- Great Britain has named a 70-man squad for the European Championship
- The event marks Katarina Johnson-Thompson’s first heptathlon of the year
- Keely Hodgkinson will also be in Rome to defend her 800m title from 2022
Katarina Johnson-Thompson will step up her preparations for the Paris Olympics next week as she aims for European glory in Rome.
The 31-year-old world heptathlon champion was named yesterday (Wednesday) in Great Britain’s star-studded 72-man squad for the European Championships, which start next Friday.
With two months to go until the Olympics, it will be Johnson-Thompson’s first heptathlon since winning world gold in Budapest last August – and she will look to claim her first European crown.
“She is in really good shape physically and emotionally,” said GB head coach Paula Dunn. ‘She has remained injury-free and her self-confidence is high.
“She’s looking forward to going out and competing in Rome and putting in a serious performance. I’m curious to see what she can do.’
Katarina Johnson-Thompson has been named in Team GB’s squad for the European Championships
Keely Hodgkinson also heads to Rome with Great Britain to defend her 800m title
Keely Hodgkinson will also be in Rome to defend her 800m title, fresh from winning last weekend’s Diamond League event in Eugene with the fastest time in the world this year after an injury-hit winter.
“She’s had a great recovery,” Dunn said. “What she did this weekend was frighteningly good for her first race.”
Dina Asher-Smith will compete in the women’s 100m, which she won in Berlin in 2018, while Zharnel Hughes will compete in the men’s event, seeking revenge for his defeat by 2022 Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs.
Eilish McColgan will participate in a major championship for the first time since winning silver in the 10,000 meters in Munich two years ago. The Scot rode for the first time in 420 days last Sunday and won the 5 km of Vienna, after a year of injury problems.
Matthew Hudson-Smith, world champion and Olympic medalist in the 400 meters, will defend his European crown, while in the women’s pole vault, world indoor champion Molly Caudery will take on her teammate Holly Bradshaw, the Olympic bronze medalist.
World 1500m champion Josh Kerr is the biggest name missing from the British squad as he has opted to concentrate solely on the Olympics.
“Josh would never do the Europeans,” Dunn said. “He sticks to what works best for him and with an athlete of that caliber you want to make sure he has the best preparations when he comes to Paris.
Dina Asher-Smith will compete in the women’s 100m, the event she won in Berlin six years ago
England head coach Paula Dunn said Johnson-Thompson was in ‘really good form’
CJ Ujah, whose failed drugs test saw GB lose a silver medal in the 4x100m relay at the Tokyo Olympics, turned down a place in the relay team to prioritize his individual form ahead of next month’s Olympic trials.
Phoebe Gill, the 17-year-old 800m sensation who broke through this summer, also turned down the chance to go to Rome to focus on her school exams. However, she could still be part of the squad for the Olympics if she performs during competitions.
“She’s the real deal,” Dunn added. ‘She is very young, extremely talented and we just have to protect her. “She has the Olympic qualifying time, just like other athletes, so it’s really how she performs in competitions and then sits down with her family and makes the right decision for Phoebe.”