26 May 2016

Great Britain’s marathon runners for the Rio Olympic Games headline the British Athletics team for the half marathon Team Cup at the European Athletics Championships in Amsterdam, Netherlands on 6-10 July.

Brothers Callum and Derek Hawkins, Tsegai Tewelde and Alyson Dixon, who are all due to represent Great Britain at the Olympic Games this summer over the full 26.2miles, have targeted a Team medal winning performance in the half marathon at the European Championships as the perfect way to prepare for Rio.  The championships will provide Tewelde with his British team debut.

Sonia Samuels (self-coached), in consultation with British Athletics, has passed on selection for Amsterdam in order to focus on her preparations for the Olympics.

Men’s Team:

Callum Hawkins (coach: Robert Hawkins)

Tsegai Tewedle (John MacKay)

Derek Hawkins (Robert Hawkins)

Dewi Griffiths (Kevin Evans)

Scott Overall (Alan Storey)

Jonathan Hay (Mick Woods)

Women’s Team:

Alyson Dixon (self-coached)

Tina Muir (Steve Picucci)

Charlotte Purdue (Nic Bideau)

Gemma Steel (Rob Denmark)

Susan Partridge (Steve Jones)

Lily Partridge (Alan Storey)

“These are two very strong teams and we firmly believe both can finish on the podium in Amsterdam this July,” said Neil Black, British Athletics Performance Director.

Adding: “With a European Championships and Olympic Games scheduled so close together you have to take a sensible approach to selection and look at what is best for each athlete as an individual.  With a firm focus towards Rio, we have liaised with athletes selected for the Olympics, and their coaches, before making a decision on selection.  As will be the case with selection for all track disciplines at the European Championships, we believe for some athletes running in Amsterdam will benefit their performance in Rio, whilst for others, as in Sonia’s case, this competition was never part of the season plan.

“This dialogue with coaches and athletes, of all track and field disciplines, is on-going and will also be taken into consideration when the main squad for Amsterdam is selected.  This is exactly the same philosophy we adopted in 2012 – the first time the Europeans and Olympics were held in the same year.”

The full British Athletics squad for the European Athletics Championships in Amsterdam will be announced following the British Athletics Olympic Trials on the 24–26 June 2016.

European Cup 10,000m in Mersin, Turkey on Sunday 5 June

British Athletics also announced today its team to compete at next month’s European Cup 10,000m in Mersin, Turkey.

Lauren Deadman leads the way in the women’s team after her personal best performance at the Highgate Harriers Night of 10,000m PBS/Olympic Trials last Saturday. The Havering athlete improved her best ever time for the distance to 33:05.55 as she finished seventh in the race. She competed for the British team at the European Team Championships in Cheboksary last year, placing eighth over 3000m but will be stepping up to 10,000m on the Turkish track.

Deadman will be joined by 2012 European Cross Country U23 champion Jess Coulson and Jenny Nesbitt who will make her first GB track appearance.

Derby’s Ben Connor was just three seconds outside his lifetime best at Highgate but his 29:21.47 clocking shows he is nearing the form of his life. He took fifth position in the race overall and heads into the European Cup in confident mood.

Joining Connor in the men’s team are Andy Maud, who earns selection after a career best of 29:24.43 last week, and Luke Caldwell who last competed for Great Britain & Northern Ireland over cross country in Bulgaria two years ago.

Senior men

Ben Connor (self-coached)

Andy Maud (self-coached)

Luke Caldwell (Nic Bideau)

Senior women

Lauren Deadman (Bill Foster)

Jessica Coulson (Mick Woods)

Jenny Nesbitt (David Walker)