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| | Friday, 21 June, 2002, 10:15 GMT 11:15 UK Britons target top-two finish Dwain Chambers leads the British challenge The British men's and women's teams will both target top-two finishes in this weekend's European Cup competition. The men need to win or finish runners-up to qualify for the IAAF World Cup in Madrid in September. And the women are aiming to improve again on their surprise fourth place in last year's event. Team leader Max Jones is confident that both can achieve their ambitions in Annecy, France. The UK Athletics performance director said: "I am delighted with the quality of the team we have got out.
"This is probably the best European Cup team we have had out since the creation of UK Athletics in 1999." Britain's best individual hopes are new team captain Dwain Chambers, currently the fastest sprinter in Europe, and Jonathan Edwards, the reigning World and Olympic triple jump champion. But Jones believes the structure of the European Cup competition - in which every position earns a point - offers opportunities for everyone. "The people who have the biggest opportunity are those who are not ranked one or two in their event," he said. "Someone finishing fourth when they were ranked fifth, or finishing fifth when they were ranked sixth or seventh, can make the difference between winning and losing the competition as a whole." Jones is also optimistic about the women's team's chances.
Team captain Paula Radcliffe has withdrawn with a virus, being replaced by middle-distance runner Kelly Holmes. And Jones singled out long-jumper Jade Johnson and Kelly Morgan in the javelin as ones to watch this weekend. "We are beginning to get world-class people in events where we did not previously have world class," he said. | |
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