National governing body names the athletes to be offered support through its World Class Performance Programme

British Athletics has announced the selection of 118 athletes for its Olympic and Paralympic World Class Performance Programmes (WCPP) in 2016-17, as the teams work towards London 2017 and Tokyo 2020.

The selection of athletes has again been based on the potential of winning medals at Olympic and Paralympic Games, with special consideration also given to the World ParaAthletics Championships and the IAAF World Championships in London next year. The WCPP is funded by the National Lottery through UK Sport and is split into two levels: ‘Podium’ for athletes deemed to have the potential to win medals at London 2017 and Tokyo 2020, and ‘Podium Potential’ for athletes developing towards Tokyo 2020 and the Games in 2024.

The Olympic Podium list of athletes is down from 21 to 15 on 2015-16, while the Paralympic Podium list has gone from 25 to 23.

Among those dropped from funding are sprinter James Dasaolu, 400m hurdler Dai Greene, 800m specialist Andrew Osagie, sprint hurdler William Sharman and 2014 European and Commonwealth 1500m medallist Laura Weightman. Sprint hurdler Andy Pozzi has moved from Podium to Podium Potential, while Olympic and world 400m gold medallist Christine Ohuruogu is no longer listed for individual support but is part of the 4x400m list.

Eilish McColgan was dropped from 2015-16 funding and has not been re-added after a year which saw her switch from the steeplechase to 5000m following injury and place 13th in the Olympic final in Rio. Visually impaired sprinter Libby Clegg was also removed from top level support last year but has been added to the Paralympic Podium list after her world record-breaking and gold medal winning performances in Rio.

Cindy Ofili joins her sister Tiffany Porter on the Olympic Podium list, while athletes added to receive Olympic Podium Potential support include Andrew Butchart, Elliot Giles, Callum Hawkins, Jade Lally, Adelle Tracey and Chris Bennett. Bobsledder Joel Fearon, who ran 9.96 this summer to move to joint third on the UK all-time list, is included in the 4x100m squad but is not part of the WCPP as he is already a member of the British Bobsleigh WCPP.

British Athletics performance director Neil Black said: “2016 was an excellent year for the British Athletics teams at both the Olympics and Paralympics, winning more medals in Rio than in London 2012. But we are now at the start of a new Olympic and Paralympic cycle, so we need to build a team that is focused towards further success and improvement at Tokyo 2020, our selections reflect this. With a core group of established athletes and a large group of young and emerging talent, this is an exciting time for British Athletics.

“As ever, the athletes selected will be expected to fulfil tough performance criteria throughout the next cycle, but our immediate focus is firmly on winning medals at London 2017 next year. To have both World Championships in the UK, in the same year, is just incredible. It will be a once in a lifetime opportunity for British athletes to be crowned world champions and become world medallists on home soil, and I expect a number of those selected on this year’s WCPP to grasp that opportunity.”

He added: “I’d like to thank the National Lottery and UK Sport for their continued investment in our World Class Performance Programme. The support will enable our athletes to be amongst the best prepared in the world at London 2017 and beyond, ensuring they are able to perform to their highest achievable standards whenever they appear on the global stage.”

Athletes supported through the World Class Performance Programme (WCPP) 2016-17

(Coach in brackets)

PODIUM WCPP

Olympic (15)
Dina Asher-Smith (John Blackie); Holly Bradshaw (Scott Simpson); Mohamed Farah (Alberto Salazar); Adam Gemili; Robbie Grabarz (Fuzz Caan); Sophie Hitchon (Tore Gustafsson); Zharnel Hughes (Glen Mills); Katarina Johnson-Thompson; Laura Muir (Andy Young); Cindy Ofili (Garfield Ellenwood); Tiffany Porter (Jeffrey Porter); Shara Proctor (Rana Reider); Greg Rutherford (Dan Pfaff); Lynsey Sharp (Rana Reider); Lorraine Ugen (Shawn Jackson)

Paralympic (23)
Kare Adenegan (Job King); Hollie Arnold (David Parker); Paul Blake (Rob Ellchuk); Jonathan Broom-Edwards (Fuzz Caan); Mickey Bushell (Jenny Archer); Joanna Butterfield (Phil Peat/Shona Malcolm); Libby Clegg [guide Chris Clarke] (Joe McDonnell); Hannah Cockroft (Jenni Banks); Kadeena Cox (Brian Scobie); Aled Davies (Ryan Spencer-Jones); Sabrina Fortune (Anthony Hughes/Ian Robinson); Toby Gold (Jenni Banks); Dan Greaves (John Godina); Sophie Hahn (Joe McDonnell); David Henson (Roger Keller); Georgina Hermitage (Paul MacGregor); Maria Lyle (Ryan Freckleton); Stephen Miller (Ros Miller); Jonnie Peacock (Dan Pfaff/Michael Khmel); Gemma Prescott (Mike Wood); Stefanie Reid (Aston Moore); Andrew Small (Rick Hoskins); Richard Whitehead (Keith Antoine)

