26th August 2024

Goriola and Wedderburn-Goodison selected as captains for U20 Worlds

Daniel Goriola and Nia Wedderburn-Goodison will captain the Great Britain & Northern Ireland team at the World Under-20 Championships in Lima.

Wedderburn-Goodison is set to compete in her second World U20 Championship, while it is a first for Goriola, with action getting underway on Tuesday 27 August and finishing on Saturday 31 August.

Goriola (coach: Tony Jarrett, club: Blackheath and Bromley) arrives in Peru having claimed his first British senior title over 110m hurdles earlier this year.

He is joined by two-time European Under-18 gold medallist Wedderburn-Goodison (Ryan Freckleton, Harrow), who will compete in both the 100m and 4x100m.

“It’s really exciting,” said Wedderburn-Goodison. “I have been to world juniors before, the team captains there were really good. Back then, I wasn’t expecting to be captain this year but I am really proud of myself.

“I was nervous because I had to do a team talk but now it’s done I’m excited. I have never had this responsibility before but I just want to be an open book.

“I want to run as fast as I can and get a personal best, if I do it’s because I put my best foot forward for the race.”

The pair head up a 38-strong team in the Peruvian capital that includes eight debutants in a British vest.

The action from each afternoon session will be available to watch live on BBC iPlayer, BBC Red Button, and the BBC Sport app and website. Coverage on Tuesday begins at 21:50 BST.

Team leader Dan Wagner said: “Daniel and Nia have been voted as team captains for the GB U20 team, a recognition of their international experience so far, impressive pathway journeys, and progress throughout this season.

“Their inspiring speeches during the final preparation meeting to the rest of their team showcased their commitment and experience so far.”

There are also a number of other athletes competing in their second World Under-20 Championships, including 4x400m relay bronze medallist Jessica Astill (Paul Keeble, Stevenage & North Herts).

It is also a second U20 Worlds for sprinter Faith Akinbileje (John Blackie, Blackheath and Bromley), shot putter Cleo Agyepong (John Hillier, Blackheath and Bromley) and sprint hurdler Mia McIntosh (Jake Awe, Harrow).

All three won gold at the European Under-18 Championships two years ago in Jerusalem alongside Wedderburn-Goodison, with fellow gold medallist Charlotte Henrich (Nigel Stickings, Invicta East Kent) also in the squad for the 400m and 4x400m relay.

They are joined by 3000m duo Jess Bailey and Ed Bird, who won silver and bronze respectively in Jerusalem, as well as 100m bronze medallist Renee Regis.

The squad also contains three medallists from the most recent edition of the European Under-18 Championships in Banská Bystrica last month.

Joel Masters (Jon Humphries-Cuff, BFT Track Academy), who won 100m silver, is part of the 4x100m squad while Kara Dacosta (Stephen Ball, Trafford) will compete in both 400m and 4x400m after winning individual silver. Thea Brown (Joanne Harding, Sale Harriers Manchester) won heptathlon silver and will compete over the 100m hurdles in Peru.

Masters will be joined in the 4x100m relay by Rhys Elias (Martin White, Mansfield), Dean Patterson (David Watson, Glasgow Jaguars), and Fabian Powell (James Wright, Rugby & Northampton).

They are joined by Commonwealth Youth Games 100m champion Teddy Wilson (Marvin Rowe, Shaftesbury Barnet), who will also compete in the individual 100m and Jake Odey-Jordan (Victor Blackett), who will contest the 200m.

The women’s 4x100m relay sees Wedderburn-Goodison joined by Mabel Akande (Denise Timmis, Lincoln Wellington), with the pair also set to contest the individual 100m.

Kissiwaa Mensah (Prince Duwai, Chelmsford) and Renee Regis (Darren Braithwaite, Shaftesbury Barnet) will go both the relay and the 200m, while Jasmine Wilkins (Mike Bennett, Bedford & County) and Akinbileje complete the relay squad.

The women’s 4x400m relay squad sees individual 400m competitors Dacosta and Henrich joined by Jessica Astill, Rebecca Grieve (Francis Smith, Woodford Green Essex Ladies), Emma Holmes (Victor Oyesola, West Cheshire), and Nandy Kihuyu (John Henson, Sheffield & Dearne).

In the field, Commonwealth Youth Games champion Ayesha Jones (Janina Pawnall, Marshall Milton Keynes) goes in the javelin while hammer thrower Angela McAuslan-Kelly (Michelle Eisenreich, Thames Valley) is also in action. Will Lane (Trevor Fox, Sheffield & Dearne) is the sole male field representative in the pole vault.

Team captain Goriola is joined in the 110m hurdles by Noah Hanson (Carl Graham, Newham & Essex Beagles) while Sam Lunt (Wirral) goes in the 400m hurdles.

European Under-20 Cross Country champion Innes Fitzgerald (Gavin Pavey, Exeter) is joined by Jessica Bailey (Matthew Long, Leven Valley) in the 300m, while Ava Lloyd (Trevor Painter, Wigan & District) is in 1500m action.

The first final of the competition with British interest sees Lizzie Wellsted (Colchester) compete in the 5000m on Tuesday evening.

Henry Jonas (Tim Ash, City of Norwich) and William Rabjohns (Mark Pauley, Poole) go in the 800m, George Couttie (Joanne Day, Harrogate), and Alex Riley (Allison Benton, Brighton & Hove) in the 1500m, and Ed Bird (Mark Pauley, Poole) and Henry Dover (Shaftesbury Barnet) in the 3000m.

The action gets underway on Tuesday morning with the women’s heptathlon, with Great Britain & Northern Ireland represented by Eden Robinson (Christian North, North Devon).

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