8th July 2013 01:55
Sprints and hurdles
Britain's Adam Gemili, European junior silver medallist, will head to Tampere as marginal favourite in the men's 100m. He might find Croatia's rising star Dario Horvat a handful, not to mention fellow-Briton Deji Tobais. Italians Francesco Basciani and Delmas Obou, fourth and fifth in 2011, could also have a say in the battle for medals. If all goes to plan Gemili could secure the double but he has most to fear from team mates David Bolarinwa and 2011 finalist Daniel Talbot.
With a career best of 45.91 set this year, Russia's Lev Mosin is clear favourite for the one-lap title. Nikita Uglov, also Russia, and Spain's Samuel Garcia are closest on paper. The Borlée name will be represented by Dylan, yet another representative of the famous Belgian athletics family but with a career best of 47.21 set this year his chances are slim for a medal.
Over the high hurdles, European indoor bronze from this year, Pascal Martinot Lagarde of France stands head and shoulders above the opposition. But in such a technical discipline, nothing is certain and Germany's Gregor Traber is close to his best this year with the Netherlands Koen Smet and Norway's Vladimir Vukicevic (Christina's brother) also contenders.
Serbia's Emir Bekric collected bronze two years ago in the one-lap hurdles in Ostrava, but then progressed to senior silver in Helsinki in 2012. He stands alone in being the only athlete to breach the 49-sec barrier this season. Britain's defending champion Jack Green has a 48.60 to his credit but is two seconds slower so far this year. The challenge to Bekric is more likely to come from Germany's Varg Königsmark and Norway's ˜yvind Kjerperset. Estonia's Ramus Mí¤ggi and the British duo of Niall Flannery and Sebastian Rodger could make this one of the most contested of the sprint events.
Endurance
If he makes the trip Pierre Ambroise Bosse should have little difficulty securing the 800m title. A regular this year on the Diamond League circuit after taking European bronze last summer, the Frenchman has reduced his career best to a superlative 1:43.91. Andreas Lange of Germany, Mark English of Ireland, European 1500m champion Henrik Ingebrigtsen of Norway and Zan Rudolph of Slovenia are all medal contenders.
Ingebrigtsen in the metric mile must be as big a favourite as Bosse over two laps, but there is a clutch of talented youngsters snapping at his heels, all with times in the mid-3.30s. Pieter-Jan Hannes of Belgium, 2011 finalist Alberto Imedio of Spain, Homiyu Tesfaye of Germany and Charlie Grice of Great Britain who revised the great Steve Ovett's schoolboy records in Brighton three years ago, will let the fast finishing Norwegian know they are there.
The British pairing of Luke Caldwell and Thomas Farrell stand out in the 5000m, but the picture is less clear over 10000m where the Ukraine's Dmytro Siruk, Russia's Igor Maksimov, Gabriel Navarro of Spain and Mats Lunders of Belgium are prominent contenders.
Two years ago Abdelaziz Merzoughi of Spain pocketed silver in the Steeplechase and has gold in his reach this time round. But he needs to be on the look-out for Bulgaria's Mitko Tsenov who has reduced his lifetime best this summer by over 25sec to leave it at a more than respectable 8:27.09 when he lifted the national title in June.
Field events
From the Russian high jump production line comes Danil Tsyplakov, the only entrant to have cleared 2.30 this year. Italy's Gianmarco Tamberi is currently 10cm below his best of 2.31 while other contenders might come from Belarus in the person of Andrei Churyla and Artsiom Navumovich, Russian Ilya Ivanyuk and the British pairing of Chris Baker and Allan Smith.
His elder brother, Renaud, never won this pole vault title, so it is up to Valentin Lavillenie to plug the gap in the family medals cabinet, but it won't be easy. The Frenchman has one of the best heights of the entrants at 5.65 (5.70i) both set in 2013 but he has a clutch of Poles and Russians breathing down his neck led by Russia's Anton Ivakin and Poland's Robert Sobera and Piotr Lisek. Kevin Menaldo, also of France, is not to be ignored.
European long jump junior champion from two years ago, Sergei Morgunov of Russia, has an 8.35 to his name but has not gone beyond 8.04 so far this summer. Another major player is Spain's Eusebio Caceres (8.27PB) who has 8.22 to his name in 2013. Other 8m jumpers in the line-up are Kirill Sukharev of Russia and Tomasz Jaszczuk of Poland.
Silver medallist in Ostrava two years ago, Aleksey Fyodorov of Russia is the only 17m triple jumper in Tampere and has gone out to 16.85 so far this year. Not too far behind is Spain's Vicente Docavo with another two Russians, Artem Primak and Aleksandr Yurchenko, good enough to figure.
Poland's provides the big hitter in the shot in the person of Jakub Szyszkowski who hurled the implement out to 20.14 in May for his first time over 20m and a national age-group record. Å ar…«nas Banevičius of Lithuania has set new figures of 19.50 in the current season just 5cm further than Belarus's rising star Mikhail Abramchuk.
Martin Novak and Thomas Stanek are a solid Czech duo.
Russia's Viktor Butenko joined the elite with a mark of 65.97 in Sochi for ninth on the year's discus rankings and is clear favourite. But there is a clutch of 60m-plus throwers who might well threaten in the heat of competition, including Montenegro's Danijel Furtula, Ukraine's Mykyta Nestorenko (2011 silver) , Lithuania's Andrius Gudzius and Italy's Alberto Albertazzi.
The hammer title has Belarus stamped all over it with Pavel Bareisha and Sakhar Makhrosenka superior on paper. But France's Quentin Bigot has thrown further than either in the past and could make it a close run thing if he hits top form. Hungary might also have a say with Akos Hudi (fourth in Ostrava 2011) maintaining his country's fine tradition in the event.
Six entrants have cleared 80m in the Javelin so far this season topped by Germany's Thomas Röhler who has not failed to go over 80m all season. Second in the European team championships in Gateshead and third in Bislett, he is looking every inch a champion. Marcin Krukowski of Poland, Latvians Zigismunds Sirmais and Rolands Strobinders and another German, Bernhard Seifert, should also play a part.
Combined events
The decathlon should be a terrific scrap between France's Kevin Mayer and Germany's Kai Kazmirek who have both amassed over 8300 this year. Mayer won the European Cup in Tallinn while Kazmirek was fourth in Ratingen for their best scores of the season. The big danger comes from Russia's Ilya Shkurenyov who clinched his national title at the beginning of June. Only 40 points separates these three.
20km Walk
Defending champion Pyotr Bogatyrev struck silver in the Russian national championships dipping under the 1min20sec mark to lead the field. Backing comes from team-mates Kirill Frolov and Aleksandr Ivanov while Oleksandr Verbitskyy of the Ukraine and Hagen Pohle of Germany will also be pitching for medals.