05 July 2011

A quartet of European leaders, including newly crowned UK national junior hurdles record holder Andy Pozzi (coach: Malcolm Arnold), are included in a 57-strong Aviva Great Britain and Northern Ireland team for the European Junior Championships in Tallinn, Estonia (21-24 July).

England Athletics under-20 champion Pozzi, who clocked a Meeting Record of 13.29 in Mannheim, Germany, two days ago, now has the realistic target of securing the European age group title won by his training partner Lawrence Clarke two years ago; his new lifetime best puts him third on the European All-Time junior list over 99cm barriers – sixth on the global All-Time list – with Poland’s Artur Noga holding the continental record with 13.23.

Also ranked number one in Europe, World Junior 100m champion Jodie Williams (coach: Mike McFarlane) will attempt a sprint double as she lines up in two individual events, plus the 4 x 100m relay, in Tallinn.

European leader with a best of 11.34 this season in the 100m, Williams could become the first British woman in 38 years to win gold in this event after Sonia Lannaman’s victory in 1973, while in the 200m, her recent season’s best time of 23.05 in Mannheim currently ranks her second behind current world number two Dafne Schippers of the Netherlands.

Aldershot, Farnham & District duo Emelia Gorecka and Jonny Hay, both coached by Mick Woods, lead the European endurance rankings in the 3000m and 5000m.

Gorecka is top ranked in 2011 in both the 3000m (9:23.58) and 5000m (15:51.20) but will only compete in one of the two events in Tallinn. No British female has ever won the European Junior 3000m title but Emily Pidgeon won gold over 5000m six years ago.

Hay, with a 5000m best of 13:57.16, is a realistic contender to follow in the footsteps of Mo Farah, double European senior champion over 5000m and 10,000m, who won the European Junior 5000m title ten years ago.

“This is one of the largest teams but also one of the highest quality teams we’ve sent to a European Junior Championships,” said Aviva GB & NI Team Leader Kevin Tyler.

“We enjoyed a very successful World Junior Championships last year with our best result since 1994 and I hope we can build on that in Estonia with this group of athletes.”

AVIVA GB & NI TEAM

MEN

100m: David Bolarinwa (John Powell) – Newham & Essex Beagles; Adam Gemili (John Blackie) – Blackheath & Bromley; Sam Watts (Gladys Bird) – Woodford Green with Essex Ladies; 200m: Bolarinwa; 400m: Jarryd Dunn (Keith Holt) – Birchfield; 800m: Guy Learmonth (Henry Gray) – Lasswade AC; 1500m: Cameron Boyek (David Lowes) – Shildon; Adam Cotton (John Nuttall) – Birchfield; Charlie Grice (Jon Bigg) – Phoenix AC; 5000m: Jonny Hay (Mick Woods) – Aldershot, Farnham & District; 10,000m: Karl Billington (Arthur Almond) – Blackburn; Paul Thompson (Nick Price) – Birmingham Running and Triathlon Club; David Vernon (Graham Smith) – Victoria Park City of Glasgow; 110mH: Ben Kelk (Bob Smith) – Cambridge & Coleridge; Jack Meredith (Malcolm Arnold) – Liverpool Harriers; Andy Pozzi (Malcolm Arnold) – Stratford-Upon-Avon; 400mH: Paul Bennett (Judith Gooding) – Swansea; Ben Hopkins (Marina Armstrong) – Blackheath & Bromley; 4 x 100m: Bolarinwa; Gemili; Jordan Kirby Polidore (Craig Burrow) – Woodford Green with Essex Ladies; Judah Simpson (Keith Bullock) – Derby; Dannish Walker-Khan (Linford Christie) – Birchfield; Watts; 4 x 400m: George Caddick (Dominic Tighe) – Sale Harriers Manchester; Dunn; David Lagerberg (Phil Scott-Spencer) – Mansfield; Greg Louden (Dave Finlayson) – Lasswade AC; Dominic Smith (Rodger Hughes) – Windsor, Slough, Eton & Hounslow; Pole Vault: Cameron Walker-Shepherd (Charles Preston) – Birchfield; Long Jump: James McLachlan (Denis Costello) – City of Norwich; Javelin: Joe Dunderdale (David Parker) – Lincoln Wellington; Richard Shuttleworth (Bronwin Carter) – City of Portsmouth

WOMEN

100m: Marilyn Nwawulor (Harry King) – Harrow; Jodie Williams (Mike McFarlane) – Herts Phoneix; 200m: Williams; 400m: Lucy James (Nick Dakin) – Bedford & County; Katie Kirk (Mark Kirk) – Lagan Valley; Kirsten McAslan (Trevor Painter) – East Cheshire; 800m: Rowena Cole (Norma Pugh) – Coventry; 1500m: Jennifer Walsh (Deborah Rowlands) – Spenborough; 3000m: Emelia Gorecka (Mick Woods) – Aldershot, Farnham & District*; 5000m: Gorecka*; Annabel Gummow (Chris Wooldridge) – Bristol & West; 400mH: Abigayle Fitzpatrick (Morris Condon) – Sale Harriers Manchester; Megan Southwart (Colin Bovell) – Blackheath & Bromley; Sophie Wood (John Baron) – Durham; 4 x 100m: Jennie Batten (Roger Walters) – Stroud; Mica Moore (Lawrence Moore) – Cardiff; Nwawulor; Annie Tagoe (Connie Henry) – Thames Valley; Bianca Williams (Lloyd Cowan) – Enfield & Haringey; Jodie Williams; 4 x 400m: Yimika Adewakun (Jason Carty) – Blackheath & Bromley; Zoey Clark (Edward McKenna) – Aberdeen; Amelia Clifford (Michael Coker) – Southampton; James; Kirk; McAslan; High Jump: Emma Nuttall (Laurier Primeau) – Edinburgh AC; Isobel Pooley (George Male) – Aldershot, Farnham & District; Pole Vault: Katie Byres (Julien Raffalli) – Sale Harriers Manchester; Triple Jump: Ahtollah Rose (Keith Hunter) – Sale Harriers Manchester; Javelin: Izzy Jeffs (Simon de Wilton) – North Devon; Freya Jones (William Bushnell) – Southampton; Kike Oniwinde (Sam Harrison) – Havering Mayesbrook; Hammer: Abi Carter (Dave Smith) – Kingston-Upon-Hull; Myra Perkins (Alan Bertram) – Falkirk Victoria Harriers; Heptathlon: Katarina Johnson-Thompson (Mike Holmes) – Liverpool Harriers

*Gorecka will compete in either the 3000m or 5000m, not both