21st June 2013 06:22
“It’s an amazing experience to compete as a team. We are always focused on individual performance, what I am experience in the Netherlands camp here is something truly special,” said European 200m champion Churandy Martina, who is set for his debut at the European Athletics Team Championships.
After a highly successful season in 2012, where he won two gold medals at the European Athletics Championships in Helsinki and made it to the finals in both the 100 and 200m at the London 2012 Olympic Games, Martina has had a rather sedate start to the 2013 outdoor season. But the 28-year-old is confident Dublin will kick-start his 2013 season in earnest.
“I have had a slow start to the season but I am feeling good. I am looking forward to this wonderful opportunity of competing in Dublin and I hope, gradually, I will regain top shape in time for the Moscow World Championships, “he added.
Two years ago in Stockholm, the Czech Republic, Portugal and Sweden were relegated from the European Athletics Team Championships' top division.
They are the favorites to return and if they do, it will be a repeat of the events of 2010 when they were promoted having all gone down the year before.
Czech 400m hurdles star Zuzana Hejnova, who will be competing in the 400m flat race, is confident that her team will make its way back to the top tier next season.
“A number of Czech track and field stars have been doing very well of late. We are very confident that our team is strong enough to make its way back to the Super League. Although there will be strong competition from teams like Sweden, Portugal and the Netherlands, but we are hopeful of topping the table in Dublin,” said Hejnova.
Personally I am not going to compete in the 400m hurdles but we have someone like Denisa Rosolova who is an equally strong candidate to win here. I will go for the 400m flat and I am confident of securing full points for my team.”
However it will not be easy for the top teams, as they will face opposition from Belgium, Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Romania, Switzerland at the Morton Stadium in Santry.
The home team, which has been hampered by late withdrawals of stars like Fionnuala Britton and Derval O’Rourke due to injury, will be looking for some inspiration from the local crowd.
“We are looking forward to competing in front of our home crowd. Competing as a team means less pressure on self and that will only inspire everyone to give their bit. And here at the Team Championships every point will count,” said David McCarthy, a member of the victorious Irish under-23 team at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships in 2010, who will compete in his first senior competition in the 3000m. McCarthy will be looking to improve on his 7.56.71 minutes PB for the event and push for top points.
The home team will also have high hopes from Rose-Anne Galligan who set her impressive new PB for 800m of 2.01.07 in Spain last week. This B standard time for the World Championships in Moscow in August will stand her in good stead this weekend; knowing also that her time set last week is the fastest SB of the other 11 athletes so far this season.
“I am in good shape and hopeful of fetching full points for my team. Even though Team Champs are different from other competitions with 12 athletes and no pacemakers but competing for my team is a great motivation to overcome any challenge. I can’t wait for the weekend,” said Galligan.
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