OKOYE NAMED GB&NI TEAM CAPTAIN FOR THE EUROPEAN TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS IN MADRID

UK Athletics (UKA) has announced Lawrence Okoye as Team Captain for Great Britain & Northern Ireland (GB & NI) team at the European Athletics Team Championships in Madrid, which begins this evening.

Earlier this season, the discus thrower broke his own British Record, surpassing the 70m mark with a distance of 70.76m. This achievement broke his own men’s discus record, almost 13 years after he set the previous one.

Okoye became the first British athlete to win a medal in the discus at the European Championships in Munich 2022 and went on to win a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games that same year.

The Croydon Harrier competed at the London 2012 Olympics but decided to move to the United States to pursue a career in American football for seven years. He returned to athletics in 2019.

Traditionally, the team captain hosts a speech to the rest of the squad, where Lawrence touched on his own experiences and the importance of maintaining a positive mindset and mental strength when competing.

Touching on being asked to be the team captain, he said, “It was a surprise, but I do take it very seriously as I have been in this room many times, and it does mean something to have someone stand up in front of you in an individual sport like this, so it means a lot to me for sure.

“I wanted them to take away something valuable to them that can help them in their careers in the future. Many people focus on the physical side of the sport, but at the top level, it’s really about how you deal with it mentally, so I wanted that to come across.

“The rest of the season for me is all about hitting my ceiling and if I hit that, I know good things will happen, so I will make sure I stay consistent at a higher level. It is going to take a lot to medal in Tokyo. We are on a good path, just got to keep going, and Saturday is going to be a good opportunity to do that.”

To watch the team in Madrid you can catch it on the live stream, including event highlights, which will all be available on the European Athletics website and Eurovision Sport.

Live results will be available on the European Athletics website: https://www.european-athletics.com.