Great Britain have named their squad to face Team Europe and the USA next month at the Great Edinburgh XCountry, a European Athletics Cross Country Permit Meeting, in the Scottish capital’s Holyrood Park on Saturday 13 January.
The British senior women’s team features Emelia Gorecka and Elle Vernon, who were part of Britain’s gold medal winning team at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Slovakia on Sunday.
Also included in the strong senior women’s squad is European U23 cross country bronze medallist Jessica Judd and newly-crowned European U20 cross country champion Harriet Knowles-Jones, the latter making a rapid transition to senior competition just two weeks after leaving the U20 ranks.
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Double 2017 European indoor champion Laura Muir, part of the British quartet that won the mixed relay in Edinburgh last January, returns to the British team in the same event.
Alongside Muir in the mixed relay is Tom Marshall, who memorably anchored the British team to victory the inaugural European cross country championships mixed relay in Samorin on Sunday.
Strong @BritAthletics team including @lauramuiruns & Euro XC U20 champion @KJHarriet selected for Great Edinburgh XCountry
— British Athletics (@BritAthletics) December 14, 2017
Full team âžÂ¡ https://t.co/DtmxTefMTs pic.twitter.com/i7fu0hGb4w
Four of Great Britain's European U20 team gold medallists from Samorin will be on the start line in that age category in Edinburgh: Phoebe Barker, Niamh Brown, Cari Hughes and the 2017 European U20 800m champion Khahisa Mhlanga.
Ben Connor finished sixth in Samorin, the best result of his career, and will look to build on that as the leading name on current form in the British senior men’s team.
The overall winning team will be determined by the best aggregate finishing positions of the six best placed athletes in the senior category, as well as the four best placed athletes in the junior races.
Senior men
Ben Connor
Patrick Dever
Nick Goolab
Dewi Griffiths
Mahamed Mahamed
Chris Olley
Sam Stabler
Alex Teuten
Andy Vernon
Senior women
Katie Bingle
Philippa Bowden
Emelia Gorecka
Amy Griffiths
Jessica Judd
Harriet Knowles-Jones
Phoebe Law
Mhairi MacLennan
Elle Vernon
U20 men
Jake Heyward
Ricky Lutakome
Tom Mortimer
Hugh Sadler
Lachlan Wellington
Matthew Willis
U20 women
Phoebe Barker
Niamh Brown
Cari Hughes
Khahisa Mhlanga
Eloise Walker
Erin Wallace
mixed relay
Alex Bell
Adam Clarke
Tom Marshall
Laura Muir