Chaboudez targets Tampere 2013

Aurélie Chaboudez is one of France's great hopes for the future, but she is keeping her feet firmly on the ground and taking it all step by step. In the last two years she has collected European junior silver in the 400m hurdles in Tallin and followed that this year with yet another silver at the world juniors in Barcelona.

Next May she turns 20 so she will be mixing it with the seniors next summer, but for the time being she is not getting ahead of herself and is aiming in the first instance for yet another important stepping stone: 'The European Athletics U23 Championships are my number one objective next year,' she told athle.com. 'I have to forge a place amongst the best in the world in the next three years. I am going to try to realise my potential as a senior based on my junior results as quickly as possible. All the girls were once my age!'

Chaboudez's march through the age groups started to gain momentum at the Singapore Youth Olympic Games in 2010 which she won. The following year it was time for Tallin where she picked up European junior silver and almost caused a big upset. The outstanding favourite from Russia, Vera Rudakova, held a substantial lead coming into the straight but coming off the final hurdle the Frenchwoman launched a spirited attack and only just failed to catch Rudakova on the line. At the Barcelona world juniors she captured another silver, but this time with the added bonus of a French junior record 57.14.

'I'm quite happy with what I did in Barcelona,' said Chaboudez. 'The season went well. I didn't have any physical or mental problems. I could maybe have gone faster in the world juniors. I was in lane nine and running blind but I got a good start.'

She was beaten by Jamaican Janeive Russell by over half a second, but Chaboudez was equally well ahead of the bronze medallist from the USA, Kaila Barber and she has no regrets about not being in the fight for gold: 'I still beat the French record,' she asserts. 'The adrenaline you get in the big events motivates me. I have always done well at championships.'

As a reward for her season she was invited to take part in the Monaco Diamond League, finishing 7th in 57.93: 'It was monster! This competition allowed me to see the kind of level I was going to have to reach later. I raced against champions! It was a good experience even if I ended up a long way back. It was a little present.'

Though her success has come over the hurdles, Chaboudez also competes at the heptathlon: 'Last year I only started training specifically for the hurdles in May,' she explained. 'But the heptathlon sessions are complementary. Next year I shall do two heptathlon sessions a week and two hurdles sessions.' Last year in the heptathlon Chaboudez was third at the French national championships with a personal best score of 5660.