Dina Asher-Smith and Katarina Johnson-Thompson have been chosen to a stronger-than-anticipated England athletics squad for the Commonwealth Games, which also includes youthful talents like 800m runner Max Burgin.
Asher-Smith, the world’s 200m champion, has confirmed that she would compete in the women’s 100m and 4x100m, which sets up a potential clash with Elaine Thompson-Herah, the Olympic champion, and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, the world champion.
With the bronze medalist in the 100m from Tokyo, Shericka Jackson, also expected to travel to Birmingham, experts are anticipating the “race of the championships.”
Johnson-Thompson has stated that she will defend her Commonwealth title in the heptathlon. As a result of the selections of Keely Hodgkinson, who won silver in the 800m at the Tokyo Olympics, and Holly Bradshaw, who won bronze, the 93-strong squad contains more elite athletes than initially anticipated in a season in which many athletes will compete at the world championships in Eugene and the European Championships in Munich.
Burgin, who ran a world-record 1:43.52 in Finland last week, was thrilled to be allowed to win his first senior title. “Over the past three years, I haven’t been able to demonstrate what I’m capable of due to injuries, so I believe that this is finally my opportunity to prove that I can compete at a world-class level,” he added. It would be fantastic to be able to accomplish that in front of a home audience.
Kelly Sotherton, the team captain of England’s athletics team, anticipated a large number of medals. “There is medal potential in every event,” she stated. I anticipate seeing both familiar and unfamiliar people at the largest event held in this city since London 2012.
