News13 Mar 2019


Medallists dominate British team for IAAF World Relays Yokohama 2019

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Bianca Williams, Anyika Onuora, Desiree Henry and Asha Philip of Great Britain & NI at the IAAF World Relays (© Getty Images)

Updated 22 April 2019

British Athletics has named a team of 26 athletes with 78 major international outdoor medals between them for the IAAF World Relays Yokohama 2019 on 11-12 May.

The 26-strong British team includes seven Olympic, 17 World Championship and 21 European Championship relay medallists.

Adam Gemili, Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake and CJ Ujah, who helped Great Britain & Northern Ireland to world 4x100m gold in 2017, are all selected and will be joined by fellow European 4x100m champion Harry Aikines-Aryeetey and two-time world indoor champion Richard Kilty.

In the women’s 4x100m, Olympic bronze medallists and world silver medallists Desiree Henry, Daryll Neita and Asha Philip have been named on the British team. They’ll be joined by European 4x100m champion Bianca Williams, 2014 European 4x100m champion Ashleigh Nelson and double world U20 bronze medallist Kristal Awuah.

In the women’s 4x400m, Emily Diamond, Eilidh Doyle and Anyika Onuora all have Olympic bronze medals from 2016 and earn selection alongside Finette Agyapong, Amy Allock, Zoey Clark and Laviai Nielsen. Clark and Nielsen won world silver with Diamond and Doyle in 2017 while Agyapong and Allcock won their first international relay medals with European bronze last year.

Martyn Rooney – the most decorated athlete on the team alongside Doyle with seven major outdoor relay medals – is the seventh Olympic medallist selected following his 4x400m bronze from 2008 and headlines a squad including fellow world bronze medallists Dwayne Cowan and Rabah Yousif.

The 14 athletes selected across the men’s and women’s 4x400m are the athletes from which the team for the mixed 4x400m will be selected, which is being introduced to the IAAF World Championship schedule for the first time ever in Doha this year. Great Britain & Northern Ireland will not participate in the 4x200m, shuttle hurdles or 2x2x400m relays.

“We are extremely proud of the successes of our relay teams over the past three years and our athletes take each and every opportunity to compete on the international stage incredibly seriously, as proven by the sheer strength of the team selected for Yokohama,” said British Athletics Performance Director Neil Black.

“We expect our athletes to continue that tradition of success in Japan and guarantee qualification for all five events for the IAAF World Championships later in the year. The introduction of the mixed 4x400m for Doha is something we are all excited about and we look forward to testing our skills in that event.

“The IAAF World Relays provides us with a great opportunity as we prepare for not only Doha but also for the Olympic Games, which we all know are also being held in Japan in 2020. The opportunity to train and compete in Japan 14 months before the Games is invaluable to all those selected.”

British team for Yokohama

Men
4x100m: Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, Adam Gemili, Sam Gordon, Richard Kilty, Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake, CJ Ujah
4x400m: Cameron Chalmers, Dwayne Cowan, Alex Haydock-Wilson, Martyn Rooney, Jamal Rhoden-Stevens, Owen Smith, Rabah Yousif

Women
4x100m: Kristal Awuah, Desiree Henry, Daryll Neita, Ashleigh Nelson, Asha Philip, Bianca Williams
4x400m: Finette Agyapong, Amy Allcock, Zoey Clark, Emily Diamond, Eilidh Doyle, Laviai Nielsen, Anyika Onuora

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