2nd June 2012 09:21
Sunday sees the first European Athletics Outdoor Premium Meeting of 2012, the 12th European Athletics Festival in the Polish city of Bydgoszcz, and the local organisers have put together a series of outstanding events.
The men's pole vault will feature local hero and 2011 World Championships gold medallist Pawel Wojciechowski against Ukraine's 2010 European Athletics Championships silver medallist Maksim Mazuryk.
Also in the field are the top Germans, Karsten Dilla and Raphael Holzdeppe.
In the discus, there is another Polish star and the 2010 European champion Piotr Malachowski is the clear favourite while 2006 European Athletics Championships 400m hurdles silver medallist Marek Plawgo is making his debut for the year over the barriers.
Among Plawgo's opponents will be the British duo of 2011 European Athletics U23 Championships silver medallist Nathan Woodward and 2010 European Athletics Championships silver medallist Rhys Williams.
Another Polish champion from Barcelona, 800m runner Marcin Lewandowski, is the top name over two laps of the track and he will face Germany's Sören Ludolph, who has made a big improvement this summer, and Hungary's Tamas Kazi.
In the men's 3000m steeplechase, Ukraine's 2012 European leader Vadim Slobodenyuk will get his chance for a fast race against the usual contingent of Kenyans.
Czech Republic's rising star Pavel Maslak will be the man to beat in the 200m.
In the women's events, Bulgaria's Vania Stambolova runs the 400m hurdles against Russia's 2010 European champion Natalya Antyukh.
Great Britain's Nicola Sanders and Lee McConnell go in the 400m and there are good fields in the middle-distance races.
The 800m has Britain's Marilyn Okoro and Russia's 2005 World Championships bronze medallist Tatyana Andrianova while The Netherlands' 2010 European Athletics Championships silver medallist Yvonne Hak makes her 2012 debut over the distance.
Ukraine's Anzhela Shevchenko and Germany's Denise Krebs are the fastest runners in the 1500m.
In the quest for qualifying times for the European Athletics Championships and Olympic Games, all four relays will be staged. Interesting entries include Russia in the men's 4x100m, Belgium in the men's 4x400m as well as women's 4x100m and also Belarus will field a team in the latter event.
Details of all 12 of the 2012 European Athletics Outdoor Premium Meetings can be found here