21st February 2017

The record breaking Laura Muir (Coach: Andy Young) will launch a bid to become double European Champion this March in the 1500m and 3000m at the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, it was confirmed today.  The 23-year-old Scot headlines a 32-strong British Athletics team (excluding future combined events invites) which also includes defending European champion Richard Kilty (Michael Khmel), Katarina Johnson-Thompson in the Long Jump and world number one Andrew Pozzi (Benke Blomkvist), plus Olympic medallists Robbie Grabarz (Fuzz Caan), Asha Philip (Steve Fudge) and Eilidh Doyle (Malcolm Arnold).

Muir, who will be joined in both the 1500m and 3000m by fellow Scot Eilish McColgan (Liz McColgan-Nuttall), is in the form of her life after taking a second off Dame Kelly Holmes’ British indoor 1,000m mark at the Müller Indoor Grand Prix in Birmingham on Saturday, whilst also setting a new European record with the second fastest run of all time.  This comes just a few weeks after setting a new European 3,000m indoor record and the British 5,000m indoor record, on top of beating Holmes’ British outdoor 1500m mark last summer.

Britain has a number of podium potentials in Belgrade, with Andrew Pozzi, currently ranked world number one in the 60m hurdles, David King (James Hillier) and David Omoregie (Benke Blomkvist) making up an incredibly strong trio of male British hurdlers.  In the men’s 60m, Richard Kilty will be looking to defend his title, with British Indoor champion Andrew Robertson (Sam Robertson) and Theo Etienne (Ryan Freckleton) hot on his heels.  Whilst World Indoor medallist and British Champion Lorraine Ugen (Shawn Jackson), European medallist Jazmin Sawyers (Kelly Sotherton) and Katarina Johnson-Thompson will all be looking to claim Britain’s first European Indoor medal for 33 years in the women’s Long Jump.

Performance Director for British Athletics, Neil Black said: “I’m pleased with the blend of this team.  We’ve got Olympic medallists in Robbie Grabarz, Eilidh Doyle and Asha Philip; World Indoor medallists in Lorraine Ugen and Richard Kilty; as well as exceptionally talented athletes like Katarina Johnson-Thompson, Laura Muir and Andrew Pozzi, all of whom I expect to make the step up this year and start winning global medals.

“Then we have Jazmin Sawyers, Steph Twell and Lee Emanuel, all European medallists who should be looking to make a statement of intent for 2017 by repeating those performances and finishing on the podium in Belgrade.  Plus, there is a good depth of emerging talent with the likes of Shelayna Oskan-Clarke, Morgan Lake and David Omoregie, who all have potential to claim medals.

“With a home World Championships in London, 2017 is an even bigger year for us than 2016, so starting it off in a positive manner is essential and I am expecting to see a number of medal winning performances in Belgrade.”

The British Athletics team for the European Athletics Indoor Championships:

MEN:

60m:

Richard Kilty (Michael Khmel)

Andrew Robertson (Sam Robertson)

Theo Etienne (Ryan Freckleton)

800m:

Guy Learmonth (Henry Gray)

Kyle Langford (George Harrison)

1500m:

Tom Lancashire (Steve Cram)

3000m:

Lee Emanuel (Joe Franklin)

Nick Goolab (Craig Winrow)

60mH:

Andrew Pozzi (Benke Blomkvist)

David King (James Hillier)

David Omoregie (Benke Blomkvist)

High Jump:

Robbie Grabarz (Fuzz Caan)

Chris Kandu (Fuzz Caan)

Allan Smith (Bryan Roy)

Long Jump:

Dan Bramble (Frank Attoh)

Combined Events:

Ashley Bryant (Aston Moore) 

WOMEN:

60m:

Asha Philip (Steve Fudge)

400m:

Eilidh Doyle (Malcolm Arnold)

Laviai Nielsen (Frank Adams)

Lina Nielsen (Frank Adams)

800m:

Shelayna Oskan-Clarke (Jon Bigg)

1500m:

Laura Muir (Andy Young)

Eilish McColgan (Liz McColgan-Nuttall)

Sarah McDonald (Bud Baldaro)

3000m:

Laura Muir (Andy Young)

Eilish McColgan (Liz McColgan-Nuttall)

Steph Twell (Mick Woods)

High Jump:

Morgan Lake (Aston Moore)

Long Jump:

Katarina Johnson-Thompson

Lorraine Ugen (Shawn Jackson)

Jazmin Sawyers (Kelly Sotherton)

Shot Put:

Rachel Wallader (Richard Woodhall)

4x400m

Eilidh Doyle (Malcolm Arnold)

Laviai Nielsen (Frank Adams)

Lina Nielsen (Frank Adams)

Philippa Lowe (Debbie Keenlyside)

Mary Iheke (Frank Adams)

**Should British Athletics receive a European Athletics invite for Liam Ramsey (Mike Corden) in the Combined Events it would be accepted and he would be added to the team: