French prodigy Christophe Lemaitre takes on controversial British sprinter Dwain Chambers in a mouth-watering 100m at the European Athletics Championships, starting today.
The 20-year-old Lemaitre is top of the European rankings for both the 100m and 200m having hit form at just the right time for the championships in Barcelona, the scene of the emblematic 1992 Olympic Games.
Lemaitre has his sights on matching Francis Obikwelu’s 100m and 200m sprint double four years ago in Gothenburg, after breaking the 10-second barrier in the 100m earlier this month with a time of 9.98sec.
It was the first time an athlete of European origin has gone under the magical ten seconds barrier.
He will face a tough challenge from Chambers, now 32, who beat Lemaitre at a meeting in Bergen earlier this year with a time of 9.99sec and he has also won the world indoor 60m title.
“I am running fast in training and I feel mentally stronger so I should improve on my outdoor performances last year. I will be up against talented athletes like Lemaitre so it will not be easy but I am positive,” said Chambers.
The Frenchman’s coach Pierre Carraz believes that Chambers is the man to beat for the rest of the athletes.
“Chambers is the favourite because he has the experience but at the same time Christophe is young and confident,” he said.
The 100m will be far from a two-man race with Norway’s Jaysuma Saidy Ndure in the reckoning as is Lemaitre’s compatriot Martial Mbandjock.
The women’s high jump is also an eagerly awaited event with the 2007 and 2009 world champion Blanka Vlasic looking to beat the long-standing world record of 2.09m set by Stefka Kostadinova.
Germany’s Ariane Friedrich could well be the biggest threat to the Croatian while defending champion, Belgium’s Tia Hellebaut, who beat Vlasic at the Athens Olympics in 2004, is back in contention after a break to have a child.
Britain’s world heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis aims to collect the European title while Merlene Ottey will make history as the oldest woman to take part in the championships. Despite being 50 years old, the Jamaican-born Slovenian will line-up in the 4x100m relay.