World indoor champion Nadezya Ostapchuk of Belarus will go in as the favourite for the women's Shot title at the 10th edition of European Cup Winter Throwing to be held in Arles, France, over the weekend.

The European Cup Winter Throwing meeting has historically provided an early season opportunity for the continent's top throwers. Last year, in Los Realejos on the Spanish island of Tenerife, Poland's Anita Wlodarczyk gave a hint of what was to come later in 2009 when she produced what was then a world-leading mark of 75.05m.

Wlodarczyk went on to win women's Hammer gold medal at the World Championships in Berlin with a world record throw of 77.96m. Here is a curtain-raiser to what is in store this weekend as the 10th edition of the event takes place in Arles, France.

Shot Put
Belarus' Nadezya Ostapchuk set two championship records during a high class competition en-route to her gold medal at the World Indoor Championships and also produced the longest throw in the world for 22 years, indoors or out, with her huge 21.70m on home soil last month.

Now the 2005 World champion will be looking to improve on her outdoor national record of 21.05m, which has stood for nearly five years.

"I came back from Doha with a slight leg injury but it's nothing too serious and I'll be looking to do well in the Cup," said Ostapchuk.

Also in the competition is her compatriot Natalia Mikhnevich, who was third in Doha. The pair is a good distance ahead of the rest of the field but the likes of Germany's Christina Schwanitz, Russia's Anna Omorova and Rumania's Anca Heltne will all be looking to perform well.

The trio can all reasonably harbour ambitions to finish in the top six at the European Athletics Championships in Barcelona later this year.

Germany's Betty Heidler will face stiff competition in the women's Hammer field.

Discus Throw
Rumania's evergreen Nicoleta Grasu, the 1998 and 2006 European Athletics Championships bronze medallist who also picked up another bronze at last summer's World Championships, is arguably the leading name among the 19 entries.

However the 38-year-old Grasu, who won the Cup competition 12 months ago, will have some strong competition from Poland's Zaneta Glanc and Russia's Natalya Sadova.

Glanc finished second at the 2009 European Cup Winter Throwing and fourth at the 2009 World Championships while Sadova, the 2004 Olympic champion and a two-time silver medallist at the European Athletics Championships, is still a formidable competitor.

Hammer Throw
Germany's Betty Heidler, the 2007 World champion and silver medallist last summer, returns to Europe after a training stint in South Africa having already thrown 75.27m last week in the southern hemisphere.

"That's the best start to the season I've ever had. Nevertheless, I am not quite satisfied with the outcome, because I could have thrown a lot further. I'm going to the European Cup Winter Throwing meeting, where I want to throw much better. I am definitely super motivated," said Heidler earlier this week.

However, Heidler will not be able to relax as the women's Hammer is arguably the strong competition of the weekend in terms of depth. Another five finalists from last summer's World Championships are also competing.

Heidler's fellow German Kathrin Klaas, fourth in Berlin, accompanies her to Arles while Russia's former world record holder Tatyana Lysenko, Italy's Clarissa Claretti and the French pair of Stéphanie Falzon and Manuéla Montebrun also made the top 12 in Berlin.

Lots of attention will also be on Romania's Bianca Perie, who has dominated junior hammer throwing in both Europe and the world for the last four years and who competes in her first major senior competition in Arles.

Last summer, at the 2009 European Athletics Junior Championships in Novi Sad, Serbia, Perie defended her European junior title with a championship record of 68.59m.

In addition to her two European junior titles, Perie also won at two World Youth Championships and two World Junior Championships.

Mariya Abakumova will be aiming at improving her personal best 70.78m, which fetched her an Olympic silver medal, in Arles.

Javelin Throw
The big question seems to be, "How far will Mariya Abakumova throw?"

Last month at Russia's big winter throwing meeting, the Lunev Memorial in Adler, the 2009 World Championships bronze medallist Mariya Abakumova launched the Javelin out to 68.31m.

Nobody has ever thrown the Javelin so far so early in the year.

If the weather conditions are helpful in Arles, the 24-year-old from Stavropol, who was also the 2008 Olympic Games silver medallist, could attack her personal best of 70.78m which she threw in Beijing.

Like with the women's Hammer, a host of finalists from last summer's World Championships will also be on display and aiming to cause an upset.

Romania's Monica Stoian finished fourth in Berlin and Germany's Linda Stahl was sixth. Other World Championships finalists who have opted for an early test of form are Romania's Maria Negoita and Slovenia's Martina Ratej.