European Athletics U23 Championships, Kaunas – Women\’s preview – European Athletics (EAA) – NEWS

Reigning European junior champion Ezinne Okparaebo of Norway is the clear favourite for the 100m title at the European Athletics U23 Championships to be held in Kaunas, Lithuania, from July 16-19.

The 21-year-old lifted European indoor silver this winter in Torino with a national record of 7.21 before establishing the Norwegian 100m record at 11.29 at the beginning of July.

European junior silver medallist from 2005, Lina Grincicaite from the host nation has a swift 11.31s as her personal best achieved during the World University Games in Belgrade last week.

European junior relay silver medallist, Natalya Pohrebnyak of the Ukraine won in Donetsk at the beginning of July clocking 11.33s. A close contest between the trio is definitely on the cards in Kaunas.

A strong Russian squad could be looking at a clean sweep in the 200m. Russia's Yekaterina Yefimova lifted her national junior title with 23.00 recently but that came against headwind of -1.5m/s making it in reality a much faster time in the high 22s.

Compatriot Aleksandra Fedoriva's PB stands at a swift 22.36, but this season, she has gone no faster than 23.00. The third Russian in contention is Yelizaveta Savlinis of Saint Petersburg who set her PB of 23.20 this year in May. Okparaebo is also entered for the 200m and given her 100m speed; she could be the surprise package though she has yet to run the distance this year.

With seven out of the top eight times in this age-group this year, Russia might comfortably expect another clean sweep in the 400m. Moscow's Kseniya Zadorina took bronze in the last edition of these championships before helping the 4x400m team to gold. She has a best of 51.41sec in 2009 achieved during her fourth place finishing in the Moscow Open.

If anyone can break into the Russian hegemony it is Germany's Sorina Nwachukwu of the Bayer Leverkusen outfit. Her best of 51.53sec was set earlier this month during the National Championships in Ulm. However Kseniya Ustalova (51.45) and Anna Sedova (52.14), both Russia, will ensure that the medal hunt is not easy for the German.

In the sprint hurdles, Norway's Christina Vukicevic is expected to saty well ahead of the pack. She set a national record 12.74 and a European leading mark when winning in Hengelo. Germany's Nadine Hildebrand has a best of 13.04 and has achieved a best of 13.09 so far this season. Switzerland's Lisa Urech, 19, has a season best of 13.17 and might as well pose a challenge to the leading duo on her day.

In the one-lap hurdles, British duo of Perri Shakes-Drayton and Elidh Child will be hard to beat. Shakes-Drayton won the UK trials with a PB 55.34 and Child, who was fifth at the last edition of the European Athletics U23 Championships in Debrecen, pushed her close – falling short by 0.02 seconds- and the two should battle it out for the gold in Kaunas.

Ukraine's Hannah Titimets (55.95) and Russia's Daria Korableva (56.01) will also be optimistic about their chances, while recent World University Games bronze medallist, Sara Petersen of Denmark (PB 56.40) may well be in contention.

Endurance

Russia's Yelena Kofanova is almost two seconds clear of the opposition in the 800m. The Moscow-based athlete is a clear favourite coming into these championships boasting of a personal best of 1:58.60, the second fastest time in the world this year, set when she finished second in the Moscow Open early this month.

The Ukrainian pair of Natalya Lupu (2:00.32), European junior gold 2005, and Olha Yekimenko (2:00.45) will lead the charge for the minor medals.

In 1500, the pack will be led by in-form Russian Yelena Fesenko who has a season best of 4:07.63. The British challenge comes from Emma Pallant (4:09.96) a training partner of World junior champion, Stephanie Twell. Russia's Kristina Khalayeva has clocked 4:10.78 two years running while Turkey's Sultan Haydar was third at the end of May in Castellon in a best time of 4:12.74.

Russia's Natalya Popkova is more than 20secs ahead of the field on paper and looks like a sure bet for 5000m gold. But her biggest challenge will come from compatriots Yuliya Vasiliyeva and Yekaterina Gorbunova. Silje Fjortoft of Norway and Sviatlana Kudzelich of Belarus are the only other entrants to have gone under 16mins this year. Briton Emily Pigeon's, who won the UK trials with 16:31.80, has a personal best that stands at 15:41 achieved three years ago.

Popkova will be eyeing the distance double after her 32:46.94 10,000m from the Russian Junior Championships. Italy's Giorgia Vasari has a best of 33:37.83 from the recent European Cup while 2005 European junior bronze medallist Kudzelich of Bulgaria came close to that with 33:50.09 in Minsk in June.

