by Stuart Weir
Stuart Weir sent this to me about 11 PM local time in Wisconsin with the note, “And you thought you were caught up?”.
Team GB is named in this piece, and the selectors continue to go against the grain and not select World Athletics invitees to Paris 2024 if they do not meet British standards.
The rationalization from Mr. Buckner is that Team GB did have tough enough standards. In reviewing the social media, I have not found one note, unless they were on Team GB staff, supporting the decision that does not invest in any future.
What do I learn? Well, each federation is a little dysfunctional, but I thought Team GB had a pretty good handle on the silly stuff for many years.
I was obviously wrong.
TEAM GB ATHLETICS SQUAD CONFIRMED FOR PARIS 2024
GB will take a team of 65 athletes to the Paris Olympics. The team includes six individual medallists from last year’s World Championships: Zharnel Hughes, Josh Kerr, and Ben Pattison; Matt Hudson-Smith, Keely Hodgkinson, and Katarina Johnson-Thompson; and exciting young talent Phoebe Gill (800) and Louie Hinchliffe (100).
In terms of using their discretionary places – with only the first two at trials automatically selected – there is a place for Jake Wightman in the 800m, chosen ahead of Elliot Giles. Wightman missed the trials on a medical exemption, while Giles was tripped on the home straight when he was in third place. Holly Bradshaw was ill during trials and has been added to the pole vault. Eilish McColgan, who dropped out of the 10K in the recent European Champs through illness, has been selected. Amy Hunt was second in the 100 and third in the 200 at trials but did not meet the Olympic standard in either distance, opening the door for Imani Lansiquot and Bianca Williams.
GB management has stuck to its policy of not accepting invitations for athletes who have not achieved the Olympic standard, and there have been strong reactions from some athletes. Phil Norman, who won the 3000SC at trials but in a time 0.15 seconds outside the Olympic standard, posted on Twitter, “I battled every step of the way on and off the track and successfully qualified for my second Olympics. However, due to UKA selection policy I was not selected, and my invitation declined”. He added that he had appealed with legal assistance and support from the Athletes Commission but had been rejected.
The team includes no female throwers. Jade Lally, who is due an Olympic invite according to her world ranking but missed the UK’s qualifying standard by just 5cm with a discus throw this year of 63.15m that no other British woman has bettered since 1983, said: “I have to retire because of British Athletics,” Lally said. “I’m proud to be British … but ashamed to represent British Athletics. If you are a British athlete and have already missed out on a championship, I would 100 percent encourage anybody to switch to another country if that is an option. I have wasted a career trying to prove a federation wrong.”
The Team GB Athletics team for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games (listed in the form: name, coach, club)
Women
100m
Dina Asher-Smith (Edrick Floreal, Blackheath and Bromley)
Imani-Lara Lansiquot (Ryan Freckleton, Sutton & District)
Daryll Neita (Marco Airale, Cambridge Harriers)
200m
Dina Asher-Smith (Edrick Floreal, Blackheath and Bromley)
Daryll Neita (Marco Airale, Cambridge Harriers)
Bianca Williams (Linford Christie, Thames Valley)
400m
Amber Anning (Chris Johnson, Brighton & Hove)
Laviai Nielsen (Tony Lester, Enfield & Haringey)
Victoria Ohuruogu (Newham and Essex Beagles)
800m
Phoebe Gill (Deborah Steer, St Albans)
Keely Hodgkinson (Trevor Painter, Leigh)
Jemma Reekie (Jon Bigg, Kilbarchan)
1500m
Georgia Bell (Trevor Painter, Belgrave)
Laura Muir (Steve Vernon, Dundee Hawkhill)
