21 June 2013

British Athletics Head Coach Peter Eriksson believes that the GB & NI team are capable of finishing in the top two when they compete at the European Athletics Team Championships in Gateshead this weekend.

GB & NI will compete in the Super League division, which is made up of Europe’s 12 best athletics nations, and Eriksson believes that the team is strong enough to improve on the fourth place finish from Stockholm in 2011, the last staging of the event.

“The goal is to be in the top two but of course I would prefer to win. I think we have a better chance because we are at home and it is the first time the whole team has been together since the Games. We have most of our top athletes here. Unfortunately we have a few injuries, but I definitely think we can do better than in previous years.”

Christine Ohuruogu (coach: Lloyd Cowan), London 2012 400m silver medallist and champion in Beijing four years earlier, is looking forward to being part of the GB & NI team this weekend as she prepares to compete in 4x400m relay on Sunday.

“I’m really looking forward to the weekend – it’s nice to have a team event and see a lot of young athletes coming through and ready to go out and put in a good performance. The fans in Gateshead are very engaging and they really do love athletics here and we can sense that when we’re competing.”

Double Olympic champion Mo Farah (Alberto Salazar) competes in the 5,000m as part of his build up to the defence of his 5,000m world title in Moscow in August, while fellow Olympic champion Greg Rutherford (Dan Pfaff) lines up in the long jump.

Reigning world champion Dai Greene (Malcolm Arnold) will kick off the weekend’s proceedings in the 400m hurdles – aiming for his fourth consecutive team championship victory, whilst 2011 world silver medallist Hannah England (Bud Baldaro) runs in the 1500m. European Indoor champions Holly Bleasdale (Scott Simpson/Dan Pfaff) and Eilidh Child (Arnold) compete in the pole vault and 400m hurdles respectively.

Team captain Perri Shakes-Drayton (Chris Zah), who won double European indoor gold in March, runs in the individual 400m as well as the 4x400m relay, the events in which she triumphed in Gothenburg.

GB & NI team for the European Athletics Team Championships:

MEN:

100m: Richard Kilty (Christie); 200m: Danny Talbot (Daniel Cossins); 400m: Nigel Levine (Christie); 800m: Andrew Osagie (Craig Winrow); 1500m: Charlie Grice (John Bigg); 3000m: David Bishop (James Thie); 5000m: Mo Farah (Alberto Salazar); 110mH: William Sharman (Jerzy Maciukiewicz); 400mH: Dai Greene (Malcolm Arnold); 3000mSC: Rob Mullett (David Leach); High Jump: Tom Parsons (Aston Moore); Long Jump: Greg Rutherford (Dan Pfaff); Triple Jump: Nathan Douglas (Aston Moore); Pole Vault: Andrew Sutcliffe (Julien Raffali-Ebezant); Shot Put: Zane Duquemin (John Hillier); Discus Throw: Brett Morse (Andy Brittan); Hammer Throw: Mark Dry (Tore Gustafsson); Javelin: Lee Doran (David Parker); 4 x 100m: Harry Aikines-Aryeetey (Reider), Dwain Chambers (Reider), James Dasaolu (Fudge), James Ellington (Rana Reider), Joel Fearon (Michael Khmel), Adam Gemili (Michael Afilaka), Kilty, Danny Talbot; 4 x 400m: Michael Bingham (George Williams), Richard Buck (Fudge), Nigel Levine, Conrad Williams (Christie), Rhys Williams (Adrian Thomas)

WOMEN:

100m: Asha Philip (Christine Bowmaker); 200m: Anyika Onuora (Reider); 400m: Perri Shakes Drayton (Chris Zah); 800m: Jessica Judd (Rob Denmark); 1500m: Hannah England (Bud Baldaro); 3000m: Laura Weightman (Steve Cram); 5000m: Emelia Gorecka (Mick Woods); 100mH: Tiffany Porter (Reider); 400mH: Eilidh Child (Arnold); 3000mSC: Lennie Waite (Woods); High Jump: Isobel Pooley (Fayyaz Ahmed); Long Jump: Shara Proctor (Reider); Triple Jump: Yamile Aldama (Frank Attoh); Pole Vault: Holly Bleasdale (Simpson/Pfaff); Shot Put: Sophie McKinna (Geoff Capes); Discus Throw: Jade Lally (Andy Neal); Hammer Throw: Sophie Hitchon (Gustafsson); Javelin: Izzy Jeffs (Parker); 4 x 100m: Annabelle Lewis (Roger Walters), Anyika Onuora, Asha Philip, Tiffany Porter, Bianca Williams (Lloyd Cowan); 4 x 400m: Meghan Beesley (Nick Dakin), Eilidh Child, Shana Cox (George Williams), Kirsten McAslan (Trevor Painter), Christine Ohuruogu (Cowan), Victoria Ohuruogu (Cowan)

You can watch the European Athletics Team Championships live on:

Saturday: BBC1 from 14:00
Sunday: BBC2 from 14:30