European Team Championships

[richard1980]

I think they can just replace people as they want, but they had to post season openers by 5th of june, to demonstrate fitness thus be considered for selection. Everything is discretionary though.

[Geoff]

Does anyone know if Idowu is competing in Stockholm?

[MBChristie]

Does anyone know if Idowu is competing in Stockholm?

He says on Twitter his next competition will be Lausanne (June 30)

[nevetssllim]

Due to the fact Idowu is sponsored by Adidas, I'm guessing he had an obligation to compete in New York and I remember he said he got a bit worn out and picked up a bit of a virus after quite a lot of early-season long-haul flights (he also competed in Rio de Janeiro) so I think this probably explains why he's going to give the ETCh a miss. Bit disappointing for the team though given the lack of depth in this event.

[Geoff]

I heard he was going to speak to CVC after New York. I do wonder why he puts something on Twitter before going through the normal channels and if he doesn't compete it should be UKA through a press release who tells everyone.

An obligation to Adidas but not to GB? I'm not going to pre-empt his reasons but surely competing for his country should, in the one and only proper team event of the year, be high up his list of priorities.

[Kermit]

Geoff would you say the same if it was Paula Radcliffe?

Bottom line - he is World Triple Jump Champion, he doesn't have to qualify, he doesn't have to compete at the trials, he can pick or choose what event(s) he feels like and deserves to get top dollar. The most important thing this year is the hardest thing to do - defend his title.

It's not like winning the team championship gives the country automatic entry into the IAAF team event is it? Therefore the most important aspect is the athletes health & well being and making sure that he is ready to defend his title so as to give UKA something to show UK Sport at the end of the season.

[Geoff]

Kermit,

I am all for protecting our athletes but to announce via Twitter and apparently not tell UKA he isn't going after just being selected seems somewhat strange. Then he goes to New York to compete (perhaps he wished he hadn't!) so was not too ill to do that. There was a media announcement about him competing in Stockholm and taking on Tamgho.

All a bit strange! And I for one am somewhat disappointed with his decision, if indeed that is what happens.

[Geoff]

Not my headline:

Chiefs can take a hop, skip ‘n jump

ATHLETICS chiefs have failed in their bid to persuade triple-jump ace Phillips Idowu not to pull out of this weekend's European Team Championships.
World champion and Olympic silver medallist Idowu insisted last week that he would not be travelling to Stockholm - despite being named in the 52 strong British squad and having asked for a flight to be booked hours earlier.
Head coach Charles van Commenee has spoken to Idowu in a bid to persuade him to travel and boost Britain's chances of getting on the podium at the team competition.
But UK Athletics have been forced to concede defeat and confirm that Idowu would not now be travelling to Sweden for the two-day championships which start on Saturday.
Idowu, who will defend his world title in South Korea this summer, has missed competing for his country at the last two championships - the Commonwealth Games in Delhi and the European Indoors in Paris.
He again told UK Athletics officials via Twitter that he was not going to Delhi.
Fellow triple-jumper Nathan Douglas is already out for the whole of the season after suffering a freak accident in training last week.
Idowu did compete at the Diamond League meeting in New York last weekend, when he beat French arch-rival Teddy Tamgho in the wind and rain.
Idowu posted a leap of 17.59m in Rome last month, an effort bettered by the 17.67m world-leading mark set by Tamgho last weekend.
Idowu, who beat Tamgho to European gold in Barcelona last summer, insists he is focused on closing the gap on Jonathan Edward's long-standing world record of 18.29m this year rather than winning medals and his main target is still gold at the London Olympics.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sp ... nship.html

[kingmaker]

Kola Adedoyin in for Triple Jump good luck to him.

[Geoff]

Tomlinson replaces Rutherford, who is ill, in the long jump.

[Patriot]

I don't know Kola at all - good luck to him - but I can't understand why we don't have another 16m (at least) jumper that could compete?

Tomlinson didn't fare too badly at Oslo, I hope he does well.

[Geoff]

I too wish Kola well and believe he has a chance to go over 16m in Stockholm and place higher than he is expected to.

Did you know that nearly half the team are not on podium or development funding? Of course, that means more than half are and includes some of our best athletes but it does show up our weaknesses with the system and also poor event development.

[kingmaker]

Would have to disagree with you there Geoff. Event development in the triple jump has been going very well over last 12 months obviously they should have started a lot sooner but i expect at least four "new boys" over 16 this year. Hopefully bridging the gap between themselves and Phillips.

[Geoff]

Would have to disagree with you there Geoff. Event development in the triple jump has been going very well over last 12 months obviously they should have started a lot sooner but i expect at least four "new boys" over 16 this year. Hopefully bridging the gap between themselves and Phillips.

I was referring to a number of events that have failed to progress over the years and not to triple jump. Hopefully, Ben Williams will be back soon and perhaps moving towards 17m next year with, as you say, a few others going over 16m. It's an injury prone event so staying healthy is the key.

[Sportsman29]

Final entries are starting to go up now

http://www.european-athletics.org/entri ... s-men.html

http://www.european-athletics.org/entri ... women.html

As expected a few changes to the British team, Martyn Rooney and Asha Philip have withdrawn in the relays, look to have been replaced by Andrew Steele and Tiffany Porter.

