CITY of Plymouth’s Poppy Tank has been named in Great Britain’s European Cross Country Championship squad for the second year running.

Tank finished ninth for GB in the under-23 race at last December’s event at Tilburg in The Netherlands, which was her international debut.

She was not able to make the weekend’s British trials in Liverpool as she was competing for Utah University at the NCAA Division One Championships in America but she has been given one of two wild card places in the under-23 team for the event in Lisbon, Portugal, due to her impressive form this season.

Fellow American-based athlete Hannah Nuttall was handed the other wild-card spot in the team.

Tank, who recently earned all-regional honours at the NCAA Mountain Championships, is delighted to get the chance to pull on a Great Britain vest once more.

She said: “So excited to have this opportunity again.”

Tank will feature in a 40-strong GB team for the event on December 8 in Lisbon that also includes Olympian Andy Butchart and Jess Judd, who competed at this year’s World Championships.

GB team leader Rob Denmark said: “Off the back of yet another extremely competitive trial event in Liverpool, we are able to name an incredibly strong team to travel to Lisbon for the European Cross Country Championships.

“The team that we are taking contains a good level of experience across all age groups at these championships and on the international stage, which will hopefully set us up to contend for individual and team medals once again.”

Meanwhile, Tank’s City of Plymouth team-mate Molly Shorey did travel to Liverpool at the weekend to compete in the under-13 race at the British Cross Challenge event, where she came fourth.

In a tight race at Sefton Park, Shorey finished just behind Chiltern’s Zoe Gilbody, Woodford Green’s Abigail Reid and Wreake’s Shaikira King.