9th July 2018
PREVIEW: BRITISH JUNIOR TEAM READY FOR THE CHALLENGE OF THE WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
A team of 39 British junior athletes are ready to take on some of the best under-20 athletes from across the world at the IAAF World Junior Championships, starting tomorrow in Tampere, Finland.
British record holders, Jake Norris (men’s hammer, coach: Paul Dickenson, club: WSEH) and Molly Caudery (women’s pole vault, Stuart Caudery, Cornwall AC) are joint team captains and head into the event ranked second in the world in their respective events.
Endurance runner Holly Page (Jason Marchant, Dartford Harriers) will be the first athlete on the track in the women’s 3000m steeplechase heats at 7:30am (BST), followed by Jake Heyward (James Thie, Cardiff) at 8:05am, with Isabelle Boffey (Douglas Stone, Enfield & Haringey) and debutant Katy-Ann McDonald (Philip Kissi, Blackheath & Bromley) running at 8:40am.
Sprinters Chad Miler (Ryan Freckleton, Hercules Wimbledon) and Dom Ashwell (Marvin Rowe, Shaftesbury Barnet) take to the track later in the morning at 9:30am BST. Should they progress through the heats and semi-finals, the duo will be the first Brits in action on Wednesday at 18:05 BST.
The first action in the field comes from Molly Caudery as she aims to qualify for the final of the women’s pole vault, which will take place on Thursday.
Fellow team captain Jake Norris will take to the circle for his hammer qualification alongside clubmate Bayley Campbell (Paul Dickenson, WSEH) on Wednesday morning.
British under-18 record holder in the men’s discus James Tomlinson (Paul Jensen, Pembrokeshire) will be the final athlete in qualification action in the week, stepping into the circle for the first time on Friday morning.
Thursday 12th could see as many as 17 Brits in heat and final action, with five finals that may contain British interest, including Caudery, middle distance runners Boffey, McDonald and Heyward, and sprinter Kristal Awuah (Matthew Thomas, Herne Hill Harriers).
Timetable and start lists for day one can be found here. https://www.iaaf.org/competitions/iaaf-world-u20-championships/iaaf-world-u20-championships-tampere-2018-6082/timetable/byday
Media guide here: https://www.uka.org.uk/media/event-media-guides/