Eight Scots picked for GB and NI team for World Champs in Budapest

Friday 28th July 2023

Eight top Scots are headed to the 2023 World Champs in Budapest next month with GB and NI.

British Athletics have announced a 51-strong team for the World Champs which take place in the Hungarian capital from August 19-27.

And excitement for Budapest is spreading across the track and field community in Scotland with a really strong presence in the team. Eight athletes equates 16 percent representation.

Laura Muir, Eilish McColgan, Jemma Reekie, Josh Kerr and Neil Gourley will harbour lofty ambitions in the middle distance and (Eilish) long distance track events.

University flat-mates Megan Keith and Alyson Bell, who are both benefiting from support via a partnership between scottishathletics and Edinburgh Uni, are both named for their first Senior championships.

Megan of course won gold at the Euro U23 Champs recently over 5000m with Alyson part of the British team who won gold in Finland in the Women’s 4x100m Relay.

America-based Nicole Yeargin, who won Relays medals at three major champs last summer, is involved with the Women’s 4x400m selection for Budapest. Nicole may also be involved in the Mixed Relay.

Coverage in The Scotsman

Here are the eight Scots picked (alphabetical order) with their clubs and coaches named . . .

Alyson Bell 4x100m (Giffnock North AC/Edinburgh Uni, Anne Scott)

Neil Gourley 1500m (Giffnock North AC, Stephen Haas)

Megan Keith 5000m (Inverness Harriers/Edinburgh Uni, Ross Cairns)

Josh Kerr 1500m (Edinburgh AC, Danny Mackey)

Eilish McColgan 10,000m (Dundee Hawkhill Harriers, Liz McColgan)

Laura Muir 1500m (Dundee Hawkhill Harriers)

Jemma Reekie 800m (Kilbarchan AAC, Jon Bigg)

Nicole Yeargin 4x400m and Mixed Relay (Pitreavie AAC, Boogie Johnson)

Everyone at scottishathletics sends our warm congratulations to these athletes and their families and coaches as well as the clubs who have paid a key role in their development over the years.

Jemma Reekie celebrate her superb victory in the Women’s 800 in the London Diamond League last Sunday (photo by Mark Shearman).

The team has been selected to fulfil the aim of the policy for these championships; to optimise medal success and the number of top eight placings.

The full team will be finalised once UK Athletics has received World Rankings invitations from World Athletics next week.

Subject to invites being received, those athletes who have met the UKA qualification standard and demonstrated current form will be selected.

‘I am pleased to confirm those athletes selected for the World Athletics Championships in Budapest next month,’ said Stephen Maguire, Technical Director at UK Athletics

‘They have demonstrated the form and ability to compete successfully on the global stage and we are looking forward to working with them as we commence preparation camp in a couple of weeks.

‘There are athletes who may not have made the team this year who I know will be challenging next year where we have both a European Championships and Olympic Games less than six weeks apart.’

Megan Keith wins Euro U23 title in Finland (photo by European Athletics/Getty Images) and below Neil Gourley celebrates 1500m gold at UK Champs (photo by British Athletics/Getty Images)