Tia Hellebaut of Belgium, Spain’s Maria Vasco,  Adam Kszczot of Poland and Chema  Martinez of Spain with 'Barni' the mascot of the 20th European Athletics Championships Barcelona 2010.

Olympic champion and defending European high jump champion Tia Hellebaut of Belgium, Spain’s 10000m specialist Chema Martinez, IAAF World Race Walking Cup winner María Vasco and world indoor medallist in the 800m Adam Kszczot of Poland attended the official European Athletics-LOC press conference at the Olympic stadium in Barcelona on Sunday.

Below are the excerpts from the press conference:

Tia Hellebaut, Belgium

What do you think about your chances of defending your title?

TH: Firstly, I’m not thinking about defending my title as some 13 months ago I had a baby. I’m very excited to be back competing and I think I am at a good level. I’ve been training now for nine-and-a-half months. I have twice jumped 1.95m and I feel I can get some more centimetres. I think they are a couple of girls who can jump 2.00m or more.

You have only competed twice so far this season finishing second with 1.95m in both Madrid and Heusden, how satisfied have you been with your form?

TH: I’ve been training since October and I was training better and better and I thought it would be nice to get some competitions. I think it has been a really good start to have two competitions and jump 1.95m. I jumped better in the second competition than the week before. It is not the same level as two years ago, but I think I can get close to 2.00m and I’m very satisfied with that.

Is there any extra motivation to perform well since giving birth to a baby daughter?

TH: You know it is a life-changing experience, but I always enjoy being on the track and I enjoy high jump. It is, of course, nice to have Lotte here too. She is staying in a flat here with my parents.

You switched from heptathlon to high jump, do you plan to return to heptathlon in future?

TH: On the heptathlon, I would never say never but I will never compete in heptathlon again.

María Vasco, Spain

What do you think about the idea of starting and finishing your race in the city centre instead of the stadium?

It’s true that last year at the Berlin World Championships and this year at the Europeans the road events specialists like me will not have the opportunity to performe inside the stadium and we have to compete at the city centre instead. It will be a very different experience from finishing in the stadium. The organisers have designed a 1-km circuit, which is totally flat and lots of spectators will be able to see us many times which is an obvious advantage for them and also for us as an athletes. It will be fun and I am looking forward to it. I hope I can be at the stadium the following day to receive a medal!

Who do you think is your toughest rival here?

I think there are plenty of top walkers in contention like the Russian trio, the Portuguese girls and also my team-mate Beatriz Pascual. It will be a very strong contest.

You were born in Barcelona, so do you think you will be under some sort of pressure to performing at home or competing in front of your home crowd will be an advantage?

Of course the second point; actually there is not anything negative competing at home, everything is an advantage. I’m happy since my people will be able to witness live a major champsionships and I hope to pay them back for their support and help with a brilliant performance.

Chema Martínez, Spain

What exactly are your ambitions here in Barcelona, would you settle for a silver medal?

Of course, I only think of the gold medal. I have trained really hard for many months and I can’t think of anything other than that. But once the race is over, and I finish outside the top three, it’s likely that I may regret my comment (laughs).

How tough do you think the race is going to be for you?

The start is scheduled for 10.05m which means that the second half of the event will be really hard due to the weather conditions which will include heat and humidity for sure. Even so, I would have liked the finish line to be located at the stadium after going up the extremely demanding up-hills in Montjuic would not have been a great idea.

Which rival do you fears most?

I have to say that I have not even had a look at the entry list. It’s enough task for me to be in good form, I’m really focused on myself.

Adam Kszczot, Poland

Why do you think Polish athletics is so strong at the moment?

AK: I don’t know maybe the coaches are very good, the athletes are very talented.

What is your relationship like with Marcin Lewandowski?

AK: I have a very good relationship with Marcin. I see him at a lot of events and we don’t have a big problem with communication.

What is your reaction to 2004 Olympic 800m champion Yuriy Borzakovskiy of Russia pulling out of the 800m through injury, are you happy or sad?

AK: Maybe, more sad than happy. He is a great runner who has done a lot for European athletics.

You enjoyed a great indoor season how would assess form during the outdoor season, so far?

AK: It is difficult to say what my shape is outdoors this season. I have had some good races but some problem with my calf.

What do you hope to achieve at the European Championships?

AK: First, I have to go through the rounds and then we will see what happens.