 |
| Sprint sensation Jodie Williams is among the biggest British hopes at the European Athletics Junior Championships in Tallinn starting Thursday. |
Great Britain is optimistic that it can again challenge for a high spot in the medal table at the European Athletics Junior Championships, which start in the Estonian capital Tallinn on Thursday.
The country has finished second or third in the medal table at the last five Championships.
British junior 110m hurdles record holder Andy Pozzi, 2010 World Junior Championships 100m gold medallist Jodie Williams and distance runners Jonny Hay and Emelia Gorecka all lead their events in the 2011 European under-20 rankings ahead of the Championships.
Pozzi, who clocked 13.29 in the German city of Mannheim, Germany earlier this month, now has the realistic target of securing the European age group title won by his training partner Lawrence Clarke two years ago.
“My season has been really good so far and I’m happy with how things have progressed,” said Pozzi.
“Obviously the 110m hurdles is going to be one of the most competitive events of the week, but I can’t control what the others do and I’m just focused on my own performance. I know that if I can execute the perfect race and everything goes to plan then I should run a very quick time; if they can run quicker than that, well fair enough,” he added.
Williams, who is coached by three-time Olympian and former British international sprinter Mike McFarlane, will attempt a sprint double as she lines up in the 100m and 200m as well as the 4 x 100m relay.
She leads the 2011 European junior 100m rankings leader with a best of 11.24 and Williams could become the first British woman in 38 years to win gold in this event following Sonia Lannaman’s victory in 1973.
In the 200m, her season’s best time of 23.05 in Mannheim currently ranks her second behind the Dutch junior record holder Dafne Schippers, who has opted to focus on the heptathlon at the Championships.
“Everything is going to plan and training is going really well, I’m happy. I’ve been having a few problems with my start in the 100m and conditions generally haven’t been good in my races so far, but I’m sure it’ll come together,” said Williams.
“I just want to do my best this week, make the finals and hopefully medal. It’s important to get another experience under my belt. There’s some really good competition out there and I wouldn’t say that it was a given that I’ll even medal, there are girls who have run some good times this year so it’s more about getting the experience of running at a high level and running well; medals are a bonus,” she added.
Emelia Gorecka, with a best of 15:51.20, will focus on the 5000m in Tallinn.
Ranked number one in Europe this season, the event offers a step up in distance for the 17-year-old who finished 11th over 3000m at the 2010 IAAF World Junior Championships.
“While I enjoy the 3000m and I know I can run quicker, I’m more confident in what I can do over 5000m,” said Gorecka, who also won a bronze medal in the 2010 SPAR European Cross Country Championships junior women’s race.
“This will be my first 5000m in a Championship and it’ll be interesting, I’m really looking forward to it. I’ve obviously looked at the other girls’ times but rankings mean very little now we’re here because there’s always room to improve.”
The last, in fact, the only, British gold medal by a woman in this event was won by Emily Pidgeon in 2005, but Jonny Hay, the top-ranked European male in the 5000m with a lifetime best of 13:57.16 in May, could follow in the footsteps of Mo Farah, double European senior champion over 5000m and 10,000m, who won at the European Athletics Junior Championships 10 years ago, one of five previous British 5000m champions in this competition.
“I may be ranked number one, but I’ve got to prove that on the track now. I’ve got to prove who I am, and what I’m capable of,” said Hay.
“I learned a lot at my first track Championships at the World Youths in 2009 and although I don’t generally get nervous, I was really nervous there. Now I think I know how to stay relaxed; the stuff that stressed me out two years ago hopefully won’t get to me now.
“I’ve obviously got international cross country experience but the main difference here is that my track tactics will come into play and I think I’ve developed a lot tactically this year. I watched what happened in Ostrava [in the European Athletics U23 Championships 5000m) and I’ll speak to my coach Mick Woods about what I need to do to make sure I’m in the best possible position throughout the race.”