14 athletes have been selected for the inaugural World Para Athletics Junior Championships in Nottwil, Switzerland to be held between 3-6 August 2017.
The championship offers an opportunity for developing athletes who are on the pathway towards individual medal success at a future senior world championships or Paralympic Games.
In the wheelchair racing events, under 20 athlete Jack Agnew is one of the key athletes to watch out for. He will compete across a series of T54 events; the 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m and 1500m. The Northern Irish athlete has lowered his personal bests in all of these events except the 200m so far in 2017, so he will be one of the in-form athletes competing in the Swiss town.
He is joined by two further wheelchair racers; U20 Craig Boardman and U18 Eden Rainbow-Cooper . The former has been rapidly improving, and enjoyed a successful Swiss series recently. The latter has been studying exams lately, but did achieve victory at the Westminster mile event last month.
British Athletics Parallel Success Event Academy athlete Amar Aichoun and Amy Carr wrap up the quartet of under 20 age-group athletes representing the British team, competing in the T38 100m & 200m, and T37 100m, 200m & long jump respectively.
Para Athletics Head Coach, Paula Dunn, commented on the team selection:
“The World Para Athletics Junior Championships provides a valuable opportunity for our talented young athletes to gain experience in the major games environment. I have no doubt that the 14 athletes selected will use this championship wisely and hopefully learn plenty from it.
“This is an important part in the development pathway for these athletes as we build towards the Tokyo Paralympic Games in 2020. For many, this will be their first appearance in a British vest, and it will be crucial as we progress over the next few years.”
