The current European Athletics 400m champion indoors and out, Pavel Maslak, will represent his Czech TJ Dukla Praha club at the European Champion Clubs Cup Senior Group A in Vila Real de Santo Antonio, Portugal, on 24-25 May.
He will focus on shorter distances to work on his speed, as he will be participating in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay.
Maslak headlines a strong field of European athletes competing for their clubs in Portugal.
He will be joined by fellow Czech star in Denisa Rosolova, the 400m European indoor champion from Paris 2011, who will run 400m hurdles this time for USK Praha.
Also for USK will be Anezka Drahotova, better known for winning the 20km walk at the European Athletics Junior Championships last year in Rieti, she will this time compete in the 3000m steeplechase with a personal best of 10:10.45 achieved on the same track in Vila Real de Santo Antonio a year ago.
Winners of the men’s club title last year, Italy’s G.A. Fiamme Gialle are favourites to retain the title this year.
They will be powered by strong veteran athletes in Fabio Cerutti over 100m, Matteo Galvan over 400m and Fabrizio Donato in the triple jump.
Turkish Enka club will seek to challenge the Italians by sending a strong group of athletes led by Emir Bekric. The 2013 European Athletics Rising Star award winner will run the 400m hurdles and 4x400 relay events in Portugal as he continues to prepare for the European Athletics Championships.
On the women’s side Ivet Lalova and Ivana Spanovic will surely secure big points in Enka’s bid for the title.
Lalova is used to competing in the European Champion Clubs Cup and will attempt to do the same as last year when she won events on both days with the 100m and 200m.
Spanovic who recently won bronze in the long jump at the World Indoor Championships in Sopot will certainly look for another strong result here in Portugal. She will also take part in the triple jump contest; her personal best is 13.54 from Novi Sad back in 2011.
The European Champion Clubs Cup Senior Group B will be held in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on 24 May.