Big men and the little women will provide the highlights of the first day of the 2014 European Athletics Championships when the first Zurich medals are due to be awarded in the men’s shot put and women’s 10,000m.

Renaud Lavillenie is relaxed, fully fit and looking forward to challenging for a third consecutive European pole vault title.

Dafne Schippers has transformed herself this season from a highly promising heptathlete to a major contender for European gold at both 100m and 200m.

It is 60 years since Switzerland staged its one and only European Athletics Championships in Berne and now, starting on Tuesday, Zurich will bridge that gap as it aims to go beyond just the dramatic action set for the Letzigrund Stadium.

More than 60 young people representing 45 countries have arrived in Zurich and begun work on the 4th European Athletics-UNESCO Young Leaders Forum, which runs through the 14th of August.

It will be an impressive field of athletes lined up for the 100m final on Wednesday 13 August, and Germany’s Verena Sailer will surely have a big role to play.