Ten for Tokyo! Brilliant moment for our sport as Scots make GB and NI team for World Champs

Tuesday 26th August 2025

Josh Kerr wins gold in Budapest two years ago (photo by Gary Mitchell)

Team announcement on UK Athletics website

Ten Scottish athletes will represent GB and NI at the World Champs.

UK Athletics named their Novuna GB and NI team today for the event in Tokyo from September 13-21.

And it was another magnificent moment for athletics in Scotland with no fewer than 10 Scots within that British selection.

Hopes will be high for making finals in Japan with Josh Kerr defending champion in the Men’s 1500m effectively leading our cohort.

Laura Muir wins selection yet again but the endurance pathway continues to deliver with picks for the younger trio of Olympian Megan Keith, steeplechaser Sarah Tait and 1500m runner Erin Wallace.

Congratulations to each of these athletes selected and to their families, coaches and the clubs who developed almost all of them in Scotland in their early teens.

Scots in GB and NI team for World Champs: (with coach, club)

Women

800m

Jemma Reekie (Jon Bigg, Kilbarchan)

1500m

Laura Muir (Laura Weightman, Dundee Hawkhill)

Erin Wallace (Trevor Painter, Giffnock North)

10,000m

Megan Keith (Ross Cairns, Inverness)*

3000m Steeplechase

Sarah Tait (Linda Smith, Lasswade)*

Women’s 4×400

Nicole Yeargin (Gregory Sholars, Pitreavie)

Men

1500m

Neil Gourley (Stephen Haas, Giffnock North)

Josh Kerr (Danny Mackey, Edinburgh)

Jake Wightman (John Hartigan, Edinburgh)

Discus

Nick Percy (Zane Duquemin, Harrow)

*Selected subject to confirmation of a qualifying world ranking position on midnight Saturday 30 August

Neil Gourley, Laura Muir and Jake Wightman (photos by Bobby Gavin and Gary Mitchell)

‘We are absolutely delighted to hear the team announcement and see such a strong representation for Scottish athletes,’ said Mark Pollard, Head of Performance.

‘Competing at a World Champs is the very pinnacle of global athletics and the achievement cannot be under-estimated. Behind each of those British vests there are years and years of hard work invested by athletes and coaches.

‘It has been a challenging year for a number of the Scottish athletes within this selection – but with the backing of their coaches and support teams, they have got themselves into form at the right time and made the team.

‘Standards in UK are high at the moment – it feels like the levels are continuing to develop – and so are those qualifying marks set by World Athletics to even be in consideration for Tokyo.

‘‘We have a core in this group of Scots who have picked very regularly now for World Champs and Olympics. That is brilliant by them and should never be taken for granted.

‘But it is also really positive to see some new names picked for the first time for this championships – with this being the first World Outdoor Champs for Sarah Tait and Erin Wallace.

‘It is great to see and we send our warm congratulations to those selected.’