21st June 2013 07:19
On the eve of the 2010 Spar European Athletics Team Championships Super League in Bergen, Russia's head coach Valentin Maslakov delivered a message to his squad.
'I just reminded all the team that this is a team competition and that every place, every point, is important,' said Maslakov. 'Our fate depends on not just one athlete, but the whole team.'
It was a declaration that worked wonders as Russia did not just win the event, they stormed to an overwhelming victory. Their score of 379.5 saw them land a 62.5-point triumph from Great Britain in second with defending champions Germany hitting back on the second day to finish third with 304.5.
Russia achieved 13 wins over the weekend, and as Maslakov had hoped, some key placings.
Never more so than in the women's long jump because, by finishing second, Olga Kucherenko's 11 points ensured Russia were the champions even with five events still to go.
Their power of the Championships had started on the first day when they won eight events to lead by 21 overnight.
Russia took control after the sixth event and they were never headed for the rest of the day.
Their winners were Yelena Zadorozhnaya (3000m), Svetlana Feofanova (pole vault), Alexandr Shustov (High Jump), Pavel Shalin (Long Jump), Kseniya Ustalova (400m), Nataliya Antyukh (400m hurdles), Yuliya Zarudneva (3000m Steeplechase) before their women sprinters, the 2008 Olympic champions, took the 4x100m relay.
Defending champions Germany were back in seventh place before lifting themselves on the Sunday. It was on this second day that their javelin thrower Mattias De Zordo celebrated arguably the best win of his career as his effort of 83.80m beat Norway's double Olympic champion Andreas Thorkildsen who reached 82.98m just when the home crowd expected something special from him.
But it remained Russia's day.
Yuriy Borzakovskiy marked his first 800m race of the year with victory before Tatyana Dektyareva won the 100m hurdles, Anna Avdeyeva took the Shot Put and the trophy had been won by the time the two 4x400m relay teams rounded off a superb weekend.
But along with not seeing Thorkildsen win, there was more disappointment for the hosts as Norway were relegated with Greece and Finland.
The Czech Republic topped the table in the First League in Budapest with 355.5 points with Zuzana Hejnova showing signs of what the future held as she won the 400m hurdles in 54.51. They won the event ahead of Sweden and Portugal to earn promotion - which was the start of a routine which had seen all three of them relegated the previous year.
Estonia and Lithunia went down though, being replaced by Switzerland and Croatia.
The Swiss won the 2nd League in Belgrade on a weekend where Philipp Bandi was first in the 5000m, the men won the 4 x 100m relay, Mujinga Kambundjo triumphed in the 200m, the women took the 4 x 400m relay and Anna-Katharina Schmidt won the pole vault. Moldova and Israel were relegated.
In the 3rd League in Marsa, Malta, Denmark had a fabulous 30 podium positions as they won by 11 points from Bulgaria as they both earned promotion.
RESULTS
2nd European Athletics Team Championships (weekend of June 19-20, 2010)
Super League (bottom three relegated), Bergen
1. Russia 379.5; 2. Great Britain 317; 3. Germany 304.5; 4. France 290; 5. Ukraine 287; 6. Poland 284; 7. Italy 283.5; 8. Belarus 235; 9. Spain 218; 10. Greece 187.5; 11. Norway 175; 12. Finland 150.
1st League (top three promoted, bottom two relegated), Budapest
1. Czech Republic 355.5; 2 Sweden 323.5; 3. Portugal 295.5; 4. Romania 287; 5. Hungary 275; 6. Netherlands 274.5; 7. Belgium 259; 8. Ireland 240.5; 9. Türkiye 224; 10. Slovenia 204.5; 12. Estonia 189; 11. Lithuania 184.
2nd League (top two promoted, bottom two relegated), Belgrade
1. Switzerland 207; 2. Croatia 200; 3. Austria 193.5; 4. Serbia 180.5; 5. Latvia 179.5; 6. Slovak Republic 179.5; 7. Moldova 150.5; 8. Israel 142.5.
3rd League (top two promoted), Marsa
1. Denmark 519; 2. Bulgaria 508.5; 3. Cyprus 480; 4. Iceland 400; 5. Bosnia and Herzegovina 365.5; 6. Azerbaijan 364; 7. Luxembourg 341.5; 8. Armenia 324; 9. Malta 287.5; 10. Georgia 232; 11. Montenegro 214; 12. FYR Macedonia 210; 13. Andorra 163; 14. Albania 107; 15. Athletic Association of Small States of Europe 94.