With less than a week to go until the start of the European Athletics Championships in Barcelona (27 July-1 August), expectations for the GB&NI team are high.
World Heptathlon Champion Jessica Ennis will lead a 72-strong Great Britain and Northern Ireland team – with 10 medallists from the 2009 World Championships and 5 from the World Indoor Championships included, the medal count is forecast to be high.
Despite missing the recent European Trials and UK Championships in Birmingham with a virus, Ennis has had a fine 2010, and while she aims to double up and compete in the 100m hurdles at London 2012, she will focus purely on the heptathlon in Barcelona.
The World Triple Jump Champion, Phillips Idowu, tuned up for Barcelona with a jump of 17.12m at the Aviva European trials & UK Championships in Birmingham at the end of June and will go head to head with Swedish rival Christian Olsson.
In the women’s 100m, Laura Turner arrives in Barcelona in top form, having recently run a personal best time of 11.11, while World Indoor Gold Medallist Dwain Chambers will be among the hot favourites in the men’s event.
Meanwhile, in the men’s 400m, Martyn Rooney stormed to victory in the European Trials and UK Championships. He equalled his season-best of 44.99 seconds and will be confident of challenging for the European crown, as will Jenny Meadows, World Indoor and Outdoor Medallist and SPAR athletics ambassador, in the women’s 800m.
New stars could emerge in the form of David Greene in the 400m hurdles, Hannah England in the 1500m and James Dasaolu in the 100m.
With a little luck, a record medal haul is in reach of our talented team, with the Championships being rounded-off by a hoped-for victory by the men’s 4 x 400m relay team.