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Teams all set for the Manchester International

Teams from across the home countries, the GB&NI Under 20 team, Denmark, and the British Olympic winning 4x100m relay team from 2004 who are competing to raise funds for the 'We Love Manchester Emergency Fund', are all set for the Manchester International. The event provides a great opportunity to see athletes from across the home countries in action and as part of the fundraising 4x100m relay Manchester’s former world boxing champions Anthony Crolla and Scott Quigg will be lining up as part of one of the teams.

Many of the England team earned selection following their performances at the England Athletics Senior Championships held recently in Bedford. The team mixes some up and coming talent with experienced athletes, it includes World Championships silver medallist Hannah England (Club: Oxford City, Coach: Bud Baldaro), rising star of high jumping Tom Gale (Club: Team Bath, Coach: Denis Doyle), World Championships 4 x 400m medallist Margaret Adeoye (Club: Enfield & Haringey, Coach: Linford Christie) and Chris Snook (Club: Aldershot, Farnham & District, Coach: Verity Snook) who won the national 3K walk title aged just 17.

In the build up to the Gold Coast 2018 Games we see a number of Commonwealth Games medallists taking part such as Jazmin Sawyers (City of Stoke, Kelly Sotherton), Jess Taylor-Jemmett (Sale Harriers, Mike Holmes) and Mark Dry (Woodford Green).

European U20 Champions Maya Bruney (Blackheath & Bromley, John Blackie, 200m), Khahisa Mhlanga (Chelmsford, Mick Judd, 800m) Jemma reekie (Kilbarchan, Andy Young, 1500m) as well as silver medallists Markhim Lonsdale (Crook, Keith Lonsdale) and Robert Sakala (Croydon, Piotr Spas, 110m hurdles) and bronze medallist Naomi Ogbeta (Trafford, Tom Cullen, triple jump)

The Manchester International will take place at Manchester Regional Arena (formerly known as SportCity). It sees the England Athletics team taking on Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland & Ulster, a GB & NI Under 20 team, Denmark and a combined British Athletics League/ UK Women’ League team.

Olympic 4x100m relay champions Darren Campbell, Jason Gardener, Marlon Devonish and Mark Lewis Francis are set to unite for a special sprint relay race at this summer’s Manchester International athletics meeting. The squad memorably took the gold medal at the Athens games 13 years ago, edging out a strong USA team anchored by Maurice Greene, and capturing the hearts of the nation in the process. Manchester’s former world boxing champions Anthony Crolla and Scott Quigg will line up as part of a special celebrity team to take on the 2004 champions as part of the fundraising for the 'We Love Manchester Emergency Fund'.

Manchester-born Campbell, whose idea it was for the quartet to return, can’t wait to get back on the track during what promises to be a summer athletics season to remember.

“The Manchester International is all about athletes and spectators having a good time and reminding people what our great sport is all about – competing hard, but also having a great time and putting on a show.

"The Olympic gold medal race was one of the greatest experiences of our careers and it feels right to mark a great summer for the sport in this country by digging out our competition kit and reliving that moment, even if the legs move lightly differently to how they used to!

"We also recognise that Manchester has experienced a really tough time this year and we’re really keen to support the city and be part of an event that shows what a great sporting place it is.”

Tickets for the event, which forms a key part of the preparations for the home nations ahead of the 2018 Commonwealth Games can be purchased from July 1st at www.ticketweb.co.uk/event/ahg1608m and cost £5 for adults, while entry is free for under 16s. You can download parking and other information for spectators here.