Olympic 3000m steeplechase champion Gulnara Samitova-Galkina of Russia.

Top Russian athletes Gulnara Samitova-Galkina and Anna Chicherova have both announced that they will become mothers for the first time in the coming months and will sadly have to miss this summer's European Athletics Championships in Barcelona.

Both women could have been medal contenders at the Championships, which will be held between 27 July and August 1.

Samitova-Galkina, 31, won the 2008 Olympic Games 3000m Steeplechase gold medal in a world record time of 8:58.81, becoming the first woman in history to break the 9-minute barrier for the event. She finished fourth at last summer's World Championships.

Chicherova, 27, won the 2008 Olympic Games High Jump bronze medal and took the silver medal at last two World Championships. She was also the 2005 European Athletics Indoor Championships High Jump gold medallist.

Both women have said that they plan to return to competition in 2011.