Robbie joins Callum for World Champs marathon

Wednesday 26th April 2017

British Athletics website selection announcement

Many congratulations to Robbie Simpson as he joins Callum Hawkins in the British Athletics Men’s team for the marathon at the London World Champs.

Callum, of course, was already pre-selected after ninth place at the Olympics in Rio and now Robbie’s place is confirmed after finishing second Brit to Welsh athlete, Josh Griffiths, at the London Marathon on Sunday with 2.15.04 under the 2.16 qualifying standard.

It is good news, once again, for Scottish endurance running with three men (Callum, Tsegai Tewelde and Derek Hawkins) having made up the marathon team for Rio last year.

With ‘100 Days to Go’ until the 2017 IAAF World Championships in London, British Athletics confirmed it will be sending its largest contingent of marathon runners to a World Championships since 1993.

It is only the third time in history (1983, 1993 and 2017) that British Athletics has selected six marathon runners (three men and three women) to compete at a World Championships, with Dominic King becoming the first 50km race walker to represent British Athletics at a World Championships in 22 years.

‘It has been a goal of mine and I am really happy to have made the team,’ said Robbie.

‘It hasn’t really sunk in yet. I don’t think a lot of people expected me to make the team, and maybe I didn’t think I could but I knew if I ran a good tactical race (at the London Marathon), I would have a chance.’

The previously unknown Josh Griffiths will represent British Athletics for the very first time at the World Championships this summer.

Griffiths grabbed all the headlines at the London Marathon this past weekend, after starting the race as a club runner but finishing ahead of most of the elite field in 13th position overall – the first Brit home under the World Championship qualifying time (clocking 2:14.49).

After realising he had qualified for London 2017, Griffiths said: ‘The goal for me was to try and run the Welsh standard for the Commonwealth Games of 2:16:00 – obviously that is the same time as the qualifier for the World Championships, but the overall goal was to get that time in.

‘To come in the first two British athletes and qualify for the World Championships is just something that never crossed my mind at all – I can’t believe it.’

Griffiths and Simpson will join Olympian Callum Hawkins on the Tower Bridge start line on Sunday 6 August. Hawkins was the first athlete confirmed to represent British Athletics at London 2017, after being pre-selected for the Marathon in December last year.