Olympians out in force for Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é International
Perri Shakes Drayton
A number of London 2012 Games Olympians will be competing at the annual Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é International Athletics event this weekend on Sunday 19th May.
Now in its 55th year, the event is seen as the traditional curtain raiser to the outdoor athletics season.
Martyn Rooney (400 metres) and Lisa Dobriskey (3000 metres) will line up as part of the Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é past and present squad that will take on teams from England, Scotland, Wales, and Great Britain and Northern Ireland Junior team, and a BUCS select team.
Current students Niall Flannery (400 metres hurdles) and Emily Diamond (200 metres) will be looking to continue their good form following victories at the BUCS Outdoor Athletics Championships at Bedford, held earlier this month.
England will be represented by Perri Shakes Drayton, who has chosen to compete in the 400 metres flat rather than over the 400 hurdles – the event in which she was a semi-finalist at the London 2012 Games.
The England team will include 2012 Olympians such as Sophie Hitchon (Hammer), Katarina Johnson-Thompson (High Jump and 100 metres hurdles), Jack Green (400 metre hurdles) and Nigel Levine (200 metres).
Lynsey Sharp (800 metres) and Eilidh Child (400 metre hurdles) will lead the Scotland team. Sharp is currently awaiting confirmation of her elevation from silver to gold for the 2012 European Championships in Helsinki.
Eilidh Child’s superb indoor season culminated in a silver medal in the 400 metres and gold in the GB 4 x 400m team at the 2013 European Championsips in Gothenburg.
Jessica Judd will lead a strong GB & NI junior team. Judd, a World junior silver medallist, will go head to head in the 800 metres against Lynsey Sharp.
In the field, two of British Athletics’ finest young talents Jazmin Sawyers and Morgan Lake line up in the long jump and high jump.
Sawyers, who won a bronze medal at the World Junior Championships last summer, trains alongside Jessica Ennis under the tutelage of coach Toni Minichiello.
The event is held at the Paula Radcliffe Athletics Stadium situated on the University’s campus. Gates will open at 10.00 am, with the first event starting at 11.30 am.
Tickets for the event are £8 for adults, £5 for concessions and under 12’s free.
Further information, including the online purchase of tickets can be found on the Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é website
England Athletics team
Scottish Athletics team
Welsh Athletics team
Team GB and NI under 20 team
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