17 May 2015

A 52-strong Great Britain & Northern Ireland under 20 team will compete alongside teams from Loughborough University, England, Scotland, Wales and BUCS at the Loughborough International Athletics (LIA) today at the Paula Radcliffe Stadium.

Six of the athletes picked for the British team are 2015 European junior leaders in their event including pole vaulter Adam Hague (Coach: Trevor Fox), sprinters Ojie Edoburun (Jonas Tawiah-Dodoo) and Tommy Ramdhan (Ryan Freckleton) in the 100m and 200m respectively. Charlotte McLennaghan (David Hourd) is the European leader in the 200m, Laviai Nielsen (Frank Adams) over 400m and Mhairi Hendry (Andy Young) in the 800m, which shows the strength of the GB & NI squad heading to Loughborough.

British pole vault sensation Adam Hague has set the event alight this season, breaking the national junior record on three occasions in 2015. After an eighth place finish at the IAAF World Junior Championships last year, the 17 year-old’s best now stands at 5.60m and will be keen to extend that mark further this weekend as he takes on teammate, England’s Luke Cutts (Trevor Fox).

Last weekend, Charlotte McLennaghan recorded a time of 23.09 over 200m which took her to fifth on the UK all-time junior list in the event, above Olympic 400m bronze medallist Katharine Merry. The Notts AC athlete competes in the 200m against European 4x400m relay medallist Margaret Adeoye who represents England. McLennaghan will also be part of the 4x100m squad alongside Shannon Hylton (John Blackie) who will take part in the individual 100m. The Blackheath & Bromley athlete finished fourth over 200m at the World Junior Championships last year, and her twin sister Cheriece (Blackie) is included in the 4x400m relay squad.

Another set of twins will compete for the GB & NI team in the form of Laviai and Lina Nielsen (Adams). Laviai has been in impressive form so far in 2015 and improved her personal best to 52.61 this month as she took the silver medal at the BUCS Championships in Bedford. She will take on European indoor 4x400m silver medallist Kelly Massey (Stephen Ball) who races for the England team.  Lina meanwhile has lowered her lifetime best over 400m by three seconds since the 2014 outdoor season, is part of a strong 4x400m squad, which also includes 2013 World Youth champion Sabrina Bakare (Jane Dixon).

World Youth 100m silver medallist Ojie Edoburun stars in the 100m where he will take on training partner Chijindu Ujah (Tawiah-Dodoo) who ran under the magical 10-second barrier last year. Ujah will also compete in the 200m match race later in the day against GB & NI’s Ramdhan.

Bobby Clay (Peter Mullervy) lines up for GB & NI juniors in the 1500m which also sees European and Commonwealth 800m finalist Jess Judd (George Gandy) in the field for Loughborough University, as well as British international Alison Leonard (Bud Baldaro).

Jessica Ennis-Hill (Toni Minichiello) will continue her return to competition at the LIA in the long jump and the javelin as a guest competitor. The Olympic heptathlon champion finished third in the 100m hurdles at the Great CityGames last weekend finishing in a time of 13.14.

Lynsey Sharp (Rana Reider) captains the Scotland squad in Loughborough and is part of the 4x400m relay which will complete the day of action. The Welsh charge is led by World Junior 110m hurdles bronze medallist David Omoregie (Benke Blomkvist) and Commonwealth pole vault silver medallist Sally Peake (Scott Simpson).

Full Great Britain & Northern Ireland under 20 team for the Loughborough International:

Men:

