• Oleksiy Kasyanov and Romain Barras will be favourites to succeed the great Czech Roman Sebrle as European decathlon champion. No one can replace the world record holder, of course, but after two lean years in which he’s finished sixth at the Olympic Games and 11th in the Berlin world championships, Sebrle will relinquish his last major title after being forced out with a hamstring injury.

• Like Sebrle, Kasyanov also failed to finish in Götzis when he no heighted in the pole vault. But his victory over Aleksey Drozdov in the TNT meeting in Kladno in June (8381 points) placed him top of the European rankings by 68. The Ukrainian finished just out of the medals in Berlin and is aiming to add the B10 title to his European indoor silver medal from 2009.

• Barras finished 8th in 2006 and has also been in fine form, finishing second to USA’s Olympic champion Bryan Clay in Götzis then winning the individual title at the European Cup Combined Events Super League with 8313. He will have his sights firmly set on a first major title in Barcelona.

• Russia’s Aleksey Drozdov, bronze in Göteborg, tasted European success when he won the U23 championships in 2005. He set his PB of 8475 when just missing out on a medal at the 2007 world championships in Osaka. Estonia’s Mikk Pahapill won the European indoor heptathlon title ahead of Kasyanov last year. Despite failing to finish in Göteborg, his confidence will have been boosted by his lead over Barras at the European Cup Combined Events this year until the final 1500m. He eventually finished second (8198, points just 57 from his PB).

• Other challengers to consider include Eelco Sintnicolaas of the Netherlands and Belarussia’s Olympic silver medallist Andrei Krauchanko, who were fifth and sixth in Götzis respectively, plus Frenchman Nadir El Fassi.

Heptathlon

• Another great champion will pass on her crown in the heptathlon. Carolina Kluft retained her European title in front of her home crowd in 2006 winning by a margin of more than 300 points (6740), a championships record.

• A young Briton called Jessica Ennis finished that competition in eighth place. Four years on, Ennis arrives in Barcelona as the world outdoor and indoor champion, and overwhelming favourite to succeed the great Swede by adding the European gold to her growing collection. Aged 24, Ennis was forced to miss the 2008 Olympic Games with ankle injury but has since won almost everything in her sights, including in Götzis at the end of May this year finishing with 6689 points, 117 over her nearest rival Tatyana Chernova. This year she has set 11 PBs indoors and out, including two national records and is clearly the number one in European standings.

• Chernova will certainly be ready to take advantage should Ennis slip below her best. The Russian Olympic bronze medallist picked up a world indoor bronze behind Ennis in Doha and, with 6572 points showed that she can be a major medal contender.

• As could Germany’s, Jennifer Oeser, ranked third in Europe after finishing first at the Erdgas meeting in Ratingen. Oeser was fourth in Göteborg anad took silver behind Ennis in Berlin. She could again be the athlete who emerges to push the Briton hardest in Barcelona – the 6427 points she scored in Ratingen in June was only 66 below her PB.

• Other medal contenders include the Czech record holder Eliska Klucinová and Lyudmila Yosypenko from Ukraine, fifth in the Berlin world championships and third behind Ennis and Chernova in Götzis. Yoyspenko’s team mate Nataliya Dobrynska (highest PB:6733, two over Ennis) has emerged after a below par spell, to break her national record and take world indoor pentathlon silver behind Ennis in Doha and maybe a threat if she’s in shape.