An Olympic champion and a returning world champion will spearhead Great Britain’s bid for glory at the European Athletics Team Championships Super League in Braunschweig.
Greg Rutherford, one of the country’s heroes of London 2012, competes in the long jump, while in the triple jump, Phillips Idowu, who a year ago looked like he might not perform at this level again, is making his comeback to the big time.
At 35, Idowu is in the team again after taken an extended break from the sport in 2013.
“He wants to train, he wants to compete and he wants to be part of athletics,” said Neil Black, British Athletics’ performance director. “We are delighted he is back in the team.”
Idowu is one of Britain’s most successful athletes in a career which saw him win his last major gold medal in 2010 when he was crowned the European champion in Barcelona.
But he has been chosen on merit and not reputation because after returning this summer, he is top of the domestic rankings with a jump of 16.99m from Nathan, Australia, at the end of last month.
It puts him second on the European Athletics rankings which are led by Russia’s Lyukman Adams who he could face in the Germany city at the fifth staging of the European Athletics Team Championships between June 21-22.
Idowu has competed twice before in the Championships, finishing second on both occasions, in Leiria in 2009, and Bergen in 2010.
He is in a 48-strong British team where Rutherford will be looking to maintain his excellent year which in Chula Vista, California, in April saw him leap to 8.51m, the best in the world in 2014 and a new British record distance.
Rutherford won Olympic gold in the same hour in London as teammates Jessica Ennis in the heptathlon and Mo Farah in the 10,000m.
The British squad for Germany is very much a mix of experience with the likes of Jenny Meadows, the 800m gold at the 2011 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Paris, joined by Chris Baker, in the high jump, Lucy Bryan, in the pole vault, and Jazmin Sawyers, in the long jump, who are making their senior debuts for the team.
Hannah England, who won world 1500m silver in Daegu, also in 2011, runs over that distance, while her husband Luke Gunn competes in the 3000m steeplechase.
As she tweeted when the team was named: “Really looking forward to representing GB at the Euro Team champs :) kinda cool that my husband's going too!”
Russia are the defending champions after their victory in Gateshead last year with 354.5 points from this year’s hosts, Germany, with 347.5, and Britain, with 338.
BRITISH SQUAD
MEN
100m: Daniel Talbot; 200m: James Ellington; 400m: Daniel Awde; 800m: Mukhtar Mohammed; 1500m: Charlie Grice; 3000m: Jonathan Mellor; 5000m: Luke Caldwell; 110m hurdles: William Sharman; 400m hurdles: Rick Yates; 3000m steeplechase: Luke Gunn; High Jump: Chris Baker; Long Jump: Greg Rutherford; Triple Jump: Phillips Idowu; Pole Vault: Steve Lewis; Shot Put: Zane Duquemin; Discus Throw: Brett Morse; Hammer Throw: Nick Miller; Javelin: Lee Doran; 4x100m: Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, Ellington, Adam Gemili, Richard Kilty, Talbot; 4x400m: Awde, Jarryd Dunn, Rory Evans, Andrew Steele, Rabah Yousif.
WOMEN
100m: Asha Philip; 200m: Sophie Papps; 400m: Shana Cox; 800m: Jenny Meadows; 1500m: Hannah England; 3000m: Kate Avery, 5000m: Julia Bleasdale, 100m hurdles: Serita Solomon, 400m hurdles: Eilidh Child; 3000m steeplechase: Lennie Waite; High Jump: Isobel Pooley; Long Jump: Jazmin Sawyers; Triple Jump: Yamile Aldama; Pole Vault: Lucy Bryan; Shot Put: Rachel Wallader; Discus Throw: Jade Lally; Hammer Throw: Sophie Hitchon; Javelin: Isabelle Jeffs; 4x100m: Louise Bloor, Papps, Philip, Bianca Williams, Jodie Williams; 4x400m: Child, Cox, Emily Diamond, Laura Wake, Williams.