Great Britain and Northern Ireland have taken a squad of 78 athletes to Eugene, Oregon, for the 2022 World Athletics Championships. Starting today at Hayward Field, and continuing until 24 July, the 18th edition will see 192 nations and more than 1,900 athletes competing. Here we take a look at the Team GB stars who could shine in Oregon.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Keely Hodgkinson: women’s 800m
Keely Hodgkinson smashed the British record to win a “brilliant” silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics last year and there will be a “huge weight” on her shoulders at the world championships, said Ben Bloom in The Telegraph. The 20-year-old is one of “four standout women fighting for the podium spots” alongside Athing Mu, Ajee Wilson and Mary Moraa. Hodgkinson has “a real shot” in the 800m, said athletics legend Michael Johnson on the BBC.
Max Burgin: men’s 800m
Max Burgin remains both the “most exciting British prospect” for many years and the “biggest unknown”, Bloom added in The Telegraph. He is the fastest man in the world this year and, like Hodgkinson, both 20-year-olds now “shoulder British hopes” at the World Championships. There’s no doubt that Burgin “has a chance in the 800m”, said Johnson on the BBC. But making his major championship debut, “he is short of experience in a real tactical event”.
Laura Muir: women’s 1,500m
Olympic silver medalist Laura Muir has a “genuine chance” to add a World Championship medal, said Athletics Weekly. Getting on the podium is the Scot’s target in Oregon. “For me I want to come away from these championships with a medal,” she said. “I think I’m very, very close potentially, if not there. The last couple of races showed I am at a good spot.”
Dina Asher-Smith: women’s 200m and 100m
As of the “poster girls of the British team”, defending world champion Dina Asher-Smith is an “obvious choice”, said the PA News Agency. After winning the 200m in the 2019 worlds in Doha, the 26-year-old “faces a battle to retain the title” as she will come up against the likes of Jamaican trio Elaine Thompson-Herah, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson. As well as the 100m and 200m, Asher-Smith will also be competing in the 4x100m relay.
Katarina Johnson-Thompson: women’s heptathlon
Another defending champion from Doha, heptathlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson, 29, arrives in the US “on shaky footing”, having parted ways with her coach Petros Kyprianou last month, said Cathal Dennehy in the Daily Mail. “Crucially, though, she’s healthy again and has put together a consistent block of training.” In the heptathlon athletes compete in the 100m hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200m, long jump, javelin and 800m.
Neil Gourley, Jake Wightman and Josh Kerr: men’s 1,500m
There are three Scots – Neil Gourley, Jake Wightman and Josh Kerr – who are “eyeing world 1,500m gold”, said the BBC. The only time a British male won the 1,500m world title was Steve Cram’s “famous triumph” in Helsinki back in 1983. The trio have been in “promising form stretching back to the last Olympics” and will look to create a new chapter in Team GB’s history.
-
6 scenic white water rafting destinations to get your heart racingThe Week Recommends Have a rip-roaring time on the water
-
Dangerous substances in Lunchables are raising concerns over children's healthIn the Spotlight High levels of lead and sodium were recently found in the snack packages
-
The Week contest: Fired artPuzzles and Quizzes
-
Luca Brecel: Belgian ‘hell-raiser’ triumphs at the CrucibleWhy Everyone’s Talking About The 28-year-old beat Mark Selby 18-15 to win his first World Snooker Championship title
-
Jakub Jankto: first current male international footballer to come out as gayWhy Everyone’s Talking About The 27-year-old Czech midfielder says ‘I no longer want to hide myself’
-
Jim Ratcliffe: petrochemical billionaire turned Man Utd bidderWhy Everyone’s Talking About The Ineos owner is the first to publicly bid for the 13-time Premier League winners
-
Pelé obituary: remembering the greatest footballer of all timeWhy Everyone’s Talking About The Brazilian footballer, who died aged 82, was blessed with extraordinary skill in every aspect of the game
-
Jude Bellingham: from Birmingham to the Qatar World Cup via DortmundWhy Everyone’s Talking About Teenage midfielder showed ‘power, skill and precision’ in England’s 6-2 win over Iran
-
Gareth Southgate and England face ‘whole new level of expectation’ at World CupWhy Everyone’s Talking About After reaching the final of the Euros, can the Three Lions go one step further in Qatar?
-
Gareth Bale: Wales captain is a ‘once in 100 years’ playerWhy Everyone’s Talking About The 33-year-old is ready to ‘give it everything’ as Wales return to the World Cup
-
Max Verstappen: F1’s record-breaking world championWhy Everyone’s Talking About Red Bull star has surpassed records set by Schumacher, Vettel and Hamilton
