17 July 2013

Emelia Gorecka (Mick Woods) spoke with confidence at this afternoon’s European Athletics Junior Championship press conference, held at the Rieti Chamber of Commerce.

On the eve of the championships, which take place from 18-21 July, Gorecka said she was "feeling really confident and looking forward to the event – it should be fantastic.”

The GB & NI junior team will be looking to follow on from the success of the U23 team in Tampere, Finland last weekend, which returned home with 15 medals, five of which were gold. As the reigning silver medallist from the European Junior Championships two years ago, Gorecka will certainly be looking to lead the medal charge.

"It’s my last year as a junior, so despite getting my first senior vest earlier in the year, I still want to be a junior and complete my junior career on a high.”

What’s missing from her junior career? “A few more golds” she said with a smile. “In Estonia [European Junior Championships] two years ago I came second, in Barcelona [IAAF World Junior Championships] last year I came third, but on the track I haven’t got a gold yet, and so that’s what I’m looking for this weekend!”

The two-time European Junior Cross Country champion was also asked how she would prepare for the heat in Rieti.

“It’s a learning curve – two years ago in Estonia it was very hot and that affected me quite a lot. So in Barcelona, I did everything to stay hydrated and look after myself; I stayed in the shade and tried not to overcook myself, and that is the same this weekend. I’ve heard there is going to be a rainstorm, so hopefully that will clear the air and it won’t be too hot, but either way, I know from Barcelona I can compete in the heat and humidity now, so I’m not too worried.”

All four athletes on the interview panel; Gorecka, Swedish World Junior javelin champion Sofi Flinck and Italian duo Roberta Bruni & Lorenzo Perini were asked who they aspired to, and Gorecka’s answer was:

"I was there on Super Saturday at London 2012 when we got three golds, and I’ve met Jessica Ennis and Mo Farah personally as well. Seeing how they conducted themselves around the competition area and how fantastically they performed, means I aspire to be like those athletes."

Gorecka aside, David King (James Hillier), Hayley McLean (Steve Mitchell), Zak Seddon (Jeff Seddon) and the Women’s 4x100m team all top this year’s European Junior rankings in their respective events, and they, along with a number of other members of the team, will be aiming for a medal in Rieti.

The press conference also saw European Athletics President, Hansjörg Wirz, present the European Athletics Anti-Doping Education Programme, which is being used to educate young athletes at both the European Junior & European U23 Championships. 

A live stream of the event can be found on the European Athletics website: http://eurovision.digotel.com/ea/index.html
For a full event timetable please click here: http://www.rieti2013.org/index.html
You can also follow updates of all GB & NI performances via our twitter page: @BritAthletics