A WEEK IN ATHLETICS JULY 2013/2

In a weekly round-up, European Athletics looks at a big issue in the sport, sets the scene for the week ahead and reviews the past few days.

Tampere’s road could be paved with gold

The setting is Tampere in Finland in three days’ time, the competition is the European Athletics U23 Championships and the message is clear - be ready to become an athletics star.

If the clock is turned back two years to the last time these Championships were staged, in Ostrava, many of the names that made the podium then are dominating the world athletics scene today.

Here is a look at some of those who have captured the imagination of the sport after making their mark in the Czech Republic in 2011.

Read more..

THE WEEK JUST GONE
The dominance of European athletes on the IAAF Diamond League stage was in full force again with the two events, in Lausanne and Paris. Sweden's Abeba Aregawi, in the 1500m, and Croatia's Sandra Perkovic, in the discus, won in Switzerland to secure the individual Diamond Race titles in their events after five victories before in Paris, Zuzana Hejnova, of the Czech Republic, in the 400m hurdles and Germany's javelin thrower Christine Obergfoll made it four out of four. And it was in Paris that Frenchman Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad broke the European 3000m steeplechase record.

THE WEEK AHEAD
A standout week for some of the younger members of the European athletics scene as they descend on Tampere, Finland, for the 9th European Athletics U23 Championships where 997 athletes from 45 European Athletics Member Federation countries have entered for what should be a fantastic competition.

EUROPEAN LEADERS - 3000m steeplechase
Men
1. Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad (FRA), 8:00.09 Paris (European record)
2. Yoann Kowal (FRA), 8:12.53, Rabat
3. Noureddine Smail (FRA), 8:15.89, Paris

Women
1. Natalya Aristarkhova (RUS), 9:30.64, Gateshead
2. Gulnara Galkina (RUS), 9:30.72, Rabat
3. Valentyna Zhudina (UKR), 9:32.26, Yalta

BIRTHDAYS
08.07.2013 - Angelica Bengtsson (SWE) – the world junior and European junior pole vault champion turns 20.
11.07.2013 – Lynsey   Sharp  (GBR) – the 2012 European 800m champion turns 23.
13.07.2013 – Ineta    Rad„“viča (LAT) – the former European long jump champion, Daegu 2011 World Championships medallist turns 32.

TOP TWEETS 
Isabelle Pedersen ‏@IsabellePederse
Countdown. Departure on Tuesday. The Championship starts Thursday. First round Friday. Semifinal and final on Saturday. #tampere2013

Emelia Gorecka ‏@emeliagorecka
Best of luck to the GB World Youth 2013 team!!! #makeitcount See you soon @JoJennings194 !!!

Jessica Ennis-Hill ‏@J_Ennis
Wimbledon Champion!! Well done @andy_murray! Brilliant!!

Robert Harting ‏@DerHarting
67,95m German Champion!

Holly Bleasdale ‏@HollyBleasdale
I've been a real athletics supporter this weekend... Yesterday at Manchester, today Blackpool! Hard times not doing it myself.. #rehab