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Rutherford, Kilty and Johnson-Thompson on GB team for PraguePublished by
British Athletics names a 39-strong Great Britain & Northern Ireland team for next month’s European Athletics Indoor ChampionshipsGreg Rutherford, Richard Kilty and Katarina Johnson-Thompson are to form part of the 39-strong Great Britain & Northern Ireland team for the European Athletics Indoor Championships taking place in Prague, Czech Republic, from March 5-8. The event had not originally been in Olympic, European and Commonwealth long jump champion Rutherford’s plans but he has accepted selection and is to compete at the O2 Arena next month after setting an indoor personal best of 8.17m at last weekend’s Sainsbury’s Indoor Grand Prix in Birmingham. That mark is just one centimentre off the British indoor record which was set by Chris Tomlinson in 2008. Rutherford last competed for GB & NI indoors in 2010. Kilty fills the third 60m slot after missing the trials in Sheffield with a minor back problem. He will be joined in that event by British indoor champion Chijindu Ujah and runner-up Sean Safo-Antwi. In the women’s event, Dina Asher-Smith’s selection has been confirmed, as has Rachel Johncock’s. After claiming his fifth consecutive national indoor 400m title earlier this month, Nigel Levine does not feature in the team list despite having indicated that the event was in his plans. British indoor silver medallist Jarryd Dunn will represent GB in that event, while Seren Bundy-Davies has been handed the discretionary spot in the women’s event after her fall at the British Championships but impressive PB performance at the Indoor Grand Prix. Trials top-two Kirsten McAslan and Laura Maddox join her. Jenny Meadows won her seventh national indoor 800m title in Sheffield and will head to Prague as favourite to claim a second European indoor gold. Laura Muir again steps up to the 3000m, while British indoor champion Emelia Gorecka and Kate Avery will also line-up in that event. Lawrence Clarke and David Omoregie will contest the 60m hurdles, while Lucy Hatton makes her senior GB team debut after a PB this season which was just 0.01 outside of the qualifying standard. Serita Solomon joins her. Other athletes forming part of a senior GB team for the first time are Safo-Antwi, James Bowness, Philip Hurst, Amy Allcock, Rosie Clark, McAlsan and Maddox. Fresh from her two British records, Katarina Johnson-Thompson will contest the pentathlon along with double world junior champion Morgan Lake. “There has been some fantastic and promising performances during this indoor season notably at the Sainsbury s Indoor British Championships and the Sainsbury s Indoor Grand Prix last weekend,” commented British Athletics performance director Neil Black. “I m really encouraged by what I ve seen so far and we head to the Czech Republic in great shape. The team has a good blend of established championship performers such as Greg Rutherford and Jenny Meadows, and in other areas it is very much developmental giving up and coming athletes the opportunity to perform on this stage. “I m looking forward to seeing how the team performs as we focus on long term development towards 2016 and 2017 through to 2020.” GB team for the European Athletics Indoor Championships in PragueMEN 60m 400m 800m 1500m 3000m 4x400m 60m hurdles High jump Long jump WOMEN 60m 400m 800m 1500m 3000m 4x400m 60m hurdles High jump Long jump Pentathlon The post Rutherford, Kilty and Johnson-Thompson on GB team for Prague appeared first on Athletics Weekly. Read the full article at: www.athleticsweekly.com
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