Radeviča: "I am a championship athlete and I am going to defend my title"

At the age of 30, this Latvian born talent who now trains in Moscow, where she lives with her husband, the Russian international ice hockey player Petr Schastlivy, and their son Mark, has a deep understanding of how fleeting, and how precious, is the opportunity to compete in elite track and field.

Big success came relatively late in the career of a woman who raised more than a few eyebrows on the eve of the 2004 Athens Olympics – where she produced personal bests in the long and triple jump but narrowly failed to reach either final – by posing for a Playboy photoshoot dedicated to those about to contest the Games.

In 2010, a year after giving birth to her son, she produced the performance of her career to date in securing the European title in Barcelona with a personal best leap of 6.92m. She is absolutely determined to seek another gold at this summer's Helsinki European Athletics Championships.

"There was never any doubt about me defending my title in Helsinki," she said in Oslo. "I am not one of these people who says: 'I am not going into the office today.'

"My coach Yevgeny Ter-Avanesov always tells me I am a championship athlete, and I think he is right. The Diamond League is great, but for me the important thing is to be ready for the big championships."

The European arena is the one where Radevica has enjoyed her most profitable athletic experiences. She was a bronze medallist in both the triple and long jump at the 2003 European Athletics U23 Championships, and finished fifth in the long jump at the 2005 European Athletics Indoor championships before her triumph in Barcelona.

And she is hoping that further success in Helsinki will springboard her on to her first appearance in a final at the Olympics – the last of which, in 2008, she watched on television while pregnant.

Being a mother, she says, has deepened her appreciation of athletics – and also ensured she trains at maximum intensity.

From the age of one year old she was accustomed to playing in the sand of a jumping pit while her mother – who later acted as her early coach – practised on the track in their home town of Kraslovska, Latvia.

But as a mother she has not adopted a similar approach – Mark stays away from the pit and is looked after at home! While she trains, however, she is acutely aware that it is time spent away from her child.

"It makes me realise that I need to make the most out of every minute while I am working," she said. "Every minute spent training is time away from my son, so I work to ensure it is worth it. It also helps me to achieve more in my career – and one day he will be able to see what I was working for."

As the Helsinki Europeans approach, you would expect Radevica to reflect warmly upon her experience at the last Championships. After having her son in 2009, she worked so hard that when she met up with her coach in Moscow in December he was so impressed that the goal of winning European gold the following year was set – and achieved, as she bettered her previous best of 6.80, set five years ago.

In doing so, Radevica broke her own national record and became the first ever female European champion from Latvia, matching the achievement of Stanislav Olijars in 2006 over the 110m hurdles.

Radevica dominated her competition from the start, leading in every round until the fourth, when Portugal's Naide Gomes went ahead with 6.92. But Radevica responded immediately to match Gomes' effort, and took gold thanks to a second best attempt of 6.87 against 6.68 by Gomes.

"The competition in Barcelona was amazing," Radevica said. "To this day I have not found the correct words to describe my emotions. But my coach says that the biggest mistake an athlete can make is living in the past.

"The gold medal will always bring great memories but I still enjoy the life today, this exact moment, and plan the future, hoping for the best at the London 2012 Olympics."

Asked to clarify the comment of her coach, she added: "He meant that no athlete can afford to rest on their former glories. You have to look to the next competition always."

And so Radevica looks towards the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki.

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