2022/23 OLYMPIC WORLD CLASS PROGRAMME COHORT ANNOUNCED

A group of 66 athletes have been nominated for membership to join the UK Athletics Olympic World Class Programme (WCP) for 2022/23.

The Olympic WCP is UK Sport’s National Lottery funded initiative supporting the delivery of success at named milestone targets, namely outdoor track World and European Championships, and the Olympic Games with Budapest 2023 and Paris 2024 the next major events on the athletics calendar.

The WCP is split into several levels reflecting the actual and potential performance levels of athletes: Podium, Podium Potential, Relay and Confirmation. Athletes are nominated for the WCP to further the aim of UK Athletics to win medals at the 2024 and/or 2028 Olympic Games. UKA are committed to the principle that winning will always be achieved with integrity and in line with UK Sport’s ambition of ‘Keep Winning and Win Well’.

Therefore, UKA must be confident that any athlete nominated for the WCP has the realistic potential and demonstrable performance capability and capacity to make the necessary progress to achieve a medal at least in one of the next two Olympic Games.

As per previous years, the nomination for WCP membership is subject to UK Sport ratification and a signed athlete agreement between the athlete and UKA.

Stephen Maguire, Technical Director at UK Athletics, commented, “We look forward to working with the athletes and their coaches, and seeing where the World Class Programme can support them appropriately, and where it can add value to enhance their potential as we look ahead to Budapest, Paris and beyond.

“Alongside the success of the Futures programme we are seeing a huge amount of young talent emerging through the system and the standards are continuing to rise as those athletes develop and push on.

“With this introduction of young talent on to the Programme, joining a number of experienced athletes who have or are establishing their ability on the international stage, we will be looking to build on the momentum and success of the 2022 season and take that into the World Athletics Championships in Budapest next year, the Olympic Games in Paris, and looking further ahead, into Los Angeles in 2028.

“We’d like to thank UK Sport and the National Lottery for their continued investment in the World Class Programme. Their support is essential to helping our athletes be the best prepared they can be for the biggest competitions.”

The UK Athletics Olympic World Class Programme Athletes for 2022/23:

Olympic Podium (15):

Dina Asher-Smith (John Blackie, Blackheath and Bromley)

Alex Bell (Andrew Henderson, Pudsey & Bramley)

Holly Bradshaw (Scott Simpson, Blackburn)

Keely Hodgkinson (Trevor Painter, Leigh)

Matthew Hudson-Smith (Gary Evans, Birchfield)

Katarina Johnson-Thompson (Aston Moore, Liverpool)

Josh Kerr (Danny Mackey, Edinburgh)

Nick Miller (Tore Gustafsson, Border)

Laura Muir (Andy Young, Dundee Hawkhill)

Daryll Neita (Marco Airale, Cambridge Harriers)

Andrew Pozzi (Stratford-upon-Avon)

Jemma Reekie (Andy Young, Kilbarchan)

Jazmin Sawyers (Aston Moore, City of Stoke)

Cindy Sember (Chris Johnson, Woodford Green Essex Ladies)

Jake Wightman (Geoff Wightman, Edinburgh)

Olympic Podium Potential (23):

Lizzie Bird (Pat McCurry, Shaftesbury Barnet)

Emily Borthwick (Alex Stewart, Wigan and District)

Taylor Campbell (John Pearson, Windsor Slough Eton and Hounslow)

Molly Caudery (Stuart Caudery, Thames Valley)

Harry Coppell (Kate Rooney, Wigan and District)

Oliver Dustin (Graeme Mason, Border)

Niamh Emerson (Ashley Bryant, Newham and Essex Beagles)

Tom Gale (Denis Doyle, Team Bath)

Elliot Giles (Jon Bigg, Birchfield)

Jake Heyward (Mark Rowland, Cardiff)

Jessie Knight (Marina Armstrong, Windsor Slough Eton and Hounslow)

Morgan Lake (Robbie Grabarz, Windsor Slough Eton and Hounslow)

Scott Lincoln (Paul Wilson, City of York)

Eilish McColgan (Liz Nuttall, Dundee Hawkhill)

Sophie McKinna (Paul Wilson, Great Yarmouth)

Naomi Metzger (Aston Moore, Trafford)

Lawrence Okoye (Zane Duquemin, Croydon)

Aimee Pratt (Vicente Modahl, Sale Harriers Manchester)

Charlotte Purdue (Nic Bideau, Aldershot Farnham and District)

Daniel Rowden (Jon Bigg, Woodford Green Essex Ladies)

Marc Scott (Jerry Schumacher, Richmond and Zetland)

Katie Snowden (Stephen Haas, Herne Hill)

Callum Wilkinson (Rob Heffernan, Enfield and Haringey)

Olympic Relays (17):

Kristal Awuah (Gary Evans, Herne Hill)

Zoey Clark (Ryan Oswald, Thames Valley)

Emily Diamond (Jared Deacon, Bristol & West)

Beth Dobbin (Leon Baptiste, Edinburgh)

Jona Efoloko (Clarence Callender, Sale Harriers Manchester)

Adam Gemili (Marco Airale, Blackheath and Bromley)

Zharnel Hughes (Glen Mills, Shaftesbury Barnet)

Richard Kilty (Leon Baptiste, Gateshead)

Imani-Lara Lansiquot (Ryan Freckleton, Sutton & District)

Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake (Ryan Freckleton, Newham and Essex Beagles)

Ashleigh Nelson (Leon Baptiste, City of Stoke)

Laviai Nielsen (Philipp Unfried, Enfield and Haringey)

Victoria Ohuruogu (Christine Ohuruogu, Newham and Essex Beagles)

Asha Philip (Amy Deem, Newham and Essex Beagles)

Ama Pipi (Marco Airale, Enfield and Haringey)

Jodie Williams (Stuart McMillan, Herts Phoenix)

Nicole Yeargin (Boogie Johnson, Pitreavie)

 Olympic Confirmation Level (11):

Jeremiah Azu (Marco Airale, Cardiff)

Ellie Baker (Jon Bigg, Shaftesbury Barnet)

Max Burgin (Ian Burgin, Halifax Harriers)

Piers Copeland (Bob Smith, Pontypridd)

Charlie Dobson (Benke Blomkvist, Colchester)

Alex Haydock-Wilson (Benke Blomkvist, Windsor Slough Eton and Hounslow)

Holly Mills (Laura Turner-Alleyne, Andover)

Jade O’Dowda (John Lane, Newham and Essex Beagles)

Ben Pattison (Dave Ragan, Basingstoke and Mid Hants)

Tommy Ramdhan (Michael Afilaka, Bexley)

Matthew Stonier (Chris and Sonia McGeorge, Invicta East Kent)