A group of 65 athletes have been selected for membership to join the Great Britain Athletics World Class Program* (WCP) for 2024/25. The WCP is divided into several levels that reflect the athletes’ actual and future performance potential: Podium, Podium Potential, Relay and Confirmation. The full list of athletes is presented below. The number 65 compares with 67 in 2023-24. Last year, 17 were in the top category of the Podium, which number reached 21 in the new list. This year there are only 11 “podium potentials” compared to 19 last year. In the third nomination “Olympic confirmation” there were 13 last year, and 10 in 2024-25. Great Britain won medals in all five relays in Paris and the number of athletes funded for next year’s relay is 23, up from 18 previously.
The four athletes funded last year are now retired Holly Bradshaw, Andrew Posey, Jesse Knight and Jodie Williams. In addition, European Championship medalist Lizzy Bird is pursuing a career as a lawyer and is not seeking funding as a mainstream athlete.
2023-24 funded athletes who were not on this year’s list include Eilish McColgan, Scott Lincoln, Callum Wilkinson, Lawrence Okoye, Nick Percy and Elliott Giles.
New additions to the list of sponsored athletes include:
Georgia BellA year ago, he worked full-time in an office and ran in the evenings. He is now a 1500m Olympic medalist.
Jacob Fincham-Dukes – In the Olympic long jump, the fifth place was added for the first time.
Sam Reardon – as recently demonstrated https://www.runblogrun.com/2024/09/the-accidental-medalist-sam-reardon.html To win two Olympic medals after not being selected for the Olympics in the first place is one of the least surprising additions.
Other additions to the relay team include Lina Nilsson, (a Paris medalist who continues to battle illness), Amy Hunt and Louis Hinchcliffe (both Paris medalists) and Desiree Henry (returning to the team after years of struggling).
Phoebe GillAlso added were the 17-year-old, who reached the semi-finals of the Olympic 800m and 2024 European 100m bronze medalist Romel Glave.
The list released by UK Athletics includes the name of every athlete, from which we learn that Morgan Lake is no longer coached by Robbie Grabartz, no new coach is named, and that Louis Hinchcliffe is now coached by Richard Kielty rather than Carl Lewis.
If I’ve counted correctly, that’s 57 runs and 8 fields, which shows where UK athletics’ strengths lie.
WCP athletes. marked with name, club and coach
Olympic podium (21)
Amber Anning (Chris Johnson, Brighton and Hove)
Dina Asher-Smith (Edric Floreal, Blackheath and Bromley)
Georgia Bell (Trevor Painter, Belgrave Harriers)
Max Burgin (Ian Burgin, Halifax Harriers)
Emil Kyres (Renato Canova, Leeds City)
Molly Codery (Scott Simpson, Thames Valley)
Jacob Fincham-Dukes (Austin Brobst, Leeds City)
Keeley Hodgkinson (Trevor Painter, Leigh)
Matthew Hudson-Smith (Gary Evans, Birchfield)
Jarnell Hughes (Glen Mills, Shaftesbury Barnet)
Katarina Johnson-Thompson (Aston Moore, Liverpool)
Photo credit: Chloe Knott/Team GB
Josh Kerr (Danny McKee, Edinburgh)
Lake Morgan (Windsor Slough Eton and Hounslow)
Laura Muir (Dundee Hawkhill)
Daryl Neita (Marco Airale, Cambridge Harriers)
Ben Pattison (Dave Ragan, Basingstoke and Mid Hants)
Gemma Rickey (John Big, Kilbarchan)
Jazmin Sawyers (Aston Moor, Stoke City)
Cindy Sember (Chris Johnson, Woodford Green Essex Ladies)
Katie Snowden (Herne Hill)
Jake Wightman (Jeff Wightman, Edinburgh)
Olympic podium potential (11)
Melissa Courtney-Bryant (Rob Denmark, Poole)
Charlie Dobson (Leon Baptist, Colchester)
Neil Gourley (Steven Haas, Giffnock North)
Naomi Metzger (Aston Moore, Trafford)
George Mills (Thomas Dreisigacker, Brighton Phoenix)
Jade O’Dowda (John Lane, Newham and Essex Beagles)
Tade Ojora (Joanna Hayes, Windsor Slough Eton & Hounslow)
Amy Pratt (Thomas Dreißigacker, Sale Harriers Manchester)
Anna Purchase (Muhammad Ali Saatara, Notts)
Mark Scott (Chris Jones, Richmond and Zetland)
Jessica Warner-Judd (Mick Judd, Blackburn)
Olympic relay – (22)
Eugene Amo-Dadzi (Steve Fudge, Woodford Green Essex Ladies)
Jeremiah Azu (Marco Airale, Cardiff)
Joe Brier (Nick Duckin, Swansea)
Lewis Davey (Trevor Painter, Newham and Essex Beagles)
Jonah Efoloko (Ryan Freckleton, Sale Harriers Manchester)
Toby Harris (David Sadkin, Brighton Phoenix)
Alex Haydock-Wilson (Day Green, Windsor Slough, Eton & Hounslow)
Desiree Henry (Steve Fudge, Anfield and Haringey)
Louis Hinchliffe (Richard Kilty, Sheffield and Dearne)
Amy Hunt (Marco Airale, Charnwood)
Hannah Kelly (Les Hall, Bolton)
Imani-Lara Lansiquot (Ryan Freckleton, Sutton & District)
Rio Mitcham (Leon Baptiste, Birchfield Harriers)
Nathaniel Mitchell-Blake (Ryan Freckleton, Newham and Essex Beagles)
Lavaj Nielsen (Tony Leicester, Anfield and Haringey)
Lina Nielsen (Tony Lester, Shaftesbury Barnett)
Victoria Ohuruogu (Newham and Essex Beagles)
Asha Phillip (Amy Deam, Newham and Essex Beagles)
Ama Pippi (Tony Leicester, Anfield and Haringey)
Sam Reardon (Nigel Stickings, Blackheath and Bromley)
Bianca Williams (Linford Christie, Thames Valley)
Nicole Yaregin (Vince Anderson, Pitrevi)
Olympic approval – (10)
Alastair Chalmers (Matt Elias, Guernsey)
Phoebe Gill (Deborah Stier, St Albans)
Rommel Glaive (Michael Afilaka, Croydon)
Megan Keith (Ross Cairns, Inverness)
Mohamed Mohamed (Idris Hamoud, Southampton)
Jake Norris (Paul Dickenson, Windsor, Slough Eton & Hounslow)
Charlotte Payne (Paul Dickenson, Reading)
Callie Hauger-Tucker (Nick Hauger, Hallamshire)
Reeve Walcott-Nolan (Thomas Dreisigacker, Luton)
Joshua Zeller (Matt Cain, Bracknell AC)
Olympic relay confirmation (1)
Yemi Mary John (Alan James, Woodford Green Essex Ladies)
*Olympic WCP is the initiative of the UK National Sports Lottery to identify, develop and support talented athletes to win medals at the Olympic Games and other major world championships. Athletes are nominated for the WCP if they are judged to have realistic potential and demonstrable performance and ability to win medals at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games or by 2032.
