A further 22 athletes have been added to the Great Britain & Northern Ireland team heading to Eskilstuna, Sweden for the European Junior Championships on 16-19 July. Among the additions to the 55-strong team are Lina and Laviai Nielsen (coach: Frank Adams, club: Enfield & Haringey), who will join Cheriece and Shannon Hylton (John Blackie, Blackheath & Bromley) in becoming the first double set of twins to represent GB & NI at the same competition.
A personal best of 53.38 from Lina in Mannheim elevated her to fourth in the European rankings, while her sister, who tops the rankings courtesy of a 52.25 performance in May clocked 52.96 and 53.01 at the Sainsbury’s British Championships on her return to fitness to finish fifth in the final of the 400m.
British junior record holder Adam Hague (Trevor Fox, Sheffield & Dearne) has joined 2013 World Youth gold medallist Harry Coppell (John Mitchell, Wigan & District) and Charlie Myers (Chris Boundy, Middlesbrough (Mandale)) in the men’s pole vault courtesy of a 5.40m clearance in Mannheim two weeks ago. The trio also competed at the Sainsbury’s British Championships over the weekend, with Hague placing highest in seventh.
In the men’s 100m, Reuben Arthur (Jonas Tawiah-Dodoo, Enfield & Harringey) will join Joseph Dewar (Gladys Bird) and Ojie Edoburun (Tawiah-Dodoo, Shaftesbury Barnet), who underlined his status as European number one winning 100m bronze in Birmingham over the weekend.
Jack Lawrie (John Macdonald, Pitreavie), who narrowly missed the 400m hurdles qualifying standard to win gold at the England Athletics U20/23 Championships in Bedford produced the performance of his life in Mannheim to dip under the magic 51.80 barrier and secure his place on the plane heading for Sweden.
GB & NI team leader Jo Summers said: “We have had some fantastic performances over the last few months and collectively as a team, we are heading to Sweden in really good shape.
“The performances in Bedford, Mannheim and at the Sainsbury’s British Championships over the weekend have given the athletes a great deal of confidence, which I hope they will take forward in to the European Junior Championships in nine days time.”
