ERME Valley Harriers’ Will Battershill has been confirmed in Great Britain’s squad for next month’s European Junior Championships in Italy.
Battershill will compete in the 3,000m steeplechase at the event in Grosseto, which takes place between July 20 and July 23.
The former Ivybridge Community College pupil, who has just completed his first year at Harvard University, booked his place by winning the England Under-20 steeplechase title for a second season running.
Battershill had already run the qualifying time of 9.05.00 and so went to Bedford knowing he just had to finish in the top two to secure his place on the GB team.
The 19-year-old’s best time this season is 8:55.84, which ranks his fourth in European at under-20 level.
Only Frenchman Louis Gilavert and Alexis Phelut have run under 8:50.00 this term.
Next month’s event in Italy will be Battershill’s second major overseas international competition, having competed for Great Britain at the IAAF World Youth Championships in Colombia two years ago.
British Athletics first wave selections for the European Junior Championships in Grosseto, Italy on July 20-23 are as follows:
Men
100m: Oliver Bromby (Sara MacDonald-Gray), Dom Ashwell (Marvin Rowe)
200m: Toby Harries (Jon Bigg), Nick Stewart (Ryan Freckleton)
400m: Owen Richardson (John Davis)
800m: Markhim Lonsdale (Keith Lonsdale), Ben Greenwood (Catriona Helen Tavendale)
5000m: Tom Mortimer (Christopher Brown)
3000m Steeplechase: Will Battershill (Kevin Saretsky)
110m Hurdles: Cameron Fillery (Trevor Simcox)
High Jump: Tom Gale (Denis Doyle), Joel Khan (Dierdre Elmhirst)
Pole Vault: Joel Benitez (Alan Richardson)
Discus: George Evans (Colin McCulloch)
Javelin: James Whiteaker
Hammer: Jake Norris (Paul Dickenson)
Women
100m: Olivia Okoli (Anthony Childs)
200m: Alisha Rees (Willy Russell), Maya Bruney (John Blackie)
400m: Hannah Williams (Colin Gaynor)
800m: Khahisa Mhlanga (Mick Judd), Ellie Baker (George Harrison)
1500m: Jemma Reekie (Andy Young), Harriet Knowles-Jones (Paul Roden)
3000m Steeplechase: Emily Moyes (Mick Woods)
100m Hurdles: Alicia Barrett (Toni Minichiello), Sophie Yorke (David Warner)
Triple Jump: Naomi Ogbeta (Tom Cullen), Emily Gargan (Sam Stanislaus)
Shot: Divine Oladipo (John Hillier)
Discus: Divine Oladipo
Combined Events: Holly McArthur (Ian McEwan), Niamh Emerson (David Feeney)