BRITISH ATHLETICS JUNIORS HEAD TO MANCHESTER

British Athletics’ 42-strong team of juniors will take to the field of play this evening at the second edition of the Manchester International, held at Manchester Regional Arena in Manchester.

The British team, which includes a host of medal winners from last month’s European Junior Championships, will be pitted against teams representing England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland & Ulster and a combined British Athletics League/UK Women’s League team.

Offering the crop of talented juniors an opportunity to compete against senior opposition, the meet will also serve as a competition at which athletes can look to gain their discipline’s qualifying standard for next April’s Commonwealth Games in Australia, particularly with the crop of Autumn deadlines outlined by individual home countries now drawing ever closer.

In the sprints, European Junior 200m champion Maya Bruney (coach: John Blackie) is one of those set to don the British vest as she goes over 400m, where competition will come from Margaret Adeoye, running for England Athletics, amongst others.

Elsewhere, Khahisa Mhlanga (Mick Judd) and Jemma Reekie (Andy Young), both of whom also won gold in Grosseto, go over 800m and 1 mile respectively, with the latter running the event competitively for the first time in her career.

After fine European Junior silver medals in the 110m hurdles and 800m respectively, Robert Sakala (Piotr Spas) and Markhim Londsale (Keith Lonsdale) will line up in those same events, while after a personal best display to win the British senior title followed by European Junior bronze, Naomi Ogbeta (Tom Cullen) will aim to continue her sensational form in the triple jump as the season draws to a close.

Out in the field, the competition also offers another opportunity for likes of Jake Norris (hammer throw, Paul Dickenson), Molly Caudery (pole vault, Stuart Caudery) and James Tomlinson (discus, Paul Jensen) – the latter being the setter of a new British youth record at Loughborough’s International meeting back in May – to round out their impressive seasons.

You can follow updates from this evening’s meet by tracking the hashtag #MANCINT on Twitter, while an action report will be posted on www.britishathletics.org.uk post-meet.