23 June 2010

2009 double World Youth champion Jodie Williams (coach: Mike McFarlane) is one of 13 athletes named onto the Aviva Great Britain & Northern Ireland team in the first wave of selections for the IAAF World Junior Championships in Moncton, Canada, from 19-25 July 2010.

Track star Williams, currently ranked number one in the world over 200m (22.79) and UK junior record holder and world number three over 100m (11.24), reinforced her domestic dominance with a sprint double at the recent England Under-20 Championships and World Junior Trials.

Demonstrating the strength in the junior ranks, she will be joined on the global stage by field event duo Lawrence Okoye (coach: John Hillier) and Sophie Hitchon (coach: Derek Evely) who are ranked second and third in the world for 2010 to date in the discus and hammer respectively.

While UK junior record holder Hitchon has enjoyed international success with Commonwealth Youth Games gold in 2008 and European Junior Championships bronze in 2009, Okoye, a relative newcomer to track and field athletics, will earn his first Aviva GB & NI team vest courtesy of a 63.92m effort to win the England under-20 title – a mark which took him to number two on the UK All-Time list (under-20).

Also named in the first wave are Kieran Showler-Davis (coach: John Davis) in the 200m and Niall Brooks (coach: Norman Poole) in the 800m, both athletes now moving into the world class category following their lifetime best performances of 20.75 and 1:47.29 in the Trials.

Kevin Tyler, UKA Strategic Head of Coaching and Development and World Juniors Team Leader, said:

“We’ve named these athletes in our first round of selections based on the ‘first eligible athlete past the post in the relevant Trials’ principle, provided that they had achieved the UKA qualifying standard within the qualification period.

“We’re fortunate that we have a number of athletes who place well in the current world age group rankings and we hope that they can now focus, along with their coaches, on their preparations to do justice to those rankings in Canada.”

The second and final wave of selections, including relay teams, will be announced week commencing 5 July 2010.

Aviva GB & NI Team

MEN

100m: Deji Tobais (Simon Duberley) – Windsor, Slough, Eton & Hounslow; 200m: Kieran Showler-Davis (John Davis) – Basingstoke & Mid Hants; 800m: Niall Brooks (Norman Poole) – Sale Harriers Manchester; 400mH: Jack Green (June Plews) – Kent; High Jump: Sam Bailey (Carol Jackson) – Chelmsford; Discus: Lawrence Okoye (John Hillier) – Croydon; Javelin: Daniel Pembroke (Kevin Pembroke) – WSEH

WOMEN

100m: Jodie Williams (Mike McFarlane) – Herts Phoenix; 200m: Williams; 1500m: Laura Weightman (Steve Cram) – Morpeth; 5000m: Emelia Gorecka (Mick Woods) – Aldershot, Farnham & District; High Jump: Isobel Pooley (George Male) – AFD; Pole Vault: Sally Scott (Steve Rippon) – Gateshead; Hammer: Sophie Hitchon (Derek Evely) – Blackburn