100m: Ojie Edoburun (Jonas Tawiah-Dodoo; Shaftesbury Barnet)
200m: Tommy Ramdhan (Ryan Freckleton; Shaftesbury Barnet)
400m: Nick Petrou (John Baron; Leeds City)
800m: Spencer Thomas (Jon Bigg; Brighton Phoenix)
1500m: Robbie Fitzgibbon (Bigg; Brighton Phoenix)
3000m: Gus Cockle (Mick Woods; Aldershot Farnham & District)
110m Hurdles: Jack Hatton (Malcolm Arnold; Reading AC)
400m Hurdles: Jack Lawrie (John McDonald; Pitreavie/Woodford Green Essex Ladies)
3000m Steeplechase: Richard Webb (David Liston; Blackheath & Bromley)
High Jump: Rory Dwyer (Paul Bearman; Stratford-upon-Avon)
Pole Vault: Adam Hague (Trevor Fox; The Dearne ALC)
Long Jump: Jacob Fincham-Dukes (Matt Barton; Leeds City)
Triple Jump: Montel Nevers (Nigel Kesteven; Notts AC)
Shot Put: Adam Graham (John Graham; Enfield & Haringey)
Hammer: Jac Palmer (Adrian Palmer; Cardiff)
Discus: George Armstrong (Michael Swain; Leeds City)
Javelin: Harry Hughes (Michael McNeill; West Suffolk/Enfield & Haringey)
4x100m: Reuben Arthur (Freckleton; Enfield & Haringey), Joseph Dewar (Gladys Bird; Woodford Green Essex Ladies), Ojie Edoburun (Tawiah-Dodoo; Shaftesbury Barnet), Theo Etienne (Freckleton; Hercules Wimbledon), Tommy Ramdhan (Freckleton; Shaftesbury Barnet) and Elliot Powell (Glenys Morton; Leicester)
4x400m: Cameron Chalmers (Dale Garland; Guernsey), Freddie Owsley (Alastair Abrams; Bristol & West), Nick Petrou (Baron; Leeds City), Joseph Reid (Matt Elias; Manx), Daniel Rowden (Richard Thurston; Woodford Green Essex Ladies) and Lee Thompson (Peter Moore; Rotherham)

Women:

100m: Shannon Hylton (John Blackie; Blackheath & Bromley)
200m: Charlotte McLennaghan (David Hourd; Notts AC)
400m: Laviai Nielsen (Frank Adams; Enfield & Haringey)
800m: Mhairi Hendry (Andy Young; Victoria Park City of Glasgow)
1500m: Bobby Clay (Peter Mullervy; Invicta East Kent)
3000m: Phoebe Law (Richard Holt; Kingston & Poly)
100m Hurdles: Mollie Courtney (David Warner; Cheltenham/Swansea)
400m Hurdles: Georgina Rogers (Kelly Sotherton; Birchfield Harriers)
3000m Steeplechase: Catrina Thomas (Rob Lewis; Lincoln Wellington/Trafford)
High Jump: Emily Borthwick (Trevor Painter; Wigan & District)
Pole Vault: Abigail Roberts (Fox; The Dearne ALC/Wigan & District)
Long Jump: Emily Wright (Daniel Cossins; Bristol & West)
Triple Jump: Lia Stephenson (David Johnson; Thames Valley)
Shot Put: Adele Nicoll (Vladimir Zinchenko; Birchfield Harriers)
Hammer: Rebecca Keating (Paul Dickenson; Shaftesbury Barnet)
Discus: Amy Holder (Neville Thompson; WSEH)
Javelin: Emma Hamplett (David Parker; Birchfield Harriers)
4x100m: Kristie Edwards (Lewis Samuel; City of Sheffield), Shannon Hylton (Blackie; Blackheath & Bromley), Imani Lansiquot (Joe Felix; Sutton & District), Megan Marrs (Tom Reynolds; WSEH), Charlotte McLennaghan (Hourd; Notts AC) and Daryll Neita (Tawiah-Dodoo; Shaftesbury Barnet)
4x400m: Sabrina Bakare (Jane Dixon; Shaftesbury Barnet), Lily Beckford (Christine Bowmaker; Shaftesbury Barnet), Cheriece Hylton (Blackie; Blackheath & Bromley), Laviai Nielsen (Adams; Enfield & Haringey), Lina Nielsen (Adams; Enfield & Haringey) and Kelsey Stewart (Ken Hogg; Aberdeen)

The event starts at 11.30am with a finalised timetable and start lists also available by following the link http://loughboroughsport.com/lia2015/

Follow live tweets from 11:30 @BritAthletics and the event will be streamed live on Vinco Sport.