15 BRITISH ATHLETES SET FOR KEY OPPORTUNITY AT WORLD PARA ATHLETICS JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS

British Athletics has today selected a team of 15 for the World Para Athletics Junior Championships which will take place in Nottwil, Switzerland from 1-4 August 2019.

Among those selected to represent the country are two medallists from the 2017 edition of these championships, Karim Chan (coach: Femi Akinsanya; club: Charnwood) and Ethan Kirby (Nick Harris; Newton Abbot), with 11 athletes earning their first junior international cap for the Great Britain & Northern Ireland team.

Chan won the T20 long jump title – for athletes with an intellectual impairment – in Nottwil two years ago and earns his place in the 2019 squad following a season so far which has seen him extend his personal best by 13cm to 6.33m.

Kirby won silver back in 2017 in the T20 400m and will compete over the distance once more in Nottwil. He lowered his PB to 52.92 at the end of May, dipping under 53 seconds for the first time. He will be joined in the T20 400m by Prince Reid (David Liston; Blackheath & Bromley) who has a best of 52.49s, set in Watford last month. The athletes come into the under 20 contest as two of the leading names in the season’s rankings. Reid will also race over 1500m.

In the women’s T20 400m, Faye Olszowka (Christopher Harris; Bexley) will make her British debut in the U20 age-group, heading into the event ranked second in the junior world standings after revising her lifetime best to 1:03.08 in May.

Matthew Cooper (Jenny Archer; Weir Archer Academy), ranked second in the world in the junior T34 rankings in 2019, will be one to watch out for when he goes in the combined U20 T33/34 100m in August. The Weir Archer Academy athlete will additionally contest the 200m and 400m in Switzerland, as will Zien Zhou (Job King; Coventry Godiva) who also contests all three distances.

Ben Callander (Peter Wyman; Kirkby AC) – a T33 athlete who is ranked number one junior in the world in the classification – will join the pair in the T33/34 100m, 200m and 400m.

One athlete has been selected in the U17 category, Wales-based Molly Hopkins (Morgan Jones; DSW Para Academy). Hopkins will race in the T62 100m – for athletes with lower limb impairments competing with a prosthetic – in her first international competition.

Team Leader Sarah Benson commented:

“We are delighted to select 15 athletes for the second World Para Athletics Junior Championships. This event serves as an important step for these athletes in the Paralympic performance pathway and will be a fantastic opportunity to experience the international competition environment.

“It will be a great learning experience for these exciting prospects and I’m sure it will help them in preparation for future potential Paralympic Games and senior world championships.”

The British Athletics team for the World Para Athletics Junior Championships, Nottwil, Switzerland – 1-4 August 2019: 

U17 Women

Molly Hopkins (Morgan Jones; DSW Para Academy) – T62 100m

U20 Women

Abbie McNally (Charles Forbes; Inverness) – T37 100m & 200m

India Oates (Helen Bowles; Darlington Harriers) – T35 100 & 200m

Faye Olszowka (Christopher Harris; Bexley) – T20 400m

Eden Rainbow-Cooper (Jenny Archer; Weir Archer Academy) – T54 400m, 800m & 1500m

Kirsty Taylor (Christian Malcolm; DSW Para Academy) – T44 100m & 200m

U20 Men

John Bridge (Matt Elias; Cardiff) – T47 400m

Ben Callander (Peter Wyman; Kirkby AC) – T33/34 100m, 200m & 400m

Karim Chan (Femi Akinsanya; Charnwood) – T20 Long Jump

Matthew Cooper (Jenny Archer; Weir Archer Academy) – T34 100m, 200m & 400m

Barney Corrall (Chris Sinclair; Charnwood) – T38 Long Jump

Ethan Kirby (Nick Harris; Newton Abbot) – T20 400m

Prince Reid (David Liston; Blackheath & Bromley) – T20 400m & 1500m

Alexander Thomson (Thomas Graham; Whitemoss) – T38 100m & 200m

Zien Zhou (Job King; Coventry Godiva) – T34 100m, 200m & 400m