Sports
GREAT Britain will send a 41-strong squad to next month’s European Indoor Championships in Poland.
Elliot Giles, after last week’s second-fastest indoor 800m in history, hurdler Tiffany Porter and 18-year-old 800m runner Keely Hodgkinson all feature.
However, sprinter Dina Asher-Smith and heptathlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson miss out through injury.
Laura Muir had already chosen not to attempt a triple double as she focuses on the Tokyo Olympics starting in July.
The championships take place in Torun from 4-7 March and there will be live coverage on BBC TV.
The British squad also includes 2018 World Indoor 60m hurdles champion Andrew Pozzi and 2019 European Indoor silver medallist Holly Bradshaw.
Asher-Smith, who won 200m gold and 100m silver at the 2019 World Championships, completed back-to-back 60m wins at the World Indoor Athletics Tour in Germany last month.
The 25-year-old recently picked up a quad injury and will now concentrate on the outdoor season, which begins in May.
Asha Philip is another absentee, meaning Britain are without an entry in the women’s 60m.
More names could yet be added to the squad.
“We are awaiting decisions from European Athletics on several field event nominations that we have put forward, so we hope to add several other athletes to the team later this week,” said Christian Malcolm, British Athletics’ Olympic head coach.
“I’ve not set a medal target, it’s an opportunity for these athletes to step up a level. It’s a great stepping stone.”
Johnson-Thompson plans to return to training next month after an Achilles injury and Malcolm remains confident about the 28-year-old’s fitness for the Tokyo Games, which start on 23 July.
“The main focus for her has always been the Olympic Games,” he said.
“For any athlete right now it is the ability to train which is the challenge, and travelling, so the safest option is just to stay focused on the end goal, which for a lot of athletes is the Olympics.
“I have no doubts about her being 100% (in Tokyo). But I don’t have a crystal ball, so I can’t go out there saying things might happen.”
Great Britain squad
Women
400m:
Jessie Knight
Ama Pipi
Jodie Williams
800m:
Ellie Baker
Isabelle Boffey
Keely Hodgkinson
1500m:
Holly Archer
Katie Snowden
3000m:
Amy-Eloise Markovc
Verity Ockenden
Amelia Quirk
4x400m relay:
Zoey Clark
Beth Dobbin
Jessie Knight
Yasmin Liverpool
Ama Pipi
Jodie Williams
60m hurdles:
Emma Nwofor
Tiffany Porter
Cindy Sember
Pole vault:
Holly Bradshaw
Long jump:
Abigail Irozuru
Shot put:
Sophie McKinna
Pentathlon:
Holly Mills
Men
60m:
Harry Aikines-Aryeetey
Oliver Bromby
Andrew Robertson
400m:
Joe Brier
Lee Thompson
James Williams
800m:
Elliot Giles
Guy Learmonth
Jamie Webb
1500m:
Piers Copeland
Archie Davis
Neil Gourley
3000m:
Andrew Butchart
Jack Rowe
Marc Scott
4x400m relay:
Joe Brier
Efe Okoro
Tom Somers
Owen Smith
Lee Thompson
James Williams
60m hurdles:
Andrew Pozzi
Long jump:
Jacob Fincham-Dukes
BBC Sport
– Feb. 23, 2021 @ 08:56 GMT /
Tags: European Indoor Athletics: Elliot Giles Tiffany Porter in GB squad
