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| European decathlon champion Romain Barras wants to win the heptathlon title at the European Athletics Indoor Championships in front of his home crowd in Paris next year. |
France’s 2010 European Athletics Championships decathlon champion Romain Barras has confirmed that he will accept the invitation to compete in the heptathlon on home soil at the 2011 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Paris next March.
The 2011 European Athletics Indoor Championships will be held in the French capital at the Palais Omnisport Paris-Bercy arena between 4-6 March.
Barras - who won in Barcelona with a personal best of 8453 points - has an indoor heptathlon best of 5895 points, which dates back to 2006, but Barras can expect to substantially revise that mark.
He was 6th at 2007 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Birmingham, the only time he has competed at a major indoor championship, but since then he has not competed in a heptathlon.
By comparison, Estonia’s Mikk Pahapill won the 2009 European Athletics Indoor Championships heptathlon gold medal with 6362 points.
In addition to triumphing in front of family, friends and French athletics fans next March, a feat which would certainly raise the roof of the Palais Omnisport, Barras also has a target getting well over 6000 points.
The barrier has only been broken by three other French multi-event exponents. Christian Plaziat still holds the French record with 6418 points, which has stood since 1992 and which was a world record at the time.
Barras will prepare during December on the French island of Reunión, which is situated in the Indian Ocean.
He will have for company in Reunión his training partner Kevin Mayer, the 2010 World Junior Championships decathlon gold medallist, who is still only 18 and eligible to compete at the 2011 European Athletics Junior Championships in Tallinn, Estonia, next July.