18 May 2011

World junior champion and UK junior 100m record holder Jodie Williams (coach: Mike McFarlane) leads a strong Aviva Great Britain and Northern Ireland junior team at this weekend’s Loughborough International, the first major fixture of the McCain Challenge Series (Sunday 22 May) and an early indicator of form ahead of this summer’s European Junior Championships.

17-year-old double World Youth Champion Williams, who finished fourth in the European Indoor Championships in May, reduced Kathy Cook’s UK under-20 100m best to 11.24 12 months ago and steps up officially into the junior age group as part of the 4 x 100m relay squad. She will also guest in the invitational 300m.

Stratford-Upon-Avon’s Andy Pozzi (coach: Malcolm Arnold), who clocked a national under-20 best of 7.67 for 60mH in 2010, is also selected and continues his return to form following a period out with injury.

Now based in Bath, he recorded an outdoor best of 14.33 (senior height hurdles) in the heats at the British Universities Championships in early May and went on to finish second in the final.

Over 5000m, Jonny Hay (coach: Mick Woods), the first European finisher in the 2011 World Cross Country Championships, will be targeting a time below 14 minutes following a period of training at the UKA/London Marathon Altitude Training Camp in Font Romeu, while Jessica Judd (coach: Jeremy Freeman), the current world leader (under-18) over 800m and 3000m, has been in outstanding form this year and clocked a UK under-17 best – albeit in a mixed race – over 3000m (9:08.5) in April. The UK Inter Counties and Aviva Schools International Cross Country champion contests the 1500m on Sunday.

In the shot putt, Sophie McKinna (coach: Geoff Capes), fifth in the 2010 Youth Olympic Games and senior bronze medallist indoors at the Aviva European Trials and UK Championships, is now ranked second in the world (under-18) after a recent 15.71m PB at Kings Lynn and will want to build on that mark this weekend.

Amongst those also competing in the Loughborough meeting on Sunday are Martyn Rooney (coach: Nick Dakin) in the 200m/4 x 400m and Samson Oni (coach: Trevor Llewelyn) in the high jump for Loughborough; James Campbell (coach: Mick Hill) and Eilidh Child (coach: Malcolm Arnold) in the javelin and 400mH respectively for Scotland; Christian Malcolm (coach: Dan Pfaff) in the 100m and Dai Greene (coach: Malcolm Arnold) in the 4 x 400m for Wales and Jack Green (coach: Malcolm Arnold) in the 400mH, Robbie Grabarz (coach: Fuzz Ahmed) in the high jump, Abi Oyepitan (coach: Tony Lester) in the 200m, Perri Shakes Drayton (coach: Chris Zah) in the 400m,  Hatti Dean (coach: Bud Baldaro) in the 3000m,  Louise Hazel (coach: Aston Moore) in the 100mH and Eden Francis (coach: Glenys Morton) in the shot putt and discus, all for England. Jessica Ennis (coach: Toni Minichiello) will guest.

Kevin Tyler, UKA’s Strategic Head of Coaching and Development and Aviva GB & NI Team Leader for the European Junior Championships in Estonia in July, said: “Loughborough is a great chance for our juniors to compete against senior counterparts in a quality match early in the season. As in past seasons this event marks the start of an important summer schedule as they work towards qualification for the European Junior Championships.”

Paul Aldridge, UKA Event Manager, said: “The 2011 McCain UK Challenge encompasses 47 events, and offers athletes four months of intense quality competition across the Home Countries.

“As previously, we’ll be using our unique rankings so that every competing athlete can register their top four performances and strive for a place at the Final.

“There’s a 40k prize fund available across the season and athletes can once again target their summer competitions aiming to rise to the challenge.”

The event details and up to date timetable can be found HERE.

Click HERE to purchase tickets in advance. Entry for coaches with a valid UKA coach pass is just £1.

