Stuart Weir sent this to me about 11 PM local time in Wisconsin with the note, “And you thought you were caught up?”.
Team GB is named in this piece, and the selectors continue to go against the grain and not select World Athletics invitees to Paris 2024 if they do not meet British standards.
The rationalization from Mr. Buckner is that Team GB did have tough enough standards. In reviewing the social media, I have not found one note, unless they were on Team GB staff, supporting the decision that does not invest in any future.
What do I learn? Well, each federation is a little dysfunctional, but I thought Team GB had a pretty good handle on the silly stuff for many years.
TEAM GB ATHLETICS SQUAD CONFIRMED FOR PARIS 2024
GB will take a team of 65 athletes to the Paris Olympics. The team includes six individual medallists from last year’s World Championships: Zharnel Hughes, Josh Kerr, and Ben Pattison; Matt Hudson-Smith, Keely Hodgkinson, and Katarina Johnson-Thompson; and exciting young talent Phoebe Gill (800) and Louie Hinchliffe (100).
In terms of using their discretionary places – with only the first two at trials automatically selected – there is a place for Jake Wightman in the 800m, chosen ahead of Elliot Giles. Wightman missed the trials on a medical exemption, while Giles was tripped on the home straight when he was in third place. Holly Bradshaw was ill during trials and has been added to the pole vault. Eilish McColgan, who dropped out of the 10K in the recent European Champs through illness, has been selected. Amy Hunt was second in the 100 and third in the 200 at trials but did not meet the Olympic standard in either distance, opening the door for Imani Lansiquot and Bianca Williams.
GB management has stuck to its policy of not accepting invitations for athletes who have not achieved the Olympic standard, and there have been strong reactions from some athletes. Phil Norman, who won the 3000SC at trials but in a time 0.15 seconds outside the Olympic standard, posted on Twitter, “I battled every step of the way on and off the track and successfully qualified for my second Olympics. However, due to UKA selection policy I was not selected, and my invitation declined”. He added that he had appealed with legal assistance and support from the Athletes Commission but had been rejected.
The team includes no female throwers. Jade Lally, who is due an Olympic invite according to her world ranking but missed the UK’s qualifying standard by just 5cm with a discus throw this year of 63.15m that no other British woman has bettered since 1983, said: “I have to retire because of British Athletics,” Lally said. “I’m proud to be British … but ashamed to represent British Athletics. If you are a British athlete and have already missed out on a championship, I would 100 percent encourage anybody to switch to another country if that is an option. I have wasted a career trying to prove a federation wrong.”
The Team GB Athletics team for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games (listed in the form: name, coach, club)
Women
100m
Dina Asher-Smith (Edrick Floreal, Blackheath and Bromley)
Imani-Lara Lansiquot (Ryan Freckleton, Sutton & District)
