European Athlete of the Year Marta Domínguez of Spain has her eyes set on European Athletics Championships to be held in Barcelona through 27 July to 1 August.

European Athlete of the Year Marta Domínguez has now put away her formal dresses and firmly laced up her running shoes, after several months of restrained training while she had a hectic few months of picking up award after award.

"I've attended a multitude of events since last August - it was a pity I couldn't accept every invitation - but now these commitments are behind me and I'm preparing seriously for B10 (this year's European Athletics Championships which are being held in Barcelona between July 27 and August 1)," Spain's star runner told the Championships web site - www.bcn2010.org

Domínguez triumphed in the 3000m steeplechase at last summer's World Championships to become the toast of Spanish athletics as her country's only gold medallist in Berlin. Her winning time of 9:07.32 made her the third fastest woman ever in the event.

She is also a very accomplished runner over 5000m and is the reigning European champion over that distance, having won in 2002 and 2006, but in Barcelona she will be looking to add to her gold medal collection with a victory over the barriers.

"My track debut, like last year, will be in June at the earliest," added Domínguez, although she has one last low-key outing this winter and will be on the start line of a cross country race in Caceres on February 14.

After that race, she will concentrate on getting ready to resist the challenge from the best of the rest of Europe's other women steeplechasers, particularly the Russians.

The trio that Russia will send at the European Athletics Championships are likely to be medal contenders along with Domínguez, regardless of their names. Possibly among them will be Yuliya Zarudneva, the silver medallist behind Domínguez in the German capital, and Gulnara Galkina, the 2008 Olympic champion and world record holder who finished fourth at the World Championships.

"My only objective this year is the B10 3000m steeplechase final. I know the day and date already, it will be held on 30 July at 8.25pm. The event will almost be a repetition of the Berlin final where eight European athletes competed, three of the best four coming from the continent.  There is no other goal than that. I have to prepare very well and I will run two or three races ahead of B10, but the only important thing for me is this final," added Domínguez.