5th June 2015

European 10,000m Cup Beckons For Griffiths And Pavey

5 June 2015

A seven-strong Great Britain & Northern Ireland team have travelled to Chia-Pula, Italy to contest the 19th edition of the European Cup 10,000m, which will take place at the Campo Sportivo Via Porrino stadium on Saturday evening.

Swansea Harrier Dewi Griffiths (coach: Kevin Evans) will lead the British charge after an encouraging performance at the British Athletics 10,000m Championships in Highgate last month, where he finished second behind Jonny Mellor (Steve Vernon) in a time of 28:55. Ben Lindsay (Scott Overall), who finished third behind the Welshman last month in a time of 29:02, will also make the journey to don his first British vest since 2008. 

Scotsman Andrew Butchart (Derek Easton) will hope to continue his recent good form after a string of personal bests this year. The Central AC athlete recently ran a 13:33 5000m in Belgium to back up an impressive seventh place at the Great Manchester 10k (29:09). Ross Millington (Steve Vernon) has withdrawn from the team due to injury. 

The women’s team boasts a full quartet of athletes, combining a mixture of experience and youth as they target a high position in the team standings. European 10,000m champion, Jo Pavey (Gavin Pavey) is looking forward to representing Britain for the first time since she clinched the title in Zurich last summer.

Alyson Dixon (self-coached) will add further experience to the squad and will be full of confidence after a personal best of 32:55 in Highgate. The Sunderland athlete finished 11th at the European 10,000m Cup in 2013 and will be joined by Lily Partridge and Jess Coulson – both coached by Mick Woods. The duo have recorded lifetime bests of 32:20 and 32:41 respectively this season. 

Each team is allowed a maximum of six athletes but a team’s score is determined by the aggregate time of their three fastest athletes on the day. 

The Great Britain & Northern Ireland team for the European 10,000m Cup in Chia-Pula, Italy on Saturday 6 June:

Men

Andrew Butchart (Derek Easton)

Dewi Griffiths (Kevin Evans)

Ben Lindsay (Scott Overall)

Women

Jess Coulson (Mick Woods)

Alyson Dixon (Self-coached)

Lily Partridge (Woods)

Jo Pavey (Gavin Pavey)

The timetable can be found here: http://chia-pula2015.eu/timetable/