Zharnel ready to be a Euro star
ZHARNEL HUGHES is favourite for the 100m title ahead of the new multi-sport European Championships.
The in-form sprinter was yesterday named in a bumper 102-strong squad – the biggest British athletics team sent to a major championships since 1908 – for next month’s 11-day competition in Berlin and Glasgow. CJ Ujah claimed the final spot as a selectors’ pick alongside Reece Prescod and Hughes, 23. Women’s sprinter Dina Asher-Smith has also been tipped to win gold and is among seven individual medallists from the 2016 European Athletics Championships.
Asher-Smith, 22, is the fastest European in the world this year and broke her own British record last month.
But GB’s medal prospects have been hit with Laura Muir deciding to only compete in the 1500m.
Muir, who has opted to only run the longer distance after suffering an Achilles injury following the Anniversary Games at the weekend, is among 56 women named.
With 46 men selected, it’s the first time at a major championships that there are more women in the squad.
British Athletics chief Neil Black said: “It’s fantastic that for the first time ever more women than men have been selected and this underlines further that athletics is a truly equal sport.
“This is an important marker on the road to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and we expect to be competing for medals at every turn.
“This is a huge opportunity for athletes to demonstrate form ahead of two global championship summers.
“And we look forward to watching them thrive under the spotlight of a major championships.”
The event begins on August 2 with the athletics in Berlin, while the cycling, gymnastics, rowing, swimming and triathlon are all based in Glasgow.
There will also be a new mixed-gender team golf competition, which will take place at Gleneagles in Scotland.
Black added: “The standard of performances from British athletes since the Commonwealth Games in April has been extremely high.
“Competition for places to Berlin has been more competitive than ever.”