The last time Ruslan Dmytrenko was on a major European race walking stage he missed out on the podium by the smallest possible margin. Now he has the chance to put that right.
It is just over two weeks until the European Cup Race Walking in Murcia and Dmytrenko is at the helm of a strong Ukrainian team.
Dmytrenko is the defending World Cup champion, a triumph he achieved in Taicang last year when he won in a national record of 1:18:37.
But then came an agonising fourth place at the European Athletics Championships in Zurich last summer after he shared the same time as Russia’s Denis Strelkov in a brilliant finish to the race where only two seconds separated the first four.
It was so close.
And the men’s event in Murcia is building up to something spectacular as once more Dmytrenko will face Spain’s Miguel Angel Lopez, who took gold on that rainy morning at the European Athletics Championships, while France’s Yohann Diniz, the triple European 50km champion, is also due to compete in the 20km race.
Me hace muy feliz competir en #Mu&cia en la Copa de Europa de Marcha. Será el 17 de mayo y os espero ahí apoyando. pic.twitter.com/1ExhH3JqEj
— Miguel ngel López (@MA_LopezNicolas) April 18, 2015
Dmytrenko is joined in Ukraine's 20km squad by Andriy Kovenko, who was seventh in Zurich, Ihor Hlavan, who was fourth in the 50km at the last world championships, Nazar Kovalenko and Andriy Kovenko.
Ivan Banzeruk, Oleksiy Kazanin, Ihor Sakharuk and Sergiy Budza will compete in the 50km.
As Dmytrenko missed out on a medal in Zurich, his teammate Lyudmyla Olyanovska won silver in the women's 20km race in Zurich.
She is in the Ukrainian 20km team that includes Nadiya Borovska, Olena Shumkina and Inna Kashyna.
Olyanovska built on her seventh place at the World Cup in 2014 with a walk of 1:28:07 to hold off the challenge of the Czech Republic’s Anezka Drahotova by a second as Russian Elmira Alembekova won in 1:27:56.
This scene is set in Murcia for what could be a terrific rematch as both Drahotova and Alembekova will be contending for gold.