24 June 2014

British Athletics has today announced the 18 automatic selections for the IAAF World Junior Championships to be held in Eugene, Oregon on 22-27 July, with a second wave of selections to be announced on 8 July. Additionally, 21 athletes have been named for the annual Mannheim Junior Gala in Germany on 5-6 July.

Last weekend’s European junior record breaker David Omoregie (coach: Mike Guest) headlines both teams, his recent 13.17 clocking putting him top of the world junior rankings this year. Omoregie was a finalist at the European Junior Championships last summer, but will certainly have his eyes on a medal this time around.

Leading the women is last year’s double European junior champion Dina Asher-Smith (John Blackie) who added IAAF World Championship relay bronze to the 200m and 4x100m titles she won in Rieti last summer. Named in both the 100m and 200m for Eugene, Asher-Smith has set new personal bests of 11.20 and 22.74 already this year, but before then will look to revise her 100m time further in Mannheim, as well as lining up in the relay.

Ranked second in the world in 2014, Shona Richards (Marina Armstrong) will look to improve on her fifth place finish in Rieti last summer after making quantum leaps this campaign, taking one and a half seconds off her personal best to move to second on the UK junior all-time list behind Perri Shakes-Drayton (Chris Zah). She’ll head to Eugene, via Mannheim, with a place on the podium and the British junior record at the forefront of her mind.

Other athletes who will be targeting medals next month are high jumper Chris Kandu (John Herbert), who has cleared 2.24m this year ranking him second in the world, Kyle Langford (George Harrison), bronze medallist over 800m at last year’s IAAF World Youth Championships and Adam Hague (Trevor Fox), who has vaulted a new personal best of 5.30m in 2014.

There will be full men’s and women’s 4x100m teams travelling to Germany in two weeks’ time to put in the vital practice needed if they are to try and win medals at the IAAF World Junior Championships next month. Other familiar names included in the Mannheim team include IAAF World Youth 400m champion Sabrina Bakare (Jane Dixon) and 100m silver medallist at that same championships, Ojie Edoburun (Jonas Tawiah-Dodoo).

GREAT BRITAIN & NORTHERN IRELAND TEAM FOR THE IAAF WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS (FIRST WAVE):

MEN:

100m: Reuben Arthur (Jonas Tawiah-Dodoo)
200m: Thomas Somers (Geoffrey Barraclough)
400m: Elliot Rutter (Dan Cossins)
800m: Kyle Langford (George Harrison)
1500m: Shaun Wyllie (Geoff Seddon)
110mH: David Omoregie (Mike Guest)
400mH: Jacob Paul (Marina Armstrong)
High Jump: Chris Kandu (John Herbert)
Pole Vault: Adam Hague (Trevor Fox)
Long Jump: Jacob Fincham-Dukes (Matt Barton)
Hammer: Taylor Campbell (Paul Dickenson)
Decathlon: David Hall (Ian Grant)

WOMEN:

100m: Dina Asher-Smith (John Blackie)
200m: Asher-Smith (Blackie)
1500m: Amy Griffiths (Mick Woods)
100mH: Yasmin Miller (Lloyd Cowan)
400mH: Shona Richards (Armstrong)
3000m S/C: Katie Ingle (Margaret Riley)
Hammer: Kimberley Reed (Scott Reed)

GREAT BRITAIN & NORTHERN IRELAND TEAM FOR MANNHEIM

MEN:

110mH: David Omoregie (Mike Guest)
Long Jump: Jacob Fincham-Dukes (Matt Barton)
Pole Vault: Harry Coppell (John Mitchell), Adam Hague (Trevor Fox), Rowan May (Alan Richardson)
4x100m: Reuben Arthur (Jonas Tawiah-Dodoo), Ojie Edoburun (Tawiah-Dodoo), Marvin Popoola (Les Johnson), Owin Sinclair (Leon Baptiste), Thomas Somers (Geoffrey Barraclough), Chris Stone (Alastair Abrams)

WOMEN:

100m: Dina Asher-Smith (John Blackie),
200m: Shannon Hylton (Blackie)
400m: Sabrina Bakare (Jane Dixon), Cheriece Hylton (Blackie)
100mH: Yasmin Miller (Lloyd Cowan)
400mH: Shona Richards (Armstrong)
Hammer: Kimberley Reed (Scott Reed)
4x100m: Asher-Smith, Shannon Hylton, Imani Lansiquot (Lorna Boothe), Daryll Neita (Tawiah-Dodoo), Ama Pipi (Tawiah-Dodoo)