Revee Walcott-Nolan (Thomas Dreißigacker; Luton)
10,000m
Megan Keith (Ross Cairns, Inverness)
Eilish McColgan (Liz Nuttall, Dundee Hawkhill)
100m Hurdles
Cindy Sember (Chris Johnson, Woodford Green Essex Ladies)
400m Hurdles
Jessie Knight (Marina Armstrong, Windsor Slough Eton & Hounslow)
Lina Nielsen (Tony Lester, Shaftesbury Barnet)
3000m Steeplechase
Lizzie Bird (Pat McCurry, Shaftesbury Barnet)
Aimee Pratt (Thomas Dreißigacker, Sale Harriers Manchester)
High Jump
Morgan Lake (Robbie Grabarz, Windsor Slough Eton & Hounslow)
Pole Vault
Holly Bradshaw (Kate Rooney, Blackburn)
Molly Caudery (Scott Simpson, Thames Valley)
Heptathlon
Katarina Johnson-Thompson (Aston Moore, Liverpool Harriers)
Jade O’Dowda (John Lane, Newham & Essex Beagles)
4x100m Relay Squad (At least four to be selected)
Dina Asher-Smith (Edrick Floreal, Blackheath and Bromley)
Desiree Henry (Steve Fudge, Enfield & Haringey)
Amy Hunt (Marco Airale, Charnwood)
Imani-Lara Lansiquot (Ryan Freckleton, Sutton & District)
Daryll Neita (Marco Airale, Cambridge Harriers)
Bianca Williams (Linford Christie, Thames Valley)
4x400m Relay Squad (At least four to be selected)
Amber Anning (Chris Johnson, Brighton & Hove)
Yemi Mary John (Alan James, Woodford Green Essex Ladies)
Hannah Kelly (Les Hall, Bolton)
Laviai Nielsen (Tony Lester, Enfield & Haringey)
Victoria Ohuruogu (Newham and Essex Beagles)
Jodie Williams (Stuart McMillan, Herts Phoenix)
Nicole Yeargin (Vince Anderson, Pitreavie)
Marathon
Charlotte Purdue (Nic Bideau, Aldershot Farnham and District)
Rose Harvey (Alistair Cragg, Clapham Chasers)
Calli Hauger-Thackery (Hallamshire)
Men
100m
Jeremiah Azu (Marco Airale, Cardiff)
Louie Hinchliffe (Carl Lewis, Sheffield & Dearne)
Zharnel Hughes (Glen Mills, Shaftesbury Barnet)
200m
Zharnel Hughes (Glen Mills, Shaftesbury Barnet)
400m
Charlie Dobson (Leon Baptiste, Colchester)
Matthew Hudson-Smith (Gary Evans, Birchfield Harriers)
800m
Max Burgin (Ian Burgin, Halifax Harriers)
Ben Pattison (Dave Ragan, Basingstoke & Mid-Hants)
Jake Wightman (Geoff Wightman, Edinburgh AC)
1500m
Neil Gourley (Stephen Haas, Giffnock North)
Josh Kerr (Danny Mackey, Edinburgh)
George Mills (Thomas Dreißigacker, Brighton Phoenix)
5000m
Sam Atkin (Mike Collins, Lincoln Wellington)
Patrick Dever (Alistair Cragg, Preston)
George Mills (Thomas Dreißigacker, Brighton Phoenix)
10,000m
Patrick Dever (Alistair Cragg, Preston) *subject to confirmation of a qualifying World Ranking position
110m Hurdles
Tade Ojora (Joanna Hayes, Windsor Slough Eton & Hounslow)
400m Hurdles
Alastair Chalmers (Matt Elias, Guernsey)
Long Jump
Jacob Fincham-Dukes (Matt Barton, Leeds City)
Shot Put
Scott Lincoln (Paul Wilson, City of York)
Discus
Lawrence Okoye (Zane Duquemin, Croydon)
Nicholas Percy (Zane Duquemin, Shaftesbury Barnet)
Men’s 4x100m Relay Squad (At least four to be selected)
Jeremiah Azu (Marco Airale, Cardiff)
Louie Hinchliffe (Carl Lewis, Sheffield & Dearne)
Zharnel Hughes (Glen Mills, Shaftesbury Barnet)
Richard Kilty (Gateshead)
Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake (Ryan Freckleton, Newham & Essex Beagles)
Men’s 4x400m Relay Squad (At least four to be selected)
Charlie Carvell (Stewart Marshall, Telford AC)
Lewis Davey (Trevor Painter, Newham & Essex Beagles)
Charlie Dobson (Leon Baptiste, Colchester)
Ben Jefferies (Bristol & West)
Toby Harries (David Sadkin, Brighton Phoenix)
Alex Haydock-Wilson (Earl Herbert, Windsor Slough Eton & Hounslow)
Matthew Hudson-Smith (Gary Evans, Birchfield Harriers)
20km Race Walk
Callum Wilkinson (Robert Heffernan, Enfield & Haringey)
Marathon
Emile Cairess (Renato Canova, Leeds City)
Mahamed Mahamed (Idris Hamud, Southampton)
Phil Sesemann (Andrew Henderson, Leeds City)
Mixed 4x400m Relay [Men’s and Women’s 4x400m relay athletes eligible for this event]
