Croatia’s Sandra Perkovic is ready for Barcelona 2010 medal

10/03/2010

A new star has appeared on Croatia’s athletics horizon – discus thrower Sandra Perkovic – only 19 years old and yet ready to climb the podium at this year’s most important event, the European Athletics Championships Barcelona 2010. With her brilliant 66,85m performance at the Croatian winter throws champs in Split last Saturday she improved her own national record by 4,06 metres.

"Obviously the two big goals for this summer are the European Athletics Championships in Barcelona and the IAAF Continental Cup. If I can throw as well in Barcelona as I did in Split this weekend then I could get a medal. It might even be good enough for gold," she commented, knowing that Russia's Darya Pishchalnikova won her European title with 65.55m in Göteborg four years ago.

Perkovic, who won last year’s European Athletics junior championships held in Novi Sad, Serbia, is the hot favourite to obtain the first Croatian medal at a European Athletics Championships since their independence. The female Discus final will take place on Wednesday, 28 July at 6.30pm, four days ahead of the female High Jump final, where the country’s top star Blanka Vlasic will fight for her first European gold.

"Blanka has been great for athletics in Croatia but it would be even better if there were other faces for the public to recognise as well”, said Perkovic, who, apart from her young career, has already experienced a big international competition when she made it to the Discus final last year in Berlin.

Regarding 2010 she is very confident saying that “you can expect a lot from me this year”. Before travelling to Barcelona in July she will participate at the European Cup Winter Throwing in Arles, France, on 20-21 March and later this year, one month after the European Athletics Championships, she will compete at the IAAF Continental Cup on home soil (Split).