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| European U23 5000 and 10,000m champion Layes Abdullayeva of Azerbaijan will bid for a medal at in the 3000m steeplechase at the 2012 European Athletics Championships in Helsinki. |
Layes Abdullayeva, Azerbaijan's 5000 and 10,000m gold medallist at the 2011 European Athletics U23 Championships last summer, will bid for a medal at in the 3000m steeplechase at the 2012 European Athletics Championships which will be held in Helsinki between 27 June and 1 July.
“I have been doing more speed work in recent months so my coach and I have decided I will do the steeplechase in Helsinki,” the 20 year-old runner told European Athletics.
“I feel I have better chances in this event than the distances over which I won gold medals in Ostrava last year. The Russians will be tough to beat in the steeplechase and I am sure there will be other strong runners but I think I have a chance to get a medal,” added Abdullayeva.
Abdullayeva has some pedigree in the steeplechase.
She got a silver medal in the event at the 2009 European Athletics Junior Championships and set a national record of 9:34.75 when she finished sixth over the barriers, with the gold medal going to Russia's Yuliya Zarudneva (now known by her married name Zaripova), at the European Athletics Championships in Barcelona two years ago.
However, she concentrated on longer distances last year and only had one steeplechase outing at the end of the season, just to remember what hurdling felt like.
She confirmed that she has been working on improving her technique at getting over the obstacles, which was described by the respected publication Athletics International after Barcelona as “the most appalling hurdling and water jump clearances ever witnessed in a major championship final.”
However, Athletics International also added, in its report on the Barcelona final: “Her potential is colossal if only she can improve her barrier technique; her flat speed and competitive spirit mark her out as a possible future champion.”
Abdullayeva is aiming to become the first Azerbaijani female athlete to get a European Athletics Championships medal since the country became independent in 1991, although two women got medals wearing the vest of the former Soviet Union, the most recent being Galina Bystrova who won the pentathlon in 1962.
Hayle Ibrahimov became the first Azerbaijan male athlete to get a medal at the European Athletics Championships in the modern era when he finished third, behind Great Britain's Mo Farah and Ayad Lamdassem of Spain, in the 5000m in Barcelona.