Greg Rutherford is out of the long jump and is replaced by Chris Tomlinson

Also Michael Rimmer has pulled out of the 800m and is replaced by Gareth Warburton, a shame as Michael Rimmer could have potentially been top 3 at least, i don't know what has been attributed to his recent dip in form.

[jjimbojames]

Final entries are starting to go up now

http://www.european-athletics.org/entri ... s-men.html

http://www.european-athletics.org/entri ... women.html

As expected a few changes to the British team, Martyn Rooney and Asha Philip have withdrawn in the relays, look to have been replaced by Andrew Steele and Tiffany Porter.

Greg Rutherford is out of the long jump and is replaced by Chris Tomlinson

Also Michael Rimmer has pulled out of the 800m and is replaced by Gareth Warburton, a shame as Michael Rimmer could have potentially been top 3 at least, i don't know what has been attributed to his recent dip in form.

Good to see the relay swaps - the two outcoming runners were just not in form, whereas Tiffany at least is in great shape - though I'm not convinced we'll see her run it, unless one of the four used in recent relay outings are injured

[clutch]

Also noticed, Shana Proctor not mentioned in the Long Jump lists (unless I'm going blind) - hope this is just a mistake, as no-one else from GBR is listed!!!!

[iain]

You are right about Proctor but I expect that it is just a typo. Does anyone have entries for other leagues? I could actually see our women's 4x400m, as well as some others giving the Russians a run for their money!!

[richard1980]

Yes i think the 4x4 ladies could do well at least top 3. Perri on 1st, Nicola on last.

[Sportsman29]

Kelly Sotherton has said that she wants to make the first leg her own, so i predict.

Sotherton / Shakes-Drayton / McConnell / Sanders

[sidelined]

Sportsman, I predict Sotherton, McConnell, Sanders, PSD.

I'd like to see what Jack Green could do in the relay (but obviously not this one). DIdn't he run a storming leg at the World Juniors last year?

[Patriot]

I wouldn't put Kelly on the first leg - she is a 52 athlete, really - why would we do that? She may have run the fastest leg in Beijing but it wasn't the first and that was three years ago....

[iain]

Kelly has only run one race this season, and she is a good choice for first leg as she doesn't like the rough and tumble of other legs. She should be able to run a decent leg. I predict:
Sotherton - Sanders - McConnell - Shakes-Drayton
The Russians don't have that strong a team IMO

[mump boy]

Lee should always do first

[trevorp]

Putting Kelly on first leg would be monumentally stupid. At this stage of her career the odds of her becoming an international-standard runner out of the blocks are about the same as readtherules posting a message that doesn't make me want to vomit. With a rolling start and a baton in her hand, however, a fit Kelly could be a very useful member of the squad. As much as I like, admire and respect her, it would be unfair to expect much more. Of course, nothing would please me more than having to eat my words!

[sidelined]

You've got a point, trevorp. As Kelly doesn't have much experience in pacing the race, she'd be better off chasing.

I'm really intrigued to see how James Shane will do in the 1500. Of course it's a huge leap in class for him, but he seems to be quite bold in his running, which is a good quality to have, and the race will probably be won in around 3.40.

[BigGut]

Surely Kelly suits a middle leg, she has experience of running the 800m with the aim of staying in touch with opposition and then kicking on, that is probably most suited to a 2nd leg I would have thought.

[readtherules]

Will our male putter make 16 m.remember only two throws.

What is the worst Euro cup shot performance by GB ?

[Sportsman29]

I think one of PSD or Nicola Sanders has to be on the 2nd leg, GB need to be out of the pack and not getting drawn into a scrap with the bulk of the rest of the teams whilst Russia and possibly Belarus, Ukraine are stretching ahead in the lead.
Otherwise if PSD and Sanders are left until the last legs then i fear that they will spend the majority of their time trying to go around the pack and not making much inroads.

Perhaps the optimal set up would be McConnell / PSD / Sotherton / Sanders

But i just have a feeling that if Kelly S wants first leg, then she will get first leg !

[sovietvest]

Geoff would you say the same if it was Paula Radcliffe?

Bottom line - he is World Triple Jump Champion, he doesn't have to qualify, he doesn't have to compete at the trials, he can pick or choose what event(s) he feels like and deserves to get top dollar. The most important thing this year is the hardest thing to do - defend his title.

It's not like winning the team championship gives the country automatic entry into the IAAF team event is it? Therefore the most important aspect is the athletes health & well being and making sure that he is ready to defend his title so as to give UKA something to show UK Sport at the end of the season.

I agree that Phillips should do whatever he wants. That said, I think he is missing out on a potentially great experience. Ask Christie or Jackson what means more to them now: the role they played in helping to win Euro Cups for GB & NI, or the USD 000s they picked up for winning an early season Grand Prix event. I think the Euro Cup is like the annual office party. No one looks forward to it and you know it will be a bit naff; but in the end everyone has a dance, new friends are made, team spirit grows and you go home happy. And if you're really lucky you might cop off with the cute girl in order processing (OK, I've taken the analogy too far .. .. .. ..).