and the 21-year-old Smith by a huge margin to 4:07.42 in Birmingham.

Romania’s Ancuta Bobocel has a good victory under her belt this year after winning in Stuttgart in 4:08.13, a PB for her, while Ingvill Makestad Bovim will have high hopes after breaking the Norwegian record in Stockholm in 4:08.65.

The hosts’ hopes rest with Fanjanteino Félix, while Sonja Roman, the Slovenian bronze medallist from 2009, is also in the line-up.

3000m

At 37, Helen Clitheroe may be one of the oldest women in the championships but the Briton is a rejuvenated runner this year after two months’ altitude training in Kenya.

She dominated the 3000m at the international match in Glasgow and at the British championships in Sheffield before slicing more than 10 seconds from her three-year-old indoor PB chasing Ethiopian Sentayehu Ejigu’s world leading run at the Grand Prix in Birmingham.

Clitheroe was fourth that day and comes to Paris at the top of the European lists above Olesya Syreva and Yelena Zadorozhnaya who finished one and two at the Russian championships, Syreva clocking what was briefly a world leading time of 8:41.35.

Since her Commonwealth 1500m bronze in 2002, Clitheroe has never won a major championships medal but she’ll have to run well to beat the reigning champion Alemitu Bekele who broke the Turkish record to take gold in Turin. Bekele has no form indoors this year but the Barcelona 5000m champion will be the one to beat.

The Polish trio of Sylwia Ejdys, Lidia Chojecka and Renata Plis will also be ones to watch. Ejdys clocked 8:43.22 to finish second in Karlsruhe while Chojecka, the 2005 and 2007 gold medallist, is looking to regain her title after missing Turin. She was third in Stockholm with 8:44.25, a sign that the 33-year-old is again hitting form just at the right time.

Irish record holder Mary Cullen was the bronze medallist in 2009, and she finished a place behind Clitheroe in Birmingham, although some 13 seconds back in 8:53.01. Delores Checa of Spain has also run well, clocking 8:51.78 in Stockholm, while French hopes lie with Christien Bardelle who has a best this year of just outside nine minutes.

Italy’s Silvia Weissteiner and Ancuta Bobocel of Romania were both finallists in 2009. Bobocel won her national title in 9:01.25 but Weissteiner is yet to show any decent form this year.

 
 European Athletics – (EAA)