British Athletics today announced 32 athletes in the first wave of selections for the European Junior Championships in Grosseto, Italy on July 20-23, with a 20-strong team also selected for the Mannheim International in Germany on July 1-2.

Europe’s top ranked junior this year over the 100m hurdles, Alicia Barrett (coach: Toni Minichiello) headlines the European Junior selections on the back of two superb showings at the trials over the weekend in Bedford, where two postings of 13.07 saw her lower the British junior record by a significant six hundredths of a second.

Joining Barrett on the team with the status of top ranked European is 800m specialist Markhim Lonsdale (Keith Lonsdale), while Jake Norris (Paul Dickenson), Alisha Rees (Willy Russell) and Niamh Emerson (David Feeney) – all of whom won medals at last year’s inaugural European Youth championships – all gain selection following strong starts to their outdoor seasons.

Also in fine form this season, newly crowned U20 high jump champion Tom Gale (Denis Doyle) earns yet another British junior vest following recent personal best clearances at 2.20m and 2.22m, with Worcester’s Joel Khan (Diedre Elmhurst) accompanying Gale in the discipline following his second place finish and qualifying mark of 2.16m in Bedford on Sunday.

Fresh from breaking the Scottish junior record by 146 points at the start of the month with a best of 5478, Holly McArthur’s (Iain McEwan) selection is also confirmed for the Heptathlon.

For Mannheim, a meeting which provides all-important overseas competition experience, those picked include a host of those on the team for Grosseto as well as IAAF World Junior finalists Rechmial Miller (Ryan Freckleton) – who returns from injury – and Cameron Tindle, while Molly Caudery (Stuart Caudery) will look to target the qualifying mark of 4.15m in the pole vault.

British Athletics’ Team Manager for the championships, Jo Summers said:

“We saw some terrific performances over the weekend in Bedford in fantastic conditions, and this is reflected in the amount of automatic qualifiers we have been able to select in round one. What was evident on the weekend was the ability in many to perform when it counts, and hopefully we will see more of the same come the championships.

“The Mannheim International meeting at the beginning of July will also offer many of our athletes a great opportunity to compete against some of Europe’s best juniors in a competitive environment; ultimately as a means of preparation, it couldn’t be much more ideal.”

The second wave of selections for the European Junior Championships will take place on Tuesday 12 July, with the finalised team for the championships announced in full on Wednesday 13 July.

British Athletics first wave selections for the European Junior Championships in Grosseto, Italy on July 20-23:

Men

100m: Oliver Bromby (Sara MacDonald-Gray), Dom Ashwell (Marvin Rowe)
200m: Toby Harries (Jon Bigg), Nick Stewart (Ryan Freckleton)
400m: Owen Richardson (John Davis)
800m: Markhim Lonsdale (Keith Lonsdale), Ben Greenwood (Catriona Helen Tavendale)
5000m: Tom Mortimer (Christopher Brown)
3000m Steeplechase: Will Battershill (Jason Saretsky)
110m Hurdles: Cameron Fillery (Trevor Simcox)
High Jump: Tom Gale (Denis Doyle), Joel Khan (Dierdre Elmhirst)
Pole Vault: Joel Benitez (Alan Richardson)
Discus: George Evans (Colin McCulloch)
Javelin: James Whiteaker
Hammer: Jake Norris (Paul Dickenson)

Women

100m: Olivia Okoli (Anthony Childs)
200m: Alisha Rees (Willy Russell), Maya Bruney (John Blackie)
400m: Hannah Williams (Colin Gaynor)
800m: Khahisa Mhlanga (Mick Judd), Ellie Baker (George Harrison)
1500m: Jemma Reekie (Andy Young), Harriet Knowles-Jones (Paul Roden)
3000m Steeplechase: Emily Moyes (Mick Woods)
100m Hurdles: Alicia Barrett (Toni Minichiello), Sophie Yorke (David Warner)
Triple Jump: Naomi Ogbeta (Tom Cullen), Emily Gargan (Sam Stanislaus)
Shot: Divine Oladipo (John Hillier)
Discus: Divine Oladipo
Combined Events: Holly McArthur (Ian McEwan), Niamh Emerson (David Feeney)

British Athletics team for the Mannheim International in Mannheim, Germany on 1-2 July:

Men

100m: Oliver Bromby (Sarah MacDonald-Gray), Dom Ashwell (Marvin Rowe), Rechmial Miller (Ryan Freckleton)
200m: Toby Harries (Jon Bigg), Nick Stewart (Ryan Freckleton), Cameron Tindle (Henry Gray)
400m: Owen Richardson (John Davis)
Pole Vault: Joel Leon Benitez (Alan Richardson)
Discus: George Evans (Colin McCulloch)

Women

100m: Olivia Okoli (Anthony Childs), Ebony Carr (Mike Leonard), Jazz Crawford (Piotr Spas)
200m: Alisha Rees (Willy Russell), Maya Bruney (John Blackie)
400m: Lauren Russell (Coral Nourrice)
400m Hurdles: Orla Brothers (Marina Armstrong)
Pole Vault: Molly Caudery (Stuart Caudery)
Triple Jump: Emily Gargan (Sam Stanislaus)
Shot: Divine Oladipo (John Hillier)
Discus: Divine Oladipo