A WEEK IN ATHLETICS MAY 2013/1

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.

How Göteborg left its mark on golden girl Perri ...

In the eight weeks since Perri Shakes-Drayton became one of the stars of the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Göteborg, her life has been crammed with all good things.

She has just returned from the USA where warm-weather training was mixed with a 200m personal best and a fine relay performance.

And with it an underlying self-belief which she took from Sweden and that could be with her for the rest of her career.

What did Shakes-Drayton learn most when she reflects on her double gold in Göteborg? 'To really believe in myself,' she said.

The Briton is plotting her way towards a busy summer, with the European Athletics Team Championships in June and the World Championships in August, determined to build on her brilliant indoor season.

'I really want to make the final at the World Championships and it is every athlete's aim to win a medal.'

Read more ...

THE WEEK JUST GONE
A week where sport was once more put into perspective by the tragic death of Cypriot pole vaulter Marianna Zachariadi at the age of just 23, just over two years after winning silver at the Commonwealth Games. 

THE WEEK AHEAD
It is the start of the Diamond League in Doha on Friday night and the women’s 1500m should be a race to savour. Sweden´s Abeba Aregawi produced a brilliant performance to win gold at the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Göteborg in March and now she faces Ethiopian Genzebe Dibaba, the world indoor champion.

EUROPEAN LEADERS 200m
Men:
1. Daniel Talbot (GBR) 20.67, Gainesville, FL, Apr 20
2. Jaysuma Saidy Ndure (NOR), 20.82, Kingston, May 4
3. Marek Niit (EST), 20.83, Fayetteville, AR, Mar 30
Women:
1. Anyika Onuora (GBR) 22.98, Gainesville, FL, Apr 20
2. Perri Shakes-Drayton (GBR) 23.27, Gaineseville, FL, Apr 20
3. Stella Akakpo (FRA) 23.54, Walnut, CA, Apr 19

BIRTHDAYS

06.05.2013 - Zigismunds Sirmais (LAT) – reigning European junior champion and the world junior record holder in javelin turns 21   

10.05.2013 - Ivana   Å panović (SRB) – former European and world junior long jump champion and European under-23 champion turns 23

10.05.2013 – Jonathan Edwards (GBR) – triple jump legend and world record holder turns 47

11.05.2013 – Tomáš Dvo…™ák (CZE) – the three-time decathlon world champion and former world record holder turns 41

TOP TWEET

Chris Tomlinson ‏@LongJumpChris (in response to the congratulatory messages on the birth of his child)

'Amazing amount of congratulations, would love to respond individually but so many! Once again many thanks.'

COMING NEXT

10 May - Diamond League, Doha
11 May - IAU 24 Hour European Championships
12 May - Prague Marathon, Prague

IN BRIEF

· The Italian athletics federation have announced September 12 will be celebrated as Memorial Day Pietro Mennea as a tribute to their legendary sprinter who died earlier this year. That date is when he broke the 200m world record with his time of 19.72 at the World University Games in Mexico in 1979.

· In Waco, Texas, it was a good day for Serbian athletes with Sara Savatovic breaking the national record with 64.11m Kaitlin Petrillose achieving a pole vault personal best of 4.