Fjortoft of Norway finished fifth in the Steeplechase in Debrecen but she comes into these championships with the fastest time of 9:37.97 after her battling seventh place in the Bislett Games. Second on the rankings, almost three seconds down, is the silver medallist from two years ago, Ancuta Bobocel of Romania. With five age-group silver medals over the distance the Romanian must be hoping to finally break the sequence. Other contenders are Russia's Yuliya Mochalova (9:47.03PB 2009) and 9.42-performer, Julia Hiller of Gemany.

Field

Germany can boast of two out of the top three performers in the High Jump in Julia Wanner (1.93) and Melanie Bauschke (1.90). Aleksandra Shamsudinova won the Russian junior title this year with 1.92, a height she is consistent at for the last two years both indoors and outdoors. Estonia's Grete Udras has cleared 1.89, but Debrecen bronze medallist, Ebba Jungmark of Sweden, has had a below par season so far, but she does have 1.92 to her name from two years ago.

In Pole Vault, Finland's Minna Nikkanen has added 10cm to her best recently and leads the standings with an excellent 4.45, an outright Finnish record. Germany's Lisa Ryjikh, world junior and youth gold medallist in the past, has a best of 4.50, but so far this summer has only cleared 4.40 though she does have 4.46 to her name from the indoor campaign.

Finland's Vanessa Vandy set a national junior record of 4.30 indoors in 2008 and has a 4.36 outdoors to her name. Tele Malot of France and the Czech Republic's Romana Malacova have both cleared 4.35 this summer.

The Long Jump promises to be quite a scrap with the top five 6.60-plus jumpers in Europe all entered. 2006 World Junior silver Anika Leipold from Germany leads the lists with 6.67, closely followed by Nastassia Mironchyk of Belarus and Russia's Yekaterina Malysheva both on 6.65. The German challenge will be led by Bauschke (6.63) and Sosthene Moguenara (6.61) giving solid backing to Leipold.

The Triple Jump also promises a competitive field with the presence of the top six women over 14m this season. Russia's Alsu Murtazina tops the group on 14.44, well clear of Carmen Toma of Romania (14.29). Defending champion, Lilya Kulik of the Ukraine, has a best of 14.39 from her winning jump in Debrecen, but so far this season she has only recorded a best of 14.27. Paraskevi Papachristou of Greece is a dark horse, having jumped 14.47 indoors in Torino, far superior to her outdoor best of 14.20. She could surprise. 2006 World Junior gold medallist Keire Leibeck of Estonia might also make inroads on the medals. Though she only has a valid mark of 13.77 this summer, she cleared 14.43 winning the World Juniors.

European indoor silver medallist Denise Hinrich of Germany stands head and shoulders above the competition in Shot Put with her heave of 19.47 in Halle. She threw even further in Torino – 19.63. The reigning champion, Irina Tarasova of Russia may have a say in proceedings, though. Tarasova is currently over a metre down on the German, but will not want to give up on her crown lightly. Alena Kopets of Belarus is the only other athlete within touching distance with her 17.97.

Topping the rakings for the women's Discus is Britain's 20-year-old Eden Francis who has improved by over three metres this year. At the end of May she hurled the implement 59.27 for her chart-topping mark. In an event normally dominated by eastern Europe, Francis has the chance to reverse a long-standing trend. Sofia Larsson of Sweden is second in the season rankings with 58.65 followed by the strong Russian duo of Vera Karmishina (56.92) and Yevgeniya Pecherina (56.08).

Zalina Marghieva of Moldova is almost three metres clear of the opposition in Hammer Throw with her 71.56m from Chisinau in January, before she took the European Winter Throwing Cup in March with a heave of 68.81. Belarusian Alena Krechyk has recorded a best of 68.61 this year. There are five athletes on 65m-plus headed by Croatia's Dorotea Habazin on 65.98 from Atlanta in May.

Ukrainian Vera Rebryk, winner of gold medal at World Juniors with a world junior record of 63.01, heads the season's Javelin rankings with 62.26. Team-mate Marharita Dorozhon, who took bronze in the world juniors behind Rebryk, follows with the only other 60m plus throw of the year so far at 60.60. Oona Sormunen of Finland (57.68) and Maryna Buksa of Belarus (57.27) will also be vying to finish on the podium.

Combined events
Nadezhda Sergeyeva improved by over 200 points to record 5970 but there is not much to separate her from Belarus's Yana Maksimava who stands at 5951. Ida Marcussen of Norway has an inferior total so far in 2009, but can definitely draw inspiration from her personal best of 6226 achieved at the Osaka World Championships two years ago.

Walks
Russia has the top five performers in Europe at this age group but only Yelena Shumkina (1:25.32) and Tatyna Shemyakina (1:29.23) will be competing in Kaunas. Third fastest in the field this year is Zuzana Schindlerova of the Czech Republic with 1:32.26, making it an interesting three-way contest in Kaunas.

European Athletics (EAA) – NEWS