Keely Hodgkinson, Molly Caudery and Josh Kerr will spearhead Britain’s track and field 64-strong squad for Paris after the team was named on Friday. There is also a place for 17-year-old star Phoebe Gill in the women’s 800m, while 2022 world 1500m champion Jake Wightman gets the final spot in the men’s 800m after he missed the trials through injury.
However CJ Ujah, whose positive drugs test caused GB to lose their 4x100m relay silver medal in Tokyo (he was later cleared of deliberately taking banned drugs), is not selected despite training with the relay squad in recent months and finishing third over 100m at the trials.
Controversially there are also no British women in the throwing events, despite several of them qualifying for Paris via World Athletics’ rankings, and the squad is the smallest for 20 years since Athens in 2004.
Those who miss out include Anna Purchase, who has reached the world and European hammer final over the past year. However she just missed out on the higher UK Athletics standard, which aims to produce Olympic finalists and medal-winners, by 57cm.
Shot-putter Amelia Campbell, who has called UKA’s policy “disgusting” and said that it was “killing” British athletics is also absent despite qualifying via her world ranking – along with discus thrower Jade Lally, who has said that she is “ashamed” to represent her national federation.
The squad was praised as being “hugely talented and exciting” by Team GB’s chef de mission, Mark England. “The group boasts a very strong mix of Olympic, world and European medallists,” he added. “I am confident that their experience will be a source of inspiration and support not only to the 35 debutants who have also made the team, but to the wider Team GB too.”
Britain have four decent shots at a gold medal based on form this year, with Hodgkinson in the women’s 800m, Kerr in the men’s 1500m, Caudery in the women’s pole vault and Matt Hudson-Smith in the men’s 400m all fancying their chances.
With the reigning Olympic champion Athing Mu having failed to qualify for Paris after falling during the US trials, Hodgkinson accepts that the pressure is on her shoulders to deliver gold.
“But even though she’s not there, it’s still so hard to achieve,” Hodgkinson said. “It’s just one less person to worry about. It’s going to be difficult. It’s the Olympic Games and anything can happen.”
However the team leader, Paula Dunn, also struck an upbeat note after the squad was announced. “We know from this we have a high-quality team for Paris who know how to produce their best when it counts and will be challenging for medals,” she said. “It’s an exciting time for everyone.”
