by Stuart Weir
Andrew Pozzi, photo by World Athletics
Keely Hodgkinson, photo by Getty Images for British Athletics
Katrina Johnson Thompson, photo by World Athletics
World indoors preview – GB prospects
Britain has picked a large team for the world indoor championships in Serbia later this week. 37 athletes have been selected. Compare 26 from Spain, 15 from Australia and only nine from France. The USA has a team of 53.
The British team includes two defending champions from Birmingham 2018, Andrew Pozzi (60m hurdles) and Katerina Johnson-Thompson (pentathlon). Of Britain’s other 2018 medalists, Eilidh Doyle has retired, Shelayne Oskan-Clarke has not yet run this year and the indoors was never in Laura Muir’s plans. Britain’s other 2018 medal came in the women’s 4 by 400 relay.
Speaking to the British press last week, head Coach Christian Malcolm said that there was no official medal target for the team, adding: “I just want the athletes to be able to step up and perform. We have athletes who are more than capable of winning a medal and possibly gold but it’s for them to set their own target”.
Noting that many of our top athletes had opted out of a full indoor season, which he felt was totally understandable given the three championships in the summer, he said that he was comfortable with the situation, clarifying: “I don’t want athletes not to compete but they have to be able to prepare for the summer in the right way. With so many events this year, athletes have to choose what they’re going to do. I think that for some athletes, particularly with the World Indoors being in mid-March, skipping it is a good decision. But equally, that means that there’s a chance for other athletes to step up and take the opportunity”.
Aries Merritt, Andy Pozzi, Birmingham 2018, photo by Getty Images for British Athletics
Asked the same question again in a subtly different form, with the questioner making reference to the fact that GB has 18 sprinters on funding, only two of whom have made themselves available for selection for the World Indoors, he responded: “That’s a decision that people have made as part of their plan. Ideally, you’d like all of your athletes available for every championship but I think particularly with the Olympics being postponed that some athletes may need to put more in the tank this winter to prepare for the two or three championships in the summer. I am not too concerned about those numbers”.
The “star” of the British team is Keely Hodgkinson, a silver medalist in Tokyo, who has run a 1:57.20 this year. Malcolm said: “She’s the ultimate competitor. She works hard, she trains hard. She’s not affected by the much going on around her. She loves her job. It’s good that she has the appetite to do the relay as well as 800. We talked through whether it was feasible to do it in terms of the timetable. I think it’s important for us not to put pressure on Keely but the let her enjoy what she’s doing”.
Adam Thomas, photo by Getty Images for British Athletics
The head coach also picked out two athletes who would be competing on the world stage for the first time, for whom we had big expectations: “Ed Faulds. I like the way he ran at the Birmingham Indoor Grand Prix. He is a young talent who holds a British record. I am very excited to see him come out and run 46.16. I think he can breakthrough in the summer and perhaps would start to build a platform for the 4 by 400 as well. He’s very feisty, very direct, a winner. He knows what he wants and has spoken openly about the 4 by 4 and what they can do going forward. I think he’s a good character to have around
“I think Adam Thomas has done well in the 60m. He stepped up in the Grand Prix and again in the British Championship. [he is 26 but it’s the first champs]. I think he’s got to approach it with the same attitude he had in the British Championships. He knew he was in good shape. You had Jeremiah Azu and Andy Robertson in the final with him. You might have thought that nerves would have got to him but he just stepped up and wasn’t afraid of those guys. He’s got to just keep executing and having that same attitude. I always say to athletes ‘ they’d rather be here than be at home injured or not having qualified. You are here so let’s do it. Let’s execute'”.
The full British team (listed with coach and club) is:
Women’s 60m
Cheyanne Evans-Gray (Nat Senior, Croydon)
Daryll Neita (Marco Airale, Cambridge Harriers)
Women’s 400m
Jessie Knight (Marina Armstrong, Windsor Slough Eton, and Hounslow)
Ama Pipi (Marco Airale, Enfield, and Haringey)
Women’s 800m
Keely Hodgkinson (Trevor Painter, Leigh)
Jenny Selman (Lewis Walker, Fife)
Women’s 1500m
Erin Wallace (Andy Young, Giffnock North)
Women’s 3000m
Amy-Eloise Markovc (Chris Fox, Wakefield)
Amelia Quirk (Mick Woods, Bracknell)
Women’s 60m Hurdles
Megan Marrs (Alex Nwenwu, Windsor Slough Eton and Hounslow)
Women’s High Jump
Emily Borthwick (Wigan & District)
Women’s Long Jump
Jazmin Sawyers (Lance Braunman, City of Stoke)
Lorraine Ugen (Dwight Phillips, Thames Valley)
Women’s Shot Put
Sophie McKinna (Great Yarmouth)
Amelia Strickler (Zane Duquemin, Thames Valley)
Women’s Pentathlon
Katarina Johnson-Thompson (Petros Kyprianou, Liverpool)
Holly Mills (Laura Turner-Alleyne, Andover)
Women’s 4x400m Relay
Keely Hodgkinson (Trevor Painter, Leigh)
Yemi Mary John (Alan James, Woodford Green Essex Ladies)
Jessie Knight (Marina Armstrong, Windsor Slough Eton, and Hounslow)
Ama Pipi (Marco Airale, Enfield, and Haringey)
Victoria Ohuruogu (Newham and Essex Beagles)
Hannah Williams (Steve Fudge, Herts Phoenix)
Men’s 60m
Andrew Robertson (Sale Harriers Manchester)
Adam Thomas (Bracknell)
Men’s 800m
Charlie Da’Vall Grice (Brighton Phoenix)
Elliot Giles (Jon Bigg, Birchfield)
Guy Learmonth (Justin Rinaldi, Lasswade)
Men’s 1500m
Neil Gourley (Ben Thomas, Giffnock North)
George Mills (Brighton Phoenix)
Men’s 3000m
Jamaine Coleman (Preston)
Marc Scott (Jerry Schumacher, Richmond and Zetland)
Men’s 60m Hurdles
David King (Tim O’Neil, City of Plymouth)
Andrew Pozzi (Stratford-upon-Avon)
Men’s Shot Put
Scott Lincoln (Paul Wilson, City of York)
Men’s 4x400m Relay
Alex Haydock-Wilson (Benke Blomkvist, Windsor Slough Eton, and Hounslow)
Ben Higgins (Stewart Marshall, Sheffield & Dearne)
Samuel Reardon (Nigel Stickings, Blackheath and Bromley)
Thomas Somers (Newham and Essex Beagles)
James Williams (Paul Waters, Liverpool)
