European Athletics Championships: Five Brits to watch in Rome
On Friday a 70-strong British team will begin the hunt for medals at the European Athletics Championships.
And though Team GB haven’t sent a completely full strength squad, there will be an expectation for success in Rome over the next six days.
Here are five Brits to watch across the European Athletics Championships.
Keely Hodgkinson – 800m
Keely Hodgkinson is Britain’s star middle-distance runner at the moment. At 22, she is the Olympic silver medallist from Tokyo and reigning European champion.
She is one of the faces of athletics and will be a poster girl for Team GB at Paris 2024 later this year. But she is missing that elusive gold medal on the global stage, and preparation to achieve that starts this weekend.
Hodgkinson’s heat is on Monday with her semi-final Tuesday and final Wednesday.
She’s the world lead in 2024, and has run just short of the Championship record – set by Olga Mineyeva in 1982 – so breaking that at these championships would set down a major marker for Team GB.
Molly Caudery – Pole Vault
Much of Team GB’s pole vault coverage has come via Holly Bradshaw but the name on the lips of most is Molly Caudery.
The 25-year-old from Cornwall got a silver medal at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games but really hit the headlines with her World Indoor gold in Glasgow earlier this year.
Indoor versus outdoor pole vault are very different beasts given conditions can be volatile when open to the elements.
Caudery’s indoor best is 4.85m whereas her best outdoors is 4.75.
She’s one to watch, and with Bradshaw getting a bronze at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics it could be hot time for British pole vaulting.
Qualification takes place on Saturday with the final on Monday.
Jeremiah Azu – 100m
British Indoor Athletics Championships 60m winner Jeremiah Azu is the next British speedster looking to take on the world.
He missed out on the World Championships despite being British Champion and this is his first major outdoor championships outside of the Commonwealth Games, where he finished fifth.
He is also the first Welshman under 10.00 seconds in legal wind and is currently the leading European this year.
His heats are on Friday evening with the semis and finals set for Saturday night.
Jeriel Quainoo – 200m
A bit of a rogue inclusion, Jeriel Quainoo won’t be a name known too many.
The 21-year-old is a European U20 gold medallist in the 4x100m relay. He is a project athlete but will be running the 200m and 4x100m in Rome, where he will be able to put a marker down for Olympic selection.
The 200m heats are Sunday with the semis later that day. The final is on Monday evening·
The xx100 heats are on Tuesday with the finals on Wednesday.
Jemma Reekie – 1,500m
Without Laura Muir in action in Rome Jemma Reekie is the one Brits will be watching in the 1,500m.
With her heat on Friday morning and finals on Sunday, Reekie looks to be in form – though Muir holds the European lead at the moment.
The first six in her heat will advance to the final so she’ll need to finish ahead of nine others.
It is a big year for female middle-distance running in the UK and Reekie will be looking to become part of that conversation come Paris 2024.