Kilty to double up as four North-Easterners are named in British squad for World Athletics Championships

Kilty, who is a World and European Indoor champion at 60m, has struggled to translate his indoor form to the outdoor arena this summer, with last weekend’s disqualification in the 100m at the Anniversary Games depriving him of a high-profile opportunity to showcase his credentials.

However, the British selectors have handed him the third place on the World Championships squad for Beijing, along with Chijindu Ujah, who equalled his personal best of 9.96secs behind Usain Bolt in London, and James Dasaolu.

Stockton-based Kilty will team up with Ujah, Danny Talbot, Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, James Ellington, and Adam Gemili in a 4x100m squad that should be capable of challenging for a medal.

Britain’s sprint relay runners triumphed in the Anniversary Games at the weekend, and have improved markedly over the course of the last 12 months.

The North-East will have four representatives in Beijing, with Stockton’s Rabih Yousif named in the squad for the 400m, Morpeth Harrier Laura Weightman selected alongside Laura Muir in the 1,500m and Newton Aycliffe’s Kate Avery handed the opportunity to make her World Championship debut in the 10,000m.

Weightman, who won medals at both the Commonwealth Games and European Championships last summer, underlined her status as a leading medal candidate at world level when she triumphed in an extremely competitive 1,500m in the Olympic Stadium last Friday.

Avery, who finished fourth in the 10,000m as she stepped out of the junior ranks in last year’s Commonwealths, will look to cement her reputation as the most promising young distance runner in the country as she continues to combine her appearances for the British team with a university scholarship in the United States.

All of Britain’s Olympic gold medallists from 2012 were named in today’s 62-strong squad, with Jessica Ennis-Hill due to compete in her first major championships since London after being named alongside Katarina Johnson-Thompson in the heptathlon.

The Olympic champion, who recently returned from a lengthy break after giving birth to her first child, proved her wellbeing at the Anniversary Games, posting her best post-Olympics performances in the 100m hurdles, long jump and 200m.

Next month’s heptathlon will be the first time she has gone head-to-head with Johnson-Thompson since the Olympics, and both Britons will be targeting gold along with Canadian world number one Brianne Theisen-Eaton.

“It’s going to be a really high standard,” said Ennis-Hill. “Obviously Brianne is on great form, Kat is as well, it will be a battle.”

Mo Farah will defend his 5,000m and 10,000m titles after a difficult season which his seen his coach, Alberto Salazar, engulfed by doping allegations, while Greg Rutherford will compete in the long jump. Middlesbrough’s Chris Tomlinson, however, misses out.

Defending world champion Christine Ohuruogu will compete in the 400m, while overseas-born rising stars Zharnel Hughes and Cindy Ofili, who were only cleared to compete for Great Britain this summer, go in the 200m and 100m hurdles.

There is no place for Lucy Hatton, the European Indoor silver medallist, in the latter event, while Andy Vernon, the European 10,000m silver medallist who has had a long-running public feud with Farah, was also left out of the team.

“In selecting athletes, we were looking at either a potential to finish top eight in this year’s Worlds or to give opportunities to athletes developing towards medal success in 2016 and beyond,” said British Athletics performance director Neil Black.

“I’m very confident we have selected a team who can be successful in Beijing, as well as use it as a platform onto further Olympic and World successes.”

GREAT BRITAIN TEAM FOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (Beijing, August 22-30)

MEN

100m

James Dasaolu, Richard Kilty, Chijindu Ujah

200m

Zharnel Hughes, Daniel Talbot

400m

Jarryd Dunn, Rabah Yousif

800m

Kyle Langford, Michael Rimmer

1500m

Charlie Grice, Chris O'Hare

5000m

Mo Farah, Tom Farrell

10000m

Farah

110mH

Lawrence Clarke

400mH

Niall Flannery

High Jump

Robbie Grabarz

Long Jump

Dan Bramble, Greg Rutherford

Pole Vault

Steve Lewis

Hammer Throw

Mark Dry, Nick Miller

20k Walk

Tom Bosworth

4 x 100m

Kilty, Ujah, Talbot, Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, James Ellington, Adam Gemili

4 x 400m

Dunn, Yousif, Jack Green, Martyn Rooney, Conrad Williams, Delano Williams

WOMEN:

100m

Asha Philip

200m

Margaret Adeoye, Dina Asher-Smith, Bianca Williams

400m

Christine Ohuruogu, Anyika Onuora

800m

Jenny Meadows, Shelayna Oskan-Clarke, Lynsey Sharp

1500m

Laura Muir, Laura Weightman

5000m

Steph Twell

10000m

Kate Avery

100mH

Cindy Ofili, Tiffany Porter

400mH

Meghan Beesley, Eilidh Child

High Jump

Morgan Lake, Isobel Pooley

Long Jump

Katarina Johnson-Thompson, Shara Proctor, Lorraine Ugen

Pole Vault

Holly Bradshaw

Hammer Throw:

Sophie Hitchon

Javelin

Goldie Sayers

Heptathlon

Jessica Ennis-Hill, Johnson-Thompson

4 x 100m

Philip, Asher-Smith, Bianca Williams, Louise Bloor, Desiree Henry, Jodie Williams, Darryll Neita

4 x 400m:

Adeoye, Child, Ohuruogu, Onuora, Kirsten McAslan, Seren Bundy-Davies, Laviai Nielson.