In a weekly round-up, European Athletics looks at a big issue in the sport, sets the scene for the week ahead and reviews the past few days.

The setting is Tampere in Finland in three days time, the competition is the European Athletics U23 Championships and the message is clear - be ready to become an athletics star.

Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad broke the 3000m steeplechase European record on a memorable Saturday night for French athletes at the IAAF Diamond League in Paris.

Bernard Dematteis, who has tried and failed in the past, finally ended the dominance of Turkey's Ahmet Arslan to win the senior men's race at the 12th European Mountain Running Championships (Uphill) in Borovets, Bulgaria, on a memorable Saturday morni...

When it came to decision time for the Olympic Games in London, French sprinter Christophe Lemaitre opted for the 200m instead of the 100m.

Turkey's Ahmet Arslan will bid for a seventh successive title at the European Mountain Running Championships on Saturday - and victory will be the perfect birthday present.