News

Team GB’s Best Young Athletes Heading to Finland

24 Jun 2009

Team GB puts the focus on youth with a total of 61 athletes heading off to represent Team GB at the European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) in Tampere, Finland from 18-25 July 2009, the British Olympic Association (BOA) today announced.

 

The 10th edition of the EYOF will see nearly 2500 athletes from 49 European nations competing in a total of nine sports: athletics, cycling, gymnastics, judo, swimming, tennis, basketball, handball and volleyball. Participating athletes will be between 13 and 18 years old, depending on their sport.

 

At the 2007 EYOF, Great Britain finished third in the medal table with a superb haul of nine gold, seven silver and seven bronze medals. Team GB has been represented at every edition since it began. A total of 28 British athletes have represented Team GB at an EYOF and also gone on to compete at an Olympic Games. Most recently Hannah Whelan, who participated in the 2007 EYOF in gymnastics, went on to represent Team GB at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

 

Team GB Chef de Mission Mark England said:

“It’s fantastic and a huge privilege to be taking a young and talented Team GB to the 2009 European Youth Olympic Festival. I’m confident that we will see some outstanding performances by the 61 athletes competing across the sports of athletics, cycling, gymnastics, judo, swimming and tennis.

 

“The Olympic Festival gives us the chance to discover future Olympic Champions and offers a fantastic opportunity for the athletes to experience a multi-sport environment reminiscent of an Olympic Games. The Festival strives to provide a true Olympic experience to young competitors, and the Opening Ceremony incorporates the traditions of an Olympic Games with an athletes’ parade, athletes’ and officials’ oath, lighting of the Festival flame, and the raising of the Olympic Flag.”

 

Liam Clowes (Sandbach, Cheshire) selected for the men’s 100m and 200m in Athletics, said:

“If someone had told me a year ago that I would be in the position to represent Great Britain, I wouldn’t have believed them. I only took up the sport two years ago through school and they said I was really fast, so I was taken to the Cheshire Championships where I won both the 100m and 200m. I didn’t know much about the sport. I even thought 200m was a long-distance event!

“But earlier this year I heard that I had a chance of making the team for the European Youth Olympics and ever since then I’ve really stepped up a gear. It means the world to me to represent Great Britain. It really is like Christmas come early. I’ve dreamed of it and didn’t think I would achieve it. I’d really like to get to the finals and maybe get a medal. I’m just going out there to do my very best.”

 

Swimmer Sam Straughan (Maidenhead, Berks) commented:

“I am really excited at the moment about being selected for the European Youth Olympic Festival, but I am sure I will feel nervous as the event comes closer.

 

“This will be my first international competition and it is a real honour to represent my country. I am hoping to make a final during the competition. I think that would be a great.”

 

Lucas Rowe (Kettering, Northamptonshire) from judo, competing in the under 60kg class, said:

“I am very honoured to be selected to represent Team GB, as this will be most prestigious event I have ever represented Britain in. To go to a multi-sport event will give me experience that I hope to use during the rest of my judo career.

 

“I am feeling confident. Obviously anything can happen on the day, and everyone is competing to win, but if I perform to my potential I have a good a chance as anyone on the mat. I am working extremely hard to ensure I am fully prepared. My training is going well and I am looking forward to getting out there and competing against the best in Europe.”

 

The selected Team GB athletes are:

 

Title

First Name

Surname

Town

County

Sport

Event

Miss

Abbi

Carter

Hessle

East Yorkshire

Athletics : Athletics

Hammer

Miss

Adelle

Tracey

Godalming

Surrey

Athletics : Athletics

800m

Miss

Danielle

Anderson

Oxford

Oxfordshire

Athletics : Athletics

Javelin

Miss

Georgia

Atkins

Rochford

Essex

Athletics : Athletics

100mH

Miss

Isobel

Pooley

Fleet

Hampshire

Athletics : Athletics

High Jump

Miss

Jennifer

Batten

Near Stroud

Gloucestershire

Athletics :

