British Athletics has announced the athletes selected for the men’s, women’s and mixed 4x400m relay at the 2021 World Athletics Relays which are due to be held in Silesia, Poland on 1-2 May 2021.
Prior to selection, it was agreed that there will be no men’s or women’s 4x100m relay teams entered due to several factors caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Following consultation between the respective athletes and the British Athletics Performance team, all parties agreed on this approach to the event.
Olympic relay bronze medallist Emily Diamond will be joined by multiple global relay medallist Zoey Clark and 2017 world silver medallist Laviai Nielsen in the squad.
Clark will also be reunited with Jessie Knight and Ama Pipi who were part of the silver medal-winning quartet at the European Indoor Championships in February. World Indoor and European relay bronze medallist Amy Allcock will join the squad alongside Yasmin Liverpool and Jess Turner.
The men’s team includes Olympic, world and European medallist, Martyn Rooney, and fellow London 2017 bronze medallists, Dwayne Cowan and Rabah Yousif Bkheit.
Joe Brier, Lee Thompson and James Williams - all part of the bronze-medal winning team at the 2021 European indoors - earn their second British team call-ups of the season.
Finally, Charlie Dobson, who will be making his senior GB debut, and Efe Okoro complete the line-up.
The mixed relay teams will be selected from the athletes within the women’s and men’s 4x400m relay squads.
Performance Director, Sara Symington, said: “We are really pleased to be selecting strong teams for the respective relay events. Maintaining the health and safety of all athletes, coaches and team personnel is of paramount importance to us, as is recognising athletes wishes in their preparation for Tokyo, so all athletes were given the option to opt-in or opt-out of the event for this year.
“In terms of the men’s and women’s 4x100m relays, it was a joint decision between the British Athletics Performance team and the respective 4x100m squads to not enter teams for those events to the World Athletics Relays.
“The 4x400m athletes and staff have opted to take the opportunity to compete and we will support them in this approach. It is vital that we recognise these are challenging times and that we fully consult with the athletes and staff on the best way to prepare for Tokyo, recognising that one approach will not necessarily fit both squads.”
Head of Long Sprints and Relays, Tim Benjamin, said: “I am delighted to be selecting these very strong 4x400m athletes for the World Athletics Relays, the first event in my new role. We have several really experienced relay athletes as part of these teams, as well as some exciting up and coming talent who have demonstrated their potential during a challenging last year or so. This is a key preparation event for the Tokyo Olympic Games this summer, so I am really looking forward to seeing how these teams perform in Poland.”
The British team for the 2021 World Athletics Relays in Silesia, Poland, 1-2 May:
Women: Amy Allcock, Zoey Clark, Emily Diamond, Yasmin Liverpool, Jessie Knight, Laviai Nielsen, Ama Pipi and Jessica Turner.
Men: Joe Brier, Dwayne Cowan, Charlie Dobson, Efe Okoro, Martyn Rooney, Lee Thompson, James Williams and Rabah Yousif Bkheit.
