European Cup Combined Events 2006 - review (0)
Every year at the beginning of July around 150 athletes take part in the European Cup Combined Events, the biggest annual combined events competition in Europe. In 2006 24 men's and 22 women's teams plus some individual competitors will compete in the Super League, First League and Second League at three different venues across the continent.
This year the Super League takes place in Arles, a traditional home of combined events in the south of France. The town hosts a high quality international combined events meeting each year and has previously staged the European Cup Combined Events on three occasions.
The European Cup Combined Events is an important competition for the development of decathlon and heptathlon within Europe. Each year a mixture of the world's best and young up-and-coming athletes compete for their countries in one of the few combined events competitions for national teams.
In 2004, the Olympic gold and silver medallists, Carolina Klüft (SWE) and Austra Skujyte (LTU) battled it out in the heptathlon in the First League, while in the Super League young Estonian Mikk Pahapill broke through the 8000 point barrier for the first time to signal his arrival amongst the world's best. And back in 1997 a young Czech called Roman Sebrle first came to attention when he beat Erki Nool (EST) to win the Super League.