Athletics

100m/200m

Miss

Katie

Byres

Glossop

Derbyshire

Athletics : Athletics

Pole vault

Miss

Laura

Burke

Eton

Barkshire

Athletics : Athletics

400mH

Miss

Lauren

Proctor

Leeds

West Yorkshire

Athletics : Athletics

1500m

Miss

Lucy

James

Bedford

Bedfordshire

Athletics : Athletics

400m

Miss

Yasmin

Spencer

Ashover

Derbyshire

Athletics : Athletics

Shot

Mr

Ainsley

Campbell

Windsor

Berkshire

Athletics : Athletics

400m

Mr

Andrew

Elkins

Poole

Dorset

Athletics : Athletics

Hammer

Mr

Callum

Hawkins

Elderslie

Renfrewshire

Athletics : Athletics

3000m

Mr

Cameron

Walker-Shepherd

Stapleton

Bristol

Athletics : Athletics

Pole vault

Mr

James

Lelliott

Broadstone

Dorset

Athletics : Athletics

Long jump

Mr

Joseph

Kent

Horsham

West Sussex

Athletics : Athletics

High Jump

Mr

Liam

Biddlecome

Chard

Somerset

Athletics : Athletics

Discus

Mr

Liam

Clowes

Sandbach

Cheshire

Athletics : Athletics

100m/200m

Mr

Richard

Goodman

Stanmore

Middlesex

Athletics : Athletics

1500m

Mr

Samuel

Taylor-Outridge

Newport Pagnell

Buckinghamshire

Athletics : Athletics

Javelin

Mr

Themba

Luhana

Northampton

Northamptonshire

Athletics : Athletics

110mH

Mr

Thomas

Atkinson

Cleck Heaton

West Yorkshire

Athletics : Athletics

800m

Miss

Amelia

Maughan

Sturminster Newton

Dorset

Aquatics : Swimming

Miss

Charlotte

Bradbury

Crewe

Cheshire

Aquatics : Swimming

Miss

Danielle

Lowe

Higher Bebington

Wirral

Aquatics : Swimming

Miss

Kathryn

Woolston-Thomas

Ponteland

Newcastle-upon-Tyne

Aquatics : Swimming

Miss

Natasha

Hofton

Nottingham

Nottinghamshire

Aquatics : Swimming

Miss

Rachael

Williamson

Hull

East Yorkshire

Aquatics : Swimming

Miss

Rachel

Martin

Mapperley

Nottingham

Aquatics : Swimming

Mr

Alisdair

Stirling

Glasgow

South Lanarkshire

Aquatics : Swimming

Mr

Craig

Benson

Livingston

West Lothian

Aquatics : Swimming

Mr

Grant

Halsall

Laxey

Lonan

Aquatics : Swimming

Mr

Ieuan

Lloyd

Penarth

Vale of Glamorgan

Aquatics : Swimming

Mr

Matthew

Parks

Altrincham

Cheshire

Aquatics : Swimming

Mr

Myles

Crouch-Anderson

Irthlingborough

Northamptonshire

Aquatics : Swimming

Mr

Samuel

Straughan

Maidenhead

Berks

Aquatics : Swimming

Mr

Samuel

Van de Schootbrugge

Abingdon

Oxfordshire

Aquatics : Swimming

Mr

Steven

King

Bracknell

Berkshire

Aquatics : Swimming

Mr

Jonathan

Dibben

Totton

Hampshire

Cycling : Road

Road

Mr

Joshua

Papworth

Halesowen

West Midlands

Cycling : Road

Road

Mr

Oliver

Rossi

Ilford

Essex

Cycling : Road

Road

Miss

Danusia

Francis

Kenilworth

Warwickshire

Gymnastics : Artistic

Artistic

Miss

Jennifer

Pinches

High Peak

Derbyshire

Gymnastics : Artistic

Artistic

Miss

Nicole

Hibbert

Edgware

Middlesex

Gymnastics : Artistic

Artistic

Mr

Cameron

Mackenzie

Huntingdon

Cambridgeshire

Gymnastics : Artistic

Artistic

Mr

Maximillian

Bennett

Royston

Hertfordshire

Gymnastics : Artistic

Artistic

Mr

Reece

Pearson

Leicester

Gymnastics : Artistic

Artistic

Miss

Amy

Livesey

St Helens

Merseyside

Judo : Judo

U63kg

Miss

Amy-Louise

Thompson

Stevenage

Hertfordshire

Judo : Judo

U48kg

Miss

Chloe

Jones

Stamford

Lincs

Judo : Judo

U52kg