Yuriy Borzakovskiy (RUS) (© Getty Images)
The Russian championships will be held in Tula on 7-10 of August and it is shaping up to be the most interesting and tough competitions in the history of the National Championships.
The President of the All Russia Athletics Federation, Valentin Balakhnichev, says that it was his idea to select the team at the National Championships only 10 days before the departure to Paris for the World Championships.
"Some coaches of the team were against my proposal to select the team in the last days before the World Championships," says Balakhnichev, "But we made our selection the same way before the Indoor championships in Birmingham and got very good results.
"It helped us to produce the most productive selection. And I am sure that now again we have a good opportunity to create a powerful team. In some events at the Russian championships the fight will be at the highest level.
"Athletes have been free to participate at any commercial meetings during the summer and it was left up to them to be in top form for the final selection."
The head coach of the National team Valeriy Kulichenko is sure that a new team will be stronger than it was in Edmonton two years ago.
For the first time all athletes, even the absolute leaders are obliged to participate in the Championships, even if for some of them it will be just a formality. For example Yuriy Borzakovskiy will run only in the 4x400 m just to mark his participation in the trials.
The most fierce contest is expected in the women’s events. And it is quite possible that the competition will bring some new record achievements.
In women’s Pole Vault the leader and world record holder Yelena Isinbayeva will be opposed by Svetlana Feofanova, Tatiana Polnova and Yelena Beliakova.
It is quite possible that Isinbayeva once again will try for a record jump. She began to use a new technique with a higher grip and she is taller then Feofanova who will try to compensate her weak points by being faster on the runway and through better techniques.
In the High Jump Marina Kuptsova, Anna Chicherova, Yelena Yelesina and some other jumpers are aiming to produce results over 2.00 and beat the national record. For Kuptsova and Chicherova it will be the competition of their lives.
The same big rivalry is expected in women’s 400, 800 m and in Hammer Throw. The coaches hope that it will not be a problem to keep the top form until the World Championships. That is why the results of the national championships be a good indicator of the team's potential in Paris.
Some of the leaders are going to show in Tula what they have achieved during their summer preparation and how they have overcome their different problems, like the serious illness of Yulia Pechonkina.
The chief coach admits that he is not so happy with the situation in men’s events leading up to the World Championships. He says that there are still no big names in the sprints and long distance running.
