9 November 2015 

UK Athletics, the national governing body for British Athletics, has announced today the Olympic and Paralympic athletes who have been offered support through its World Class Performance Programme (WCPP) for 2015 – 2016.

Funded by the National Lottery through UK Sport, WCPP selection is based upon the potential to win medals at an Olympic or Paralympic Games and is split into two levels: Podium (for athletes with the potential to medal at Rio 2016) and Podium Potential (for athletes developing towards Tokyo 2020).

UK Athletics has invited 21 athletes to join its Olympic Podium programme and 25 athletes to the Paralympic Podium programme.  An additional 29 Olympic and 27 Paralympic athletes have been offered the opportunity to join the respective Podium Potential programmes, with 31 being offered support across the various relay programmes.

British Athletics Performance Director Neil Black said: "2015 was an excellent year for the British Athletics teams at both the IAAF and IPC World Championships, in Beijing and Doha respectively, and I am confident those we have invited onto the 2015-16 WCPP will build on the foundations and successes achieved over the last 12 months.  

“Our immediate focus is firmly on medals next year in Rio 2016, followed by London 2017 when we will host both the IAAF and IPC World Athletics Championships.  From there, the attention shifts to Tokyo 2020.  Our WCPP selections absolutely reflect that focus and all the athletes selected will be expected to fulfil tough performance criteria.

"I look forward to working with these exceptionally talented athletes as we head into an Olympic and Paralympic year, which also includes the World Indoor Championships and the [European Athletics and IPC] European Championships.

“I am particularly delighted that seven new athletes and three para-athletes from our Futures Programme are being offered the chance to join the WCPP.  They are in addition to the 28 Futures graduates already on WCPP, showing the support pathway for our young athletes and their coaches is in excellent health and working just as planned.”

British Athletics invests 100% of the UK Sport grant on elite coaching, provision of world class training facilities, medical and sports science services, warm weather training camps and major championships team travel to ensure its athletes perform to the highest achievable standards.

PODIUM WCPP

Olympic (21)

Dina Asher-Smith (John Blackie); Holly Bradshaw (Scott Simpson); Jessica Ennis-Hill (Toni Minichiello); Mohamed Farah (Alberto Salazar); Adam Gemili (Steve Fudge); Robbie Grabarz (Fuzz Ahmed); Dai Greene (Benke Blomkvist); Sophie Hitchon (Tore Gustafsson); Zharnel Hughes (Glen Mills); Katarina Johnson-Thompson (Mike Holmes); Laura Muir (Andy Young); Christine Ohuruogu (Christine Bowmaker); Andrew Osagie; Tiffany Porter (Rana Reider); Andy Pozzi (Malcolm Arnold); Shara Proctor (Rana Reider); Greg Rutherford (Jonas Tawiah-Dodoo); William Sharman (Benke Blomkvist); Lynsey Sharp (Rana Reider); Lorraine Ugen (Shawn Jackson); Laura Weightman (Steve Cram)

Paralympic (25)

Hollie Arnold (Anthony Hughes); Paul Blake (Rob Ellchuk); Daniel Bramall (Rick Hoskins); Jonathan Broom-Edwards (Fuzz Ahmed); Mickey Bushell (Jenny Archer); Joanna Butterfield (Phil Peat/Shona Malcolm); Hannah Cockroft (Jenni Banks); Kadeena Cox (Brian Scobie); Aled Davies (Ryan Spencer-Jones);  Kyron Duke (Anthony Hughes); Toby Gold (Jenny Archer); Dan Greaves (John Godina);  Sophie Hahn (Joe McDonnell); Georgina Hermitage (Paul MacGregor); Abbie Hunnisett (Mark Hunnisett); Sophie Kamlish (Rob Ellchuk); Maria Lyle (Tabo Huntley); Dean Miller (Bud Baldaro); Stephen Miller (Ros Miller); Stephen Osborne (Jenni Banks); Melissa Nicholls (Job King); Jonnie Peacock (Steve Fudge);  Stefanie Reid (Aston Moore); Richard Whitehead (Keith Antoine); Bethany Woodward (Lee Doran)

PODIUM POTENTIAL WCPP

Olympic (29)

