By her own admission, things haven’t gone smoothly in the last 12 months for Belgium’s Eline Berings, the 2009 European Athletics Indoor Championships 60m hurdles gold medallist.
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| European indoor champion Eline Berings is looking forward to defending her title in Paris. |
The 2005 European Athletics Junior Championships 100m gold medallist, how 24, reached the 60m hurdles at the 2010 World Indoor Championships but then crashed out in the 100m heats of the European Athletics Championships last summer.
However, Berings now believes that the bad times are behind her.
“I'm looking forward to defending my title and firing on all cylinders at the European Indoor Championships in Paris. It’s the highlight of the indoor season and I’m a championship runner,” said Berings last week.
The 2011 European Athletics Indoor Championships will be held in the French capital Paris at the Palais Omnisport Paris-Bercy from 4-6 March.
“I have a new coach Lieve Van Mechelen, and I hope to make improvements this year. I have a good relationship with her and feel comfortable with myself again. I’ve got my confidence back.
'This is the start of a new, different, season and I’m thrilled. I’m wondering what time I’ll end up with although I am not too much focused on times. First, I want to enjoy myself.”
In Torino two years ago, Berings had an excellent start in the final and sped to a national record of 7.92, her country’s only medal in the Italian city, and followed it up in the summer of 2009 with a Belgian 100m hurdles record outdoor of 12.94.
Last year she clocked a barely wind-assisted best of 12.84 when winning the European Team Championships First League Meeting in Budapest but things started to unravel after that and she never got under 13 seconds again last summer.
However, Berings now believes that she is back on track and looking forward to the next five weeks before taking a short train ride over the border to Paris.