13 December 2016

British Athletics have today announced the 40-strong team to compete at the Great Edinburgh International XCountry on Saturday 7 January 2017 including the two-time double Olympic champion Mo Farah (coach: Alberto Salazar).

Farah, who finished second at last year’s edition of the popular cross country race, will line-up alongside the European cross country championships senior men’s bronze medallist Callum Hawkins (Robert Hawkins) who will return to compete on home soil.

Farah, who is the only Briton to have won the senior men’s race in the Scottish capital, said: “I am looking forward to the Great Edinburgh Cross Country on January 7. Holyrood Park is always a great venue and I’m sure the course will offer the usual challenges. I have been back in full training for the past few weeks and this event will offer me a good opportunity to measure my fitness and see how training is going ahead of the 2017 track season.”

Hawkins added: “It will be a great way to kick-start 2017. It’s a good opportunity to compete back on home soil; it’s an event I always enjoy racing in. 2016 has been incredible for me and hopefully I will continue to head in the right direction in the New Year.”

Fellow senior men’s team gold medallists from Chia; Andy Vernon (Nic Bideau), Ben Connor (Spencer Duval), Dewi Griffiths (Kevin Evans) and Ross Millington (Steve Vernon) will also contend the race against athletes from Europe and USA. Notably, European U20 bronze medallist Mahamed Mahamed (Peter Haynes), at the age of 19, earns his first senior call-up to the British team.

European 5000m bronze medallist Steph Twell (Mick Woods) and Gemma Steel (Rob Denmark) add significant experience to the senior women’s team. They will be joined by European cross U23 team gold medallists Jessica Judd (Mick Judd), Rebecca Murray (Alex Stanton) and Georgina Outten (Andrew Walling) who will add fire power to the Great Britain outfit.

Harriet Knowles-Jones (Paul Roden), fresh from winning European U20 bronze in Chia, will return to the cross country set-up alongside fellow U20 team gold medallists Amelia Quirk (Beverley Kitching) and Victoria Weir (Simon Anderson). In the men’s equivalent, 11th placer in Sardinia Alex Yee (Kenneth Pike) will lead the U20 men’s squad.

British record holder over 1500m Laura Muir (Andy Young) will race in the mixed 4x1km relay for the second successive year with three further athletes taking on athletes from Europe, USA, England, Ireland, Scotland & Wales.

The Great Edinburgh International XCountry is free to spectate and will be shown live on BBC One and BBC One HD from 13:15 on January 7th 2017.

The British Athletics team for the Great Edinburgh International XCountry in Edinburgh, Scotland:

Senior Men

Ben Connor (Spencer Duval)

Ellis Cross (Mick Woods)

Mo Farah (Alberto Salazar)

Alex George (Paul de-Camps)

Dewi Griffiths (Kevin Evans)

Callum Hawkins (Robert Hawkins)

Adam Hickey (Eamonn Martin)

Charlie Hulson (Steve Vernon)

Mahamed Mahamed (Peter Haynes)

Ross Millington (Steve Vernon)

Jonny Taylor (Gordon Surtees)

Andy Vernon (Nic Bideau)

Senior Women

Charlotte Arter (James Thie)

Lauren Deadman (Bill Foster)

Claire Duck (Mike Baxter)

Rachel Felton (Christopher Frapwell)

Emily Hosker-Thornhill (Mick Woods)

Jessica Judd (Mick Judd)

Rebecca Murray (Alex Stanton)

Georgina Outten (Andrew Walling)

Beth Potter (Mick Woods)

Gemma Steel (Rob Denmark)

Steph Twell (Mick Woods)

Pippa Woolven (Luke Gunn)

Junior Men

Scott Beattie (Mike Bateman)

Tom Dodd (Catherine Muth)

Hugo Milner (Chris Woodhouse)

Sam Stevens (Alan Maddocks)

Sol Sweeney (Catriona Helen Tavendale)

Alex Yee (Kenneth Pike)

Junior Women

Phoebe Barker (Richard Owen)

Cari Hughes (Andrew Walling)

Harriet Knowles-Jones (Paul Roden)

Amelia Quirk (Beverly Kitching)

Erin Wallace (Dudley Walker)

Victoria Weir (Simon Anderson)

Mixed 4x1km Relay

James Bowness (William Parker)

Laura Muir (Andy Young)

Charlene Thomas (Aaron Thomas)

James West (George Gandy)