24 May 2010

UKA today announced a strong Aviva GB&NI team to contest the European Cup 10000m in Marseille, France on 5 June including returning Olympic athlete Jo Pavey (coach: Gavin Pavey), 2009 European Indoor 3000m champion Mo Farah (coach: Ricky Simms) and 2009 European Cross Country champion Hayley Yelling (coach: Conrad Milton).

Pavey returns to the team following a fifth place finish at the recent BUPA Great Manchester 10k, her second competitive outing of 2010. She was last seen in a GB&NI vest at the Beijing Olympic Games where she ran the fastest 10,000m of her career to finish 12^th with 31:12.30 and following that took time out in 2009 to have her first child.

She is joined in the women’s team by Yelling who enjoyed a comeback year in 2009 which began with an amazing McCain Cross Country trials race in Liverpool and was followed by a shock European Cross gold medal in Dublin. Although she was included in the World Cross team in 2010 she suffered from an allergic reaction to an insect bite in the lead up to the race which hampered her preparations and performance.

Farah began 2009 with a European indoors gold medal in Turin, Italy and ended it with a silver at the European Cross Country. He has since competed for GB&NI at the World Cross Country Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland where he finished 21st but this will be his first time on the track in 2010.

AVIVA GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND TEAM

Men

Mo Farah (Ricky Simms) Newham & Essex Beagles

Antony Ford (Stan Taylor) Sale

Phil Nicholls (Steve Sharp) Tipton

Mike Skinner (Andy Hobdell) Blackheath & Bromley

Mark Warmby (Gary Staines) Newham & Essex Beagles

Women

Freya Murray (Steve Jones) Chester Le Street & Dist AC

Hayley Yelling (Conrad Milton)   Windsor Slough, Eton & Hounslow

Jo Pavey (Gavin Pavey) Exeter Harriers

Sonia Samuels (George Gandy) Sale