12 May 2015

A 52-strong Great Britain & Northern Ireland under 20 team has been selected to compete at the Loughborough International Athletics (LIA) on Sunday 17 May 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 Ramdham (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 presents 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 British 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.

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 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 have earned selection 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.  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 and the 4x100m relay, alongside Shaftesbury Barnet’sTommy Ramdhan who will make his British debut over 200m. British U20 leader in the long jump so far this year, Leeds City’s Jacob Fincham-Dukes (Matt Barton) will be looking for another good display after achieving the European Junior Championships qualifying standard of 7.60m for the event in March.

Bobby Clay (Peter Mullervy) returns after an injury-interrupted winter to race over 1500m after clocking 4:19.91 in Watford earlier this month, while European and World Cross Country international Phoebe Law (Richard Holt) steps up to the track over 3000m, and Victoria Park City of Glasgow’s Mhairi Hendry makes her international debut in the 800m.

Jo Summers, the British Athletics Performance Development Manager said:

“The Loughborough International provides the GB & NI junior team with a great opportunity for athletes to compete in a high level competition and as a stepping stone towards the European Junior Championships in July.

“The team features a number of seasoned internationals as well as several newcomers to the British squad, so we look forward to seeing all the athletes taking advantage of the stage at Loughborough to develop and shine in this season opener for the junior team.”

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)

Tickets for the Loughborough International, which sees the GB & NI U20 squad take on teams from England, Scotland, Wales, British Universities and the hosts Loughborough can be purchased online via the following link: http://loughboroughsport.com/lia2015/

The event starts at 11.30am with a provisional timetable also available on the link above.