20th July 2022

43-STRONG GREAT BRITAIN & NORTHERN IRELAND TEAM SELECTED FOR WORLD ATHLETICS U20 CHAMPS

UK Athletics has today announced a team of 43 athletes for next month’s World Athletics U20 Championships in Cali, Colombia, 1-6 August.

Jeriel Quainoo (coach: Ryan Freckleton, club: Blackheath & Bromley) will compete in men’s 200m after victory at the Trials last weekend, and heads to Colombia full of confidence after setting a PB of 20.40 at last month’s Muller UK Athletics Championships where he won the bronze medal.

Female sprinting selections include Success Eduan (Anita Richardson, Sale Harriers) in the 200m and Yemi Mary John (Alan James, Woodford Green Essex Ladies) over 400m, both of whom made the podium at last summer’s European U20s with bronze and silver respectively. Onyekachukwu Okoh (Jade Harding, Chelmsford) and Marli Jessop (Scott Grace, Shaftesbury Barnet) lead the sprint hurdles selections after stand-out outings over the weekend.

An equally dominant winner over the weekend, Ethan Hussey (Andrew Henderson, Leeds City) is selected over both the 800m and 1500m, earning his first major British call-up having previously competed for GB & NI at last summer’s Manchester International.

Samuel Reardon (Nigel Stickings, Blackheath & Bromley), Abigail Ives (Luke Gunn, Basildon) and Iris Downes (Colin Lancaster, Shrewsbury) are also selected in the 800m. For Ives, a commanding gold medal victory in Bedford underlined her potential before heading with to Cali, with her personal best of 2:01.88 set in May seeing her ranked the 11th quickest junior in the world this year, while her and Reardon will be part of the teams for the 4x400m relays.

Field discipline selections include Cleo Agyepong (John Hillier, Blackheath & Bromley) in the shot, Michael Allison (Tom Dobbing, Windsor Slough Eton & Hounslow) and Ben East (Luke Angell, Team Kennet) in the javelin, and Lazarus Benjamin (Sale Harriers), Sophie Ashurst (Andy Ashurst, Sale Harriers) and Gemma Tutton (Richard Pilling, Lewes) in the pole vault. One of the youngest athletes on the team, Agyepong’s selection for her first global championships comes just weeks after she won European U18 gold in Jerusalem.

There will also be three representatives in combined events action, with Sammy Ball (Michael Dyer, Reading AC) going in the Decathlon following a 7000+ point score back in May to secure the qualifying mark, and Ella Rush (David Feeney, Amber Valley & Erewash) and Eloise Hind (Marcia Marriott, Oxford City) in the Heptathlon.

The full Great Britain & Northern Ireland team for the World Athletics U20 Championships:

Women

100m

Joy Eze (Michael Donnelly, Gateshead)

Nia Wedderburn-Goodison (Harrow)

200m

Success Eduan (Anita Richardson, Sale Harriers)

Sophie Walton (Trevor Williams, Horwich) 

400m

Yemi Mary John (Alan James, Woodford Green Essex Ladies)

800m

Iris Downes (Colin Lancaster, Shrewsbury)

Abigail Ives (Luke Gunn, Basildon)

100m Hurdles

Marli Jessop (Scott Grace, Shaftesbury Barnet)

Mia McIntosh (Jake Awe, Harrow)

400m Hurdles

Ophelia Pye (Dave Hemery, Marlborough Athletics)

4x100m Relay

Faith Akinbileje (John Blackie, Blackheath and Bromley)

Alyson Bell (Edinburgh Uni)

Success Eduan (Anita Richardson, Sale Harriers)

Joy Eze (Michael Donnelly, Gateshead)

Sophie Walton (Trevor Williams, Horwich) 

Nia Wedderburn-Goodison (Harrow)

4x400m Relay

Jessica Astill (Paul Keeble, Stevenage & Herts)

Abigail Ives (Luke Gunn, Basildon)

Yemi Mary John (Alan James, Woodford Green Essex Ladies)

Poppy Malik (Grant Barker, Notts)

Etty Sisson (Grant Barker, Charnwood)

Pole Vault

Sophie Ashurst (Andy Ashurst, Sale Harriers)

Gemma Tutton (Richard Pilling, Lewes)

Long Jump

Molly Palmer (Lukasz Zawila, Charwood)

Shot

Cleo Agyepong (John Hillier, Blackheath & Bromley)

Discus

Zara Obamakinwa (Mark Chapman, Blackheath & Bromley)

Heptathlon

Ella Rush (David Feeney, Amber Valley & Erewash)

Eloise Hind (Marcia Marriott, Oxford City)

Men

100m

Michael Onilogbo (Carl Graham, Newham & Essex Beagles)

200m

Jeriel Quainoo (Ryan Freckleton, Blackheath & Bromley)

800m

Ethan Hussey (Andrew Henderson, Leeds City)

Samuel Reardon (Nigel Stickings, Blackheath & Bromley)

1500m

Ethan Hussey (Andrew Henderson, Leeds City)

3000m

Will Barnicoat (Tim Eglen, Aldershot, Farnham & District)

5000m

Johnny Livingstone (self-coached, Exeter)

3000m Steeplechase

Thomas Bridger (Mark Vile, Cambridge & Coleridge AC)

400m Hurdles

Onyekachukwu Okoh (Jade Harding, Chelmsford)

4x100m Relay

Olu Esan (Crawley)

Emmanuel Durruiheoma (Ryan Freckleton, Shaftesbury Barnet)

Michael Onilogbo (Carl Graham, Newham & Essex Beagles)

Medwin Odamtten (Gladys Bird, Woodford Green Essex Ladies)

Tyler Panton (Peter Griffiths, Woking)

Jeriel Quainoo (Ryan Freckleton, Blackheath & Bromley)

4x400m Relay

Ed Faulds (James Wright, Rugby & Northampton)

Reuben Henry-Daire (Paul Herrington, Reading)

Cameron McGregor (James Wright, Rugby & Northampton)

Onyekachukwu Okoh (Jade Harding, Chelmsford)

Samuel Reardon (Nigel Stickings, Blackheath & Bromley)

Brodie Young (James McMenemy, Airdrie Harriers)

Pole Vault

Lazarus Benjamin (Matt Cullen, Sale Harriers Manchester)

Javelin

Michael Allison (Tom Dobbing, Windsor Slough Eton & Hounslow)

Ben East (Luke Angell, Team Kennet)

Hammer

Owen Merritt (Matt Spicer, Yate)

Decathlon

Sammy Ball (Michael Dyer, Reading AC)

4 x 400m Mixed Relay

Yemi Mary John (Alan James, Woodford Green Essex Ladies)

Poppy Malik (Grant Barker, Notts)

Cameron McGregor (James Wright, Rugby & Northampton)

Samuel Reardon (Nigel Stickings, Blackheath & Bromley)

Etty Sisson (Grant Barker, Charnwood)

Brodie Young (James McMenemy, Airdrie Harriers)

Team Staff

Team Leader – Trevor Painter

Head of Delegation – Dan Wagner,

Team Managers –Sharon Morris, Jessica Flint

Medical Team – Ahmed Irfan, Chris Bramah, Michael Giakoumis, Gemma Richards

Team Coaches – Femi Akinsanya, Andrew Ashurst, Leon Baptiste, Stuart Carlaw, Sharon Morris, Julie Pratt-Benterman, Dan Stepney, Charlene Thomas and Lukasz Zawila,

Media – Rhona Mcleod