British team poised for European Cup 10,000m
British Athletics this morning announced a five strong team for the forthcoming European Cup 10,000m in Pravets, Bulgaria on Saturday 8 June.
Picture - Jonny Mellor winning the Christleton 5k this month in 13:59
After a strong run at the Great Manchester Run 10k last weekend where he was first Brit home, Jonny Mellor (coach: Dave Evans) will have high hopes of lowering his 28.42 personal best, set at Stanford earlier this year. Liverpool Harrier Mellor, who was almost 40 seconds clear of his domestic rivals last weekend, will pull on a GB & NI vest for the second time in his career, his first coming over 2 miles at the Great North City Games in 2011. Jonny's current handicap score is MINUS 4.9 and he is 15th on the National Ladder.
Joining him in the men’s team is Joe MacDonald (John Nuttall) who will make his Great Britain & Northern Ireland debut at the event in Pravets. MacDonald has a 10k personal best of 29.08 from 2012, and recently posted a strong half marathon debut, winning the Wilmslow Half Marathon in 64.54. His handicap score is MINUS 3.8 and he is 96th on the ladder.
The women’s team for the 8 June event will be led by Sonia Samuels (George Gandy) who was recently selected for the IAAF World Championship marathon in Moscow this August. Samuels, who last ran the event when it was held in Marseille, will be looking to improve on her 17th place finish from that event in 2010. She has a 'scratch' handicap at 0 and is 35th on the ladder.
Alyson Dixon (self-coached) is another athlete stepping down from the marathon to work on her speed, fresh off the back of a personal best performance at the Brighton Marathon where she clocked 2.31.08 to finish second. Her current handicap score is MINUS 0.9 and she is 7th on the ladder.
Completing the team is Samuels’ training partner Stevie Stockton (Gandy), who is the reigning European U23 Championship bronze medallist, and makes her debut over the distance. She has a handicap score of 1.9 and is 146th on the ladder.
GREAT BRITAIN & NORTHERN IRELAND TEAM:
MEN:
Joe MacDonald (John Nuttall)
Jonny Mellor (Dave Evans)
WOMEN:
Alyson Dixon (self-coached)
Sonia Samuels (George Gandy)
Stevie Stockton (George Gandy)