A WEEK IN ATHLETICS JULY 2013/5

Former Olympic and world champion Primoz Kozmus of Slovenia. (Getty Images)

In a weekly round-up, European Athletics looks at a big issue in the sport, sets the scene for the week ahead and reviews the past few days.

Two athletes, two venues, two eye-catching performances...and one aim

The last IAAF Diamond League meeting before the World Championships is over and now it is full steam ahead for Moscow, but could Russia be the place where the comeback King and Queen are crowned again?

Two performances over the weekend gave that question enough credence to say that might be the case.

One took place in London, the other was in Celje, Slovenia, as two athletes showed they are moving that hill towards a World Championship peak in the perfect fashion.

Christine Ohuruogu, 29, and Primoz Kozmus, 33, share a common theme. They both won gold at the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008 and four years later they won silver in London.

Now, with the World Championships starting on Saturday week, they have both made dramatic climbs up the rankings lists with performances that show they mean business again.

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THE WEEK JUST GONE
In the space of less than 24 hours, more than 120,000 people took their place at the Olympic Stadium for the IAAF Diamond League events in London. It was some occasion as each day – Friday night and Saturday afternoon – were 60,000 sell-outs. It shows what legacy can do and equally it shows that the sport remains at the height of the public’s interest.

THE WEEK AHEAD
Now is the time for so many athletes to put the finishing touches to their plans for the World Championships, such as Mo Farah, Great Britain’s double Olympic and triple European champion, who has flown to his training base in St Moritz to prepare but there are meetings in Padova and Rovereto in Italy which could see some of the Moscow-bound athletes have a final workout.

EUROPEAN LEADERS – 400m
Men
1.     Kevin Borlee (BEL), 44.73 Brussels
2.     Pavel Maslak (CZE), 45.13 Saint Denis
3.     Jonathan Borlee (BEL), 45.14 London

Women
1.     Antonina Krivoshapka (RUS), 49.57 Moscow
2.    Kseniya Ryzhova (RUS), 49.80 Moscow
3.     Christine Ohuruogu (GBR), 50.00 London

BIRTHDAYS
02.08.13 - Ida Antoinette Nana Djimou (FRA) – European multi-events champion both indoors and outdoors turns 28.
02.08.13 – Reyes Estévez (ESP) – One of the best Spanish middle-distance runners in the last two decades Reyes turns 37.

TOP TWEETS
Christine Ohuruogu ‏@chrissyohuruogu
God bless you all! The support for the#anniversary games(more tomorrow!) was more than anyone could hope or ask for. The memories live on. X

KJT ‏@JohnsonThompson
The crowd in the stadium were amazing, as always! I wish athletics crowds were like that all the time! Onto Moscow.....

Eline Berings ‏@ElineBerings
Not my season...