Marta Dominguez of Spain.

The reign in the women’s 3000m steeplechase moved over from Russian superstar Gulnara Galkina to Spanish veteran Marta Dominguez, who finally struck gold at the World Athletics Championships in Berlin.

The Spaniard had had to contend with the number two position in 5000m race on two previous occasions at the World Championships, but the seasoned athlete was able to steal the 3000m steeplechase gold with her trademark final sprint in Berlin.

The biggest surprise of the night however was the lacklusture performance by reigning world record holder and Olympic champion Gulnara Galkina of Russia who finished in fourth place.

For the 100m hurdles injury to Swedish Susanna Kallur meant that Europeans didn’t play a big part in major hurdle races in 2009. There was a pleasant surprise in the Berlin final though as 28-year-old Irish Derval O’Rourke, who won the World Indoor Championships in 2006, set the national record to finish in fourth place at the World Championships.

In the 400m hurdles, there was no commanding figure from Europe either. World record holder Yuliya Pechonkina of Russia was not at her best and although Romanian Angela Morosanu’s European leading time 53.95s was a good progress for her, but the European athletes could only finish in places 6-8 in the Berlin final.

31-year-old Gulnara Galkina had a good start to the season following her Olympic gold medal last summer winning all three steeple races prior to Berlin although she did not run particularly fast times in these competitions.

But it was also clear from the start of the summer that Galkina was not the only favourite from Europe in Berlin. Marta Dominguez of Spain started well with a 9:16.50 national record in June and followed that up with a much faster 9:09.39 NR in July, her only two races before the World Championships.

The Berlin final really was the only steeple race where all the world’s best were competing so predicting a winner in Berlin was always going to be a risky proposition.

Surprisingly with three athletes left in the race during the last lap, it wasn’t Galkina, but another Russian, 23-year-old Yuliya Zarudneva fighting against Dominguez and Kenyan Milcah Chemos.

The young Russian had won the national championships earlier, but wasn’t considered a major threat in Berlin. In the end Dominguez got her reward in the form of the gold medal finishing with another NR 9:07.32 for the title. Zarudneva in second place clocking a 9:08.39 personal best. Galkina faded to fourth place in 9:11.09 with no other Europeans making to the first eight.

Dominguez was later voted as female European Athlete of the Year.

Angela Morosanu of Romania.

Europeans didn’t impress in the 100m hurdles this season. With Susanna Kallur still injured only one athlete made it to the world top 10 this summer.

Derval O’Rourke of Ireland had a couple of quiet season in 2007 and 2008 following an impressive year 2006. Three years ago the Irishwoman had surprised everyone with a gold medal at the World Indoor Championships in Moscow and had also later on set a 12.72s national record at the European Championships for a joint silver medal in the final.

The summer of 2009 did not seem much better for her before Berlin. Her season best was 12.90s and she had only dipped once under 13 seconds. But she timed her form to perfection setting a season’s best in the heats with 12.86s then improving to 12.73s SB to qualify for the final as the last athlete.

In the final, she was even better setting a 12.67 national record for an unprecedented fourth place just 0.12 seconds off the bronze medal. There two national records in 2009 with 27-year-old Czech Lucie Skrobakova improving to 12.73s and 22-year-old Christina Vukicevic setting the Norwegian record 12.74s and both athletes also made it to the semifinals in Berlin.

23-year-old Romanian Angela Morosanu was the fastest European over 400m hurdles in 2009 recording the only sub 54-second time winning the national championships in a 53.95s personal best in August.

The versatile sprinter with a range of events from 60 metres to 400m hurdles progressed to world’s top level in 2007 setting a 54.40s personal best and winning the U23 European Championships, but 2008 summer was plagued by injuries.

In 2009, she started slowly but found her best form just before the Berlin World Championships. She made her first major final to finish in the eighth place.

The best European in Berlin was 28-year-old Natalya Antyukh of Russia, who made a surprise move to 400m hurdles in 2009. The 400m specialist with a personal best of 49.85s in 2004, had run some hurdle races as a junior, but only had a 58.30s PB from 2000 and did not compete in this event since that year.

Following a good fourth place in the 400m final at the European Indoor Championships in Torino, Antyukh only raced in the flat 400m at the start of the summer clocking a 50.90s season’s best at the national championships, but did not make the Berlin team.

She then made a surprise return to the 400m hurdles in early August recording a huge 54.19s personal best at the Russian Cup competition in Tula slicing an massive 4.11 seconds off her 9-year-old personal best.

Surprisingly with only one competition in nine years in this event she was able to make the final to finish in sixth place with another PB 54.11s.

Ukrainian Anastasiya Rabchenyuk was the second best European clocking 54.78s for the seventh place. She had set a 54.49s personal best in the semifinals earlier.

Notable stats:

3000m steeple
New entries on the European all-time list:
3rd 9:07.32 Marta Dominguez ESP
4th 9:08.32 Yuliya Zarudneva RUS
9th 9:18.54 Antje Möldner GER
11th 9:22.15 Yelena Sidorchenkova RUS
14th 9:25.14 Eva Arias ESP
15th 9:25.62 Sophie Duarte FRA
17th 9:26.93 Katarzyna Kowalska POL
22nd 9:28.64 Sara Moreira POR
23rd 9:28.84 Türkan Erismis TUR

2009 head-to-head between best Europeans:
Marta Dominguez ESP – Yuliya Zarudneva RUS 1-0
Marta Dominguez ESP – Gulnara Galkina RUS 1-0
Yuliya Zarudneva RUS - Gulnara Galkina RUS 1-0

Career head-to-head between best Europeans:
Marta Dominguez ESP – Yuliya Zarudneva RUS 1-0
Marta Dominguez ESP – Gulnara Galkina RUS 1-1
Gulnara Galkina RUS - Yuliya Zarudneva RUS 2-1

100m hurdles
2009 head-to-head between best Europeans:
Derval O’Rourke IRL – Lucie Skrobakova CZE 3-1
Derval O’Rourke IRL – Christina Vukicevic NOR 1-1
Derval O’Rourke IRL – Carolin Nytra GER 2-1
Lucie Skrobakova CZE - Carolin Nytra GER 2-0
Christina Vukicevic NOR - Carolin Nytra GER 1-1

Career head-to-head between best Europeans:
Derval O’Rourke IRL – Lucie Skrobakova CZE 11-3
Derval O’Rourke IRL – Christina Vukicevic NOR 3-2
Derval O’Rourke IRL – Carolin Nytra GER 3-2
Lucie Skrobakova CZE - Carolin Nytra GER 4-1
Christina Vukicevic NOR - Carolin Nytra GER 3-1

400m hurdles
New entries for the European all-time list:
18th 53.95 Angela Morosanu ROU
Tied for 24th 54.11 Natalya Antyukh RUS

2009 head-to-head between best Europeans:
Angela Morosanu ROU – Natalya Antyukh RUS 1-1
Angela Morosanu ROU – Anna Jesien POL 3-2
Anastasiya Rabchenyuk UKR - Angela Morosanu ROU 2-1
Anna Jesien POL – Anastasiya Rabchenyuk UKR 6-3

Career head-to-head between best Europeans:
Angela Morosanu ROU – Natalya Antyukh RUS 1-1
Anna Jesien POL - Angela Morosanu ROU 8-4
Anastasiya Rabchenyuk UKR - Angela Morosanu ROU 4-3
Anna Jesien POL – Anastasiya Rabchenyuk UKR 15-9