17th July 2013 03:52
Roberta Bruni and Lorrenzo Perini are among the favourites for the women's pole vault and men's sprint hurdles respectively having set national junior records for their events this summer.
Both train and compete at the Raul Guidobaldi Stadium where the four-day championships will get underway tomorrow, and they are keenly aware of the extra pressure that comes of being Italian athletes with gold in their sights.
'Expectations were always going to be high,' said Perini, who leads the 2013 European junior rankings for 110m hurdles thanks to his national junior record of 13.39 set here a month ago, a PB by nearly three-tenths of a second.
'I will just try to do the best I can, and work hard. It's great to have the championships here and I'm sure it will be a brilliant event.'
Bruni leapt 4.40 to break the Italian under 23 record in Formia at the end of May having twice broken the national senior record indoors this year, eventually clearing 4.60.
'To be sure there's a lot of pressure because we are at home,' she said. 'But it will also be an advantage because we know the track better, which is one of the best in Italy. And we will have the support of the city behind us.'
Bruni won a World Junior bronze medal in Barcelona last year behind Swedish superstar Angelica Bengtsson, but her main challenge here is likely to come from her compatriot, Sonia Malavisi, who eclipsed her under 23 record by a centimetre in Rieti recently.
Not surprisingly, one of Bruni's idols is world record holder Yelena Isinbayeva, the Russian who won this title when the championships were last held in Italy 12 years ago. But having recently recovered from injury, the lively 19-year-old was reluctant to predict whether she would follow the former Olympic champion to the top of the podium.
'As you know my participation was not certain until recently,' she said. 'I just hope to enjoy myself first and to make sure you enjoy my performance.'
Perini's main threat could come from Frenchman Wilhem Belocian or the Swiss hurdler, Brahian Peí±a, plus Britain's pair of Davids, King and Omoregie. But the 18-year-old was confident enough to look further into the future when he hopes to challenge the best in the world at senior level.
'Hurdlers from USA and Jamaica have always had the best performances in the last few years. But we have improved in Europe and so I have high hopes for the future,' he said.
They may not be competing in front of expectant home crowds, but Sofi Flinck and Emelia Gorecka will face their own kind of pressure in Rieti.
Flinck is perhaps the biggest gold medal favourite at the entire championships having dominated the javelin at the 2012 World Junior championships when she was still a youth, breaking the Swedish senior record with an effort of 61.40. Her best this year is 60.96, almost 2.5 metres further than anyone else in the field.
'I don't really know who will be my closest rival,' said Flinck modestly. 'My hope for the competition is just to do my best and have a lot of fun. That's why I do this.
'If it goes well maybe I can reach 62 metres,' she added. 'Training has been going well all year and I feel in great shape, so we'll see. I will focus on myself and my throwing and then cheer on my teammates.'
Gorecka, meanwhile, comes to Rieti with some unfinished business in mind. The British long distance runner has twice won the European junior cross country title but has only one remaining chance to win a junior track gold after coming close at the last European Juniors in Tallinn and the World Juniors last year.
'In Estonia two years ago I came second over 5000m, in Barcelona last year I came third at 3000m, but on the track I haven't got a gold yet, and so that's what I'm looking for this weekend.
'It's my last year as a junior, so despite getting my first senior vest earlier in the year, I still want to complete my junior career on a high.'
Gorecka is entered for both the 3000m and 5000m here, and will face stiff competition in both events. But her confidence is riding high after her first senior appearance for Britain at the European Team Championships in Gateshead when she was second over the longer distance.
'I started my season late because of flu, so finishing second at my first senior event was great,' she said. 'To be picked for Gateshead was a massive bonus, then to perform so well made me believe that I can deal with competing at that level.
'I really wanted to win in Tallinn two years ago but I learned a lot by not winning. I went away and re-evaluated what I did, my training and competitions. I'm a better athlete now.
'I would love to come back and win this time, but we'll see how it goes. It's my last junior championships so it would be great to go out with gold.'