by Stuart Weir
GB Team for the European Indoor Athletics Championships
Great Britain has selected a team of 44 athletes (23 Men and 21 women) for the European Indoor Athletics Championships in the Netherlands from 6-9 March. In 2023 in Istanbul, there were gold medals for Keely Hodgkinson, Laura Muir, and Jazmin Sawyers, and six medals in 2019 and 2021. GB won 12 more than any other country.
However, if you look at the last three European gold medalists, two, Keely Hodgkinson and Jazmin Sawyers, have retired, and Laura Muir and Katarina Johnson-Thompson have opted not to seek selection. Of our medalists at the World Indoors last year, Molly Caudery is competing, but Josh Kerr and Jemma Reekie have decided not to. Jemma told me that it is also challenging to peak in February if you aim to peak for the World Outdoors in mid-September.
The GB team, listed with, with name, coach, and club, is:
Women
60m
Joy Eze (Michael Donnelly, Gateshead)
Amy Hunt (Marco Airale, Charnwood)
Bianca Williams (Linford Christie, Thames Valley)
400m:
Amber Anning (Chris Johnson, Brighton & Hove)
Poppy Malik (Grant Barker, Harrow)
Ama Pipi (Tony Lester, Enfield & Haringey)
800m
Isabelle Boffey (Luke Gunn, Enfield & Haringey)
Grace Vans Agnew (Jon Bigg, Brighton Phoenix)
Erin Wallace (Trevor Painter, Giffnock North)
1500m
Georgia Hunter-Bell (Trevor Painter, Belgrave)
Ava Lloyd (Trevor Painter, Wigan & District)
Revee Walcott-Nolan (Thomas Dreissigacker, Luton)
3000m
Melissa Courtney-Bryant (Rob Denmark, Poole AC)
Innes FitzGerald (Gavin Pavey, Exeter)
Hannah Nuttall (Helen Clitheroe, Charnwood)
Long Jump
Alice Hopkins (Linford Christie, Oxford City)
High Jump
Morgan Lake (Yannick Tregaro, Windsor Slough Eton & Hounslow)
Shot Put
Serena Vincent (Mike Winch, City of Portsmouth)
Pentathlon
Jade O’Dowda (John Lane, Newham & Essex Beagles)
4x400m Relay
Amber Anning (Chris Johnson, Brighton & Hove)
Hannah Kelly (Les Hall, Bolton)
Poppy Malik (Grant Barker, Harrow)
Emily Newnham (Nick Dakin, Shaftesbury Barnet)
Lina Nielsen (Tony Lester, Shaftesbury Barnet)
Ama Pipi (Tony Lester, Enfield & Haringey)
Men
60m
Jeremiah Azu (Helen James, Cardiff)
Romell Glave (Michael Afilaka, Croydon)
John Otugade (Tom McNab, Shaftesbury Barnet)
400m
Alex Haydock-Wilson (Dai Greene, Windsor Slough Eton and Hounslow)
Efekemo Okoro (Felip Siqueria, Birchfield Harriers)
800m
Justin Davies (Martin Rush, Team Bath)
Jack Higgins (Mark Hookway, Tonbridge)
Thomas Randolph (Craig Winrow, Tamworth)
1500m
Elliot Giles (Jon Bigg, Birchfield Harriers)
Neil Gourley (Stephen Haas, Giffnock North)
Thomas Keen (Mark Vile, Cambridge & Coleridge)
3000m
Adam Fogg (Cory Leslie, Coventry)
George Mills (Thomas Dreissigacker, Brighton Phoenix)
James West (Helen Clitheroe, Tonbridge)
60m Hurdles
Daniel Goriola (Tony Jarrett, Blackheath & Bromley)
Triple Jump
Efe Uwaifo (Daniel Hooker, Harrow)
Shot Put
Scott Lincoln (Paul Wilson, City of York)
4x400m Relay
Alastair Chalmers (Matt Elias, Guernsey)
Seamus Derbyshire (Alex O’Gorman, City of Stoke)
Josh Faulds (James Wright, Rugby & Northampton)
Alex Haydock-Wilson (Dai Greene, Windsor Slough Eton and Hounslow)
Efekemo Okoro (Felipe Siqueria, Birchfield Harriers)
Lee Thompson (John Henson, Sheffield & Dearne)
4x400m Mixed Relay
Comprised of existing relay selections
Paula Dunn, Head Coach at UKA, said:
“Historically, this has been a championship in which the Great Britain and Northern Ireland teams have thrived, but it has also been a crucial way for athletes to step into the major championship arena for the first time. As we begin the LA Olympic and Paralympic cycle, it is great to see a team combining World and Olympic medallists alongside several developing athletes making their GB & NI debut. I look forward to the squad rising to the challenge, achieving PBs, reaching finals, and battling for medals in Apeldoorn.”
The selectors added the following footnotes to the team:
*Laura Muir has requested not to be selected for the upcoming championships. During the latter stages of the trial race over the weekend, she sustained an injury to her calf and will not be competing again this indoor season.
**Long jumper Jacob Fincham-Dukes picked up an injury at the UK Athletics Indoors Championships and will not be taking part in the European Indoor Championships.
***Lina Nielsen has chosen only to participate in the 400m relay team.
There is also the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China, which will take place from 21 to 23 March. The team for that event will be selected after the Europeans.
***Molly Caudery, who was originally selected, has now
withdrawn from the European Athletics Indoor championships to manage an
ongoing calf injury and is now focussed on competing in the World
Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing.
