Great Britain all set to impress at the IAAF World Youth Championships – Athletics news
With the commencement of IAAF World Youth Championships at Lille, France, from tomorrow, July 6, the Britain contingent, while relying upon their past experience of dealing with the pressure of larger athletics events, has come to compete in the tournament.
Comprised of 24 emphatic athletes, most of which have topped many of the UK rankings, it is expected of the Britain contingent to do a remarkable job at Lille.
Some of the most formidable athletes the English squad will be relying upon in the event for marking a better performance on the medal table are Sophie McKinna, Jessica Judd and Nicholas Percy.
Dependence on such a talented group of athletes was compulsory for the UK as the IAAF World Youth Championships in Athletics is regarded as a worldwide athletics event where contestants under an age group of 17-year grapple for track and field titles. As
the name depicts, International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) is the main organiser of the event which takes place biannually.
The event which is known to be a springboard for young athletes to emerge at the international arena of the sport should not be confused with the IAAF World Junior Championships in Athletics, which allows 19-year or below athletes to display their performances
on the platform.
Among the squad representing UK, McKinna is perhaps among the most prominent athlete who had marked a fifth finish at the Youth Olympic Games in 2010. The athlete is particularly known for displaying a sustained performance where she has been hitting over
15.50m. On the other hand, Judd has recently enjoyed a thrilling victory at the English Schools championships a few days ago. When Zak Seddon is added to the squad, the chances for the country to stand out on the tally table become more visible.
Youngsters, when they appear in such huge tournaments, usually have to face tremendous pressure, which, at times, becomes difficult to deal with. However, for having some experienced players in the squad, it is expected that the team would remain calm and
face difficult moments in a desired manner.
Talking about the pressure athletes have to face, Seddon, who had had the privilege of appearing in the 2010 season said, “You learn to relax in the face of high pressure, especially here where everyone is so focused: competition starts right away, while
at the Youth Olympics we had a week to prepare, so it’s important to be ready.”
Dwelling upon his own chances of bagging a medal out of the event, he said, “My Expectations are quite high; my fastest time, 5:42, puts me fifth in the rankings and I ran it in a race where I was alone.”
Seddon was of the view that despite of a tiring journey to the venue, he was fresh enough to outdo his rivals rather easily.
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