Jemma earns a place with GB running elite
Rising Habbie joins country’s top athletes in Loughborough
Kilbarchan AAC athlete Jemma Reekie has been named in the British Athletics squad for this weekend’s Loughborough International.
Reekie, trained by coach Andy Young — who also trains Olympic athlete Laura Muir, was confirmed as part of the 52 strong side of juniors who will compete at the Paula Radcliffe Athletics Stadium on Sunday.
Reekie’s inclusion sees her join the top athletes of her age in the UK, with many in the side topping the rankings. Her own progression has already caught the eye, leading to a number of international call-ups over the course of the last year.
She is joined by one of six Brits topping the European U20 discipline rankings, including high jumper Tom Gale who earns another junior vest as he bids to follow up a strong 2016 in which he made the final of the IAAF World Junior Championships.
Joining Gale and Reekie on the team with the status of top ranked European in their event are 100m sprinter Alisha Rees, a European Youth silver medal winner last year, and 800m specialist Isabelle Boffey.
A British Athletics spokesman said: “Following a spell at altitude training in Flagstaff, Jemma Reekie will toe the start line of the 3,000m as she strives to test herself against senior opposition, tackling the distance for the second ever time.
“In the sprint events, Hannah Williams will line up in the 400m, with IAAF World Junior finalists Rechmial Miller and Cameron Tindle in the 100m and 200m respectively.”
Elsewhere, after record-breaking feats during the indoor season over the short hurdles, Chesterfield’s Alicia Barrett will look to trouble the European Juniors qualifier of 13.65, while multi-eventer and European Youth heptathlon bronze medallist Niamh Emerson will use the meeting as an opportunity to test herself in the high jump for the first time in 2017.