Kate Avery (Tony Simmons); Chris Baker (Sharon Heveran); Meghan Beesley (Nick Dakin); Tom Bosworth (Andi Drake); Dan Bramble (Frank Attoh); Lucy Bryan (Charles Preston); Ashley Bryant (Aston Moore); Mark Dry (Chris Black); Tom Farrell (Mark Rowland); Niall Flannery (Nick Dakin); Emelia Gorecka (Mick Woods); Charlie Grice (Jon Bigg); Adam Hague (Trevor Fox); Lucy Hatton (Jerzy Maciukiewicz); Jessica Judd (George Gandy); Chris Kandu (Fuzz Ahmed); Morgan Lake (Eldon Lake); Kyle Langford (George Harrison); Nick Miller (Tore Gustafsson); Chris O’Hare (Terrence Mahon); David Omoregie (Benke Blomkvist); Shelayna Oskan-Clarke (Ayo Falola); Isobel Pooley (Fuzz Ahmed); Shona Richards (Marina Armstrong); Jazmin Sawyers (Alan Lerwill); Allan Smith (Bryan Roy); David Smith (Fuzz Ahmed); Serita Solomon (Michelle Bovell); Jake Wightman (Geoff Wightman)

Paralympic (27)

Kare Adenegan (Job King); Joshua Bain (Paul Welch); Samantha Bowen (Anthony Hughes); Shaun Burrows (Joe McDonnell); Richard Chiassaro (Jenni Banks); Sabrina Fortune (Ian Robinson); Kylie Grimes (Phil Peat); Claire Harvey (Shelley Holroyd); David Henson (Roger Keller); Jordan Howe (Keith Antoine); Moatez Jomni (Jenny Archer); Jade Jones (Ian Thompson/Tanni Grey-Thompson); Rhys Jones; Samantha Kinghorn (Ian Mirfin); Simon Lawson (Ian Thompson); Polly Maton (Colin Baross); Erin McBride (Robert Roberts); Holly Neill (Andrew Roda); Georgina Oliver (Peter Wyman); Derek Rae (Ron Morrison); Ben Rowlings (Job King); Sam Ruddock (Jim Edwards);  Zachary Shaw (Peter Gifford); Will Smith (Jenny Archer) Laura Sugar (Femi Akinsanya); Isaac Towers (Peter Wyman); Bradley Wigley (Jane Coia)

RELAY SQUADS

Olympic

Men’s 4x100m (7)

Harry Aikines-Aryeetey (Benke Blomkvist); James Dasaolu (Steve Fudge); Ojie Edoburun (Jonas Tawiah-Dodoo); James Ellington (Linford Christie); Richard Kilty; Danny Talbot (Dan Cossins); Chijindu Ujah (Jonas Tawiah-Dodoo)

Plus individually funded athletes:

Adam Gemili (Steve Fudge); Zharnel Hughes (Glen Mills)

Men’s 4x400m (7)

Jarryd Dunn (Keith Holt); Jack Green (Loren Seagrave); Matthew Hudson-Smith (Tony Hadley); Martyn Rooney (Rana Reider); Conrad Williams (Lloyd Cowan); Delano Williams (Neil Harrison); Rabah Yousif (Carol Williams)

Women’s 4x100m (8)

Louise Bloor (Toni Minichiello); Desiree Henry (Rana Reider); Shannon Hylton (John Blackie); Daryll Neita (Jonas Tawiah-Dodoo); Ashleigh Nelson (Michael Afilaka); Asha Philip (Steve Fudge); Bianca Williams (Lloyd Cowan); Jodie Williams (Christine Bowmaker)

Plus individually funded athletes:

Dina Asher-Smith (John Blackie)

Women’s 4x400m (8)

Margaret Adeoye (Linford Christie); Seren Bundy-Davies (Stephen Ball); Eilidh Child (Malcolm Arnold); Kelly Massey (Stephen Ball); Kirsten McAslan (Trevor Painter); Laviai Nielsen (Frank Adams); Anyika Onuora (Rana Reider); Perri Shakes-Drayton (Chris Zah)

Plus individually funded athletes:

Christine Ohuruogu (Christine Bowmaker)

Paralympic (1)

Olivia Breen (Jonas Tawiah-Dodoo)