AVIVA GB&NI JUNIOR TEAM

MEN

100m: David Bolarinwa (John Powell) – Newham & Essex Beagles; 200m: Sam Watts (Gladys Bird) – Woodford Green with Essex Ladies; 400m: Jarryd Dunn (Keith Holt) – Birchfield Harriers; 800m: Adam Cotton (John Nuttall) – Birchfield Harriers; 1500m: Richard Goodman (Geoff Williams) – Shaftesbury Barnet; 5000m: Jonny Hay (Mick Woods) – Aldershot, Farnham & District); 110mH: Andy Pozzi (Malcolm Arnold) – Stratford AC; 400mH: Ben Hopkins (Marina Armstrong) – Blackheath & Bromley; 3000mSC: Jack Partridge (Rupert Pepper) – Poole Runners; 4x100m: Bolarinwa; Liam Clowes (Steven Walker) – Crewe & Nantwich; Adam Gemili (Blackheath & Bromley); Emmanuel Stephens (Julian Golding) – Thurrock; Dannish Walker-Khan (Linford Christie) – Birchfield Harriers; Watts; 4x400m: Alex Boyce (Robert Roberts) – Liverpool Harriers; Dunn; Zach King (John Davis) – Notts; David Lagerberg (Mansfield); Luke South (Mike Corden) – City of Sheffield; Josh Street (Matthew Thomas) – South London; High Jump: Allan Smith (Bryan Roy) – Shaftesbury Barnet/Perth Strathtay; Pole Vault: Cameron Walker-Shepherd (Charles Preston) – Birchfield; Long Jump: Ashley Wren (Neil Bones) – Scunthorpe; Triple Jump: Joe Lawrence (Dee Fielden) – Blackheath & Bromley; Shot Putt: Gareth Winter (Lorraine Shaw) – Gloucester; Discus: Adam Damadzic (Gary Herrington) – Birchfield Harriers; Javelin: Joe Dunderdale (David Parker) – Lincoln Wellington; Hammer: Andrew Elkins (Dennis Elkins) – Shaftesbury Barnet

WOMEN

100m: Bianca Williams (Lloyd Cowan) – Enfield & Haringey; 200m: Jennie Batten (Roger Walters) – Stroud; 400m: Kirsten McAslan (Trevor Painter) – East Cheshire; 800m: Rowena Cole (Norma Pugh) – Coventry; 1500m: Jessica Judd (Jeremy Freeman) – Chelmsford; 3000m: Louise Small (Mick Woods) – Aldershot, Farnham & District; 100mH: Marilyn Nwawulor (Harry King) – Harrow; 400mH: Abigayle Fitzpatrick (Morris Condon) – Sale Harriers Manchester; 3000mSC: Pippa Woolven (Janet Nash) – Wycombe; 4x100m: Batten; Nwawulor; Annie Tagoe (Connie Henry ) – Thames Valley; Shaunna Thompson (Bob Gaisie) – Sale Harriers Manchester; B Williams; Jodie Williams (Mike McFarlane) – Herts Phoenix; 4x400m: Millie Clifford (Michael Coker) – Southampton; Lucy James (Nick Dakin) – Bedford & County; Katie Kirk (Mark Kirk) – Lagan Valley; McAslan; Victoria Ohuruogu (Lloyd Cowan) – Newham & Essex Beagles; TBC; High Jump: Emma Nuttall (Laurier Primeau) – Edinburgh AC; Pole Vault: Katie Byres (Julien Raffalli) – Sale Harriers Manchester; Long Jump: Sarah Abrams (Lorna Booth) – Blackheath & Bromley; Triple Jump: Naomi Reid (John Crotty) – Derby; Shot Putt: Sophie McKinna (Geoff Capes) – Great Yarmouth; Discus: Shadine Duquemin (Jersey); Javelin: Freya Jones (William Bushnell) – Southhampton; Hammer: Abbi Carter (Dave Smith) – Kingston Upon Hull