Veteran sprinter Merlene Ottey, who first shot to fame at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, will make history at this week's European championships when she competes at the age of 50.

The former Jamaican runner has been selected in Slovenia's 4x100m relay squad for the event in Barcelona which starts tomorrow.

Ottey, who took Slovenian citizenship in 2002, won a bronze medal in the 200m at the 1980 Olympics, the first of nine medals she collected at Olympic level.

However, she never managed to win gold at the Games. She also won 20 medals in outdoor and indoor world championships.

In 2008, she failed to qualify for the Beijing Olympics having raced in the previous seven Summer Games.

France's Nicole Brakebusch-Leveque is the oldest athlete so far to compete in the European Championships. She was 47 when she contested the marathon in Budapest in 1998.

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