PODIUM POTENTIAL WCPP

Olympic (29)
Kate Avery (Rob Denmark); Chris Baker (Sharon Heveran); Meghan Beesley (Michael Baker); Alexandra Bell (Aaron Thomas); Chris Bennett (Mick Jones); Tom Bosworth (Andi Drake); Andrew Butchart (Derek Easton); Dan Bramble (Frank Attoh); Tom Farrell (Mark Rowland); Elliot Giles (Matt Yates); Charlie Grice (Jon Bigg); Adam Hague (Trevor Fox); Lucy Hatton (Toni Minichiello); Callum Hawkins (Robert Hawkins); Chris Kandu (Fuzz Caan); David King (James Hillier); Morgan Lake (Aston Moore); Jade Lally (Andrew Neal); Kyle Langford (George Harrison); Scott Lincoln (Paul Wilson); Nick Miller (Tore Gustafsson); David Omoregie (Benke Blomkvist); Shelayna Oskan-Clarke (Jon Bigg); Isobel Pooley (Fuzz Caan); Andy Pozzi (Benke Blomkvist); Shona Richards (Marina Armstrong); Jazmin Sawyers (Kelly Sotherton); Adelle Tracey (Craig Winrow); Jake Wightman (Geoff Wightman)

Paralympic (24)
Joshua Bain (David Parker); Dan Bramall (Peter Wyman); Shaun Burrows (Joe McDonnell); Richard Chiassaro (Jenni Banks); Vanessa Daobry (Alison O’Riordan); Kyron Duke (Anthony Hughes); Kylie Grimes (Phil Peat); Claire Harvey (Phil Peat); Jordan Howe (Keith Antoine); Abbie Hunnisett (Anthony Hughes); Moatez Jomni (Jenny Archer); Sophie Kamlish (Rob Ellchuk); Sammi Kinghorn (Ian Mirfin); Polly Maton (Colin Baross); Nathan Maguire (Ste Hoskins); Stephen Morris (James Thie); Holly Neill (Andrew Roda); Derek Rae (Ron Morrison); Ben Rowlings (Job King); Sam Ruddock (Jim Edwards); Zac Shaw (Joe McDonnell); Laura Sugar (Femi Akinsanya); Carly Tait (Jenni Banks); Isaac Towers (Peter Wyman)

RELAY SQUADS

Olympic

Men’s 4x100m (6)
Harry Aikines-Aryeetey (Benke Blomkvist); Ojie Edoburun (Jonas Tawiah-Dodoo); James Ellington (Linford Christie); Richard Kilty (Michael Khmel); Danny Talbot (Benke Blomkvist); Chijindu Ujah (Jonas Tawiah-Dodoo)

Plus individual WCPP athletes:
Adam Gemili; Zharnel Hughes (Glen Mills)

Also included in the squad, but not part of the WCPP, are:
Joel Fearon (Michael Khmel) – already a member of the British Bobsleigh WCPP; Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake (Dennis Shaver) – ineligible for WCPP inclusion due to NCAA status

Men’s 4x400m (6)
Jarryd Dunn (Keith Holt); Matthew Hudson-Smith (Tony Hadley); Martyn Rooney (Graham Hedman); Nigel Levine (Linford Christie); Delano Williams (Neil Harrison); Rabah Yousif (Carol Williams)

Women’s 4x100m (5)
Desiree Henry (Rana Reider); Daryll Neita (Jonas Tawiah-Dodoo); Ashleigh Nelson (Michael Afilaka); Asha Philip (Steve Fudge); Jodie Williams (Ryan Freckleton)

Plus individual WCPP athletes:
Dina Asher-Smith (John Blackie)

Also included in the squad, but not part of the WCPP, are development athletes:
Shannon Hylton (Ryan Freckleton); Imani Lansiquot (Jonas Tawiah-Dodoo); Sophie Papps (Stewart Challis)

Women’s 4x400m (9)
Margaret Adeoye (Linford Christie); Seren Bundy-Davies (Stephen Ball); Eilidh Doyle (Malcolm Arnold); Emily Diamond (Jared Deacon); Kelly Massey (Stephen Ball); Kirsten McAslan (Trevor Painter); Laviai Nielsen (Frank Adams); Christine Ohuruogu (Lloyd Cowan); Anyika Onuora (Rana Reider)

Paralympic (1)
Olivia Breen (Aston Moore)

» Note: Since the above announcement, Eilish McColgan (Liz McColgan-Nuttall) has been added to the WCPP as part of the Olympic podium potential group following a successful appeal