Yelena Isinbayeva celebrates setting a new World Indoor record in Birmingham (© Getty Images)
The Chief Coach of the Russian athletic team Valeriy Kulichenko declared his athletes will target a total of 15 medals (5 gold, 5 silver and 5 bronze) at the European Indoor Championships in Madrid (4-6 March).
Taking into consideration that at the Athens Olympics the team got 20 medals (6 gold, 7 silver and 7 bronze) the task set doesn’t look that difficult, especially as the achievements of Russian athletes at 27 previous European Indoor Championships have been spectacular.
However only one of the 6 Athens Olympic champions will be present in Madrid: Yelena Isinbayeva.
Indeed both Tatyana Lebedeva and Yelena Slesarenko have decided to take break since the Olympic Games and have only resumed practice rather late during this indoor season.
On the other hand and although he clocked the World 800m season best, Yuriy Borzakovskiy does not plan to attend the European Indoor Championships in Madrid.
Therefore the Russian team consisting this time of 68 athletes is counting mainly on Yelena Isinbayeva. Other world season leaders in this indoor season will also aim at winning gold, especially high jumper Yaroslav Rybakov.
The European champion last week set the national indoor record when clearing 2.38 in Stockholm. Also last year’s World Indoor Pole Vault champion Igor Pavlov is in good shape and recently cleared 5.80.
Larisa Czhao who changed her former coach has evidently made a break through: this season she has broken inside 2 minutes at 800m no less than three times.
Irina Shevchenko is also a world season leader (at women's 60m Hurdles) although it is difficult to predict what her shape in Madrid will turn out to be after her recent illness which forced her to withdraw from the national championships.
Obviously the women’s 4x400m relay team is traditionally strong with three members of the team having run under 52 seconds
Nickolai Dolgopolov and Rostislav Orlov for the IAAF
Russian Team for Madrid
Men’s Team - 31 athletes
Dmitriy Bogdanov 800m (11.4.79) 1:45.84
Aleksand Dorschenko 400m (8.6.82) 46.96
Alersei Drozdov Heptathlon (3.12.83) 6195
Pavel Fomenko High Jump (29.6.76) 2.32
Dmitriy Forshev 400m (30.5.76) 46.29
Vladislav Frolov 400m (24.07.80) 47.38
Pavel Gerasimov Pole Vault (29.5.79) 5.80
Sergei Ivanov 3000m (3.3.79) 7:55.92
Stanislav Khukharkin 1500m (7.11.71) 3:45.82
Oleg Korotkov Shot Put (16.3.80) 19.80
Artem Kuptsov Pole Vault (22.4.84) 5.66
Pavel Naumov 3000m (26.12.79) 7:55.04
Dmitriy Onufrienko 1500m (12.8.80) 3:42.80
Pavlov Igor Pole Vault (18.7.79) 5.80
Igor Peremota 60m hurdles (14.1.81) 7.73
Aleksandr Petrenko Triple Jump (8.2.83) 16.94
Aleksandr Pogorelov Heptaphlon (10.1.80) 6026
Andrei Polukeyev 400m (13.05.81) 47.50
Yaroslav Rybakov High Jump (22.11.80) 2.38
Dmitriy Sapinskiy Long Jump (13.10.83) 8.04
Aleksandr Sergeev Triple Jump (7.6.83) 17.23
Vyacheslav Shabunin 1500m (27.9.69) 3:36.68
Pavel Shapovalov 3000m (10.10.75) 7:51.61
Vitaliy Shkurlatov Long Jump (25.5.79) 8.36
Aleksandr Smirnov 60 m (25.2.74) 6.63
Pavel Sofin Shot Put (4.9.81) 19.46
Igor Spasovkhodskiy Triple Jump (1.8.79) 17.09
Andrei Tereshin High Jump (15.12.82) 2.31
Aleksandr Ushkov 400m (2.10.76) 46.35
Andrei Epishin 60m (10.6.81) 6.63
Ivan Yushkov Shot Put (15.1.81) 20.49
Women’s team – 32 athletes
Aleksandrova Ekaaterina High Jump (3.6.77) 1.98
Anna Alminova 1500m (17.1.85) 4:10.61
Natalya Belinskaya Pole Vault (21.1.83) 4.50
Mariya Bolikova 60m (23.5.77) 7.11
Oksana Chibisova Shot Put (31.3.77) 18.42
Anna Chicherova High Jump (22.7.82) 2.04
Yuliya Chizhenko 1500m (30.8.79) 4.07.68
Larisa Czhao 800m (4.2.71) 1:57.23
Tatyana Gordeeva Pentathlon (3.6.73) 4618
Ekaterina Grigoryeva 60 m (21.4.74) 7.05
Victoriya Gurova Triple Jump (22.5.82) 14.43
Yuliya Gushchina 200m (4.3.83) 22.84
Anastasiya Ilyna Long Jump (16.1.82) 6.65
Elena Isinbaeva Pole Vault (3.6.82) 4.87
Lyubov Ivanova 3000m (2.3.81) 8:53.50
Natalya Ivanova 200m (25.6.81) 23.18
Olga Ivanova Shot Put (6.4.79) 18.11
Elena Kanales 3000m (7.2.76) 8:56.83
Tatyana Kivimyagi(Novoseltseva) High Jump (23.6.84) 1.96
Ludmila Kolchanova Long Jump (1.10.79) 6.60
Ekaterina Kondratyeva 200m (8.4.82) 23.19
Larisa Kruglova 60m (27.10. 72) 7.16
Tatyana Levina 4x400m (28.02.77) 51.25
Irina Melnikova Long Jump (14.5.75) 6.71
Elena Oleynikova Triple Jump (9.12.76) 14.60
Yuliya Pechonkina 400m (21.4.79) 51.00
Tatyana Polnova Pole Vault (20.9.79) 4.71
Svetlana Pospelova 400m (24.12.79) 51.57
Oksana Rogova Triple Jump (7.10.78) 14.70
Irina Rosokhina 400m (11.5.75) 51.58
Olga Ryabinkina Shot Put (24.9.76) 18.92
Irina Shevchenko 60m hurles (2.9.75) 7.90
Lilya Shobukhova 3000m (13.11.77) 8:46.92
Natalya Tsiganova 800m (7.2.71) 1:57.47
Irina Vashentseva 800m (30.9.80) 1:58.48
Olga Zaitseva 4x400m (10.11.84) 52.61
Oksana Zbrozhek 1500m (12.1.78) 4:14.75
