England U20 team ready to take on the roads of Italy

Good luck to the team heading to Italy this week for the 'Trofeo Opitergium' U20 European Road Race which takes place in the small city of Oderzo in northern Italy. Many of the team will be making their England debut at this event and we wish them all the very best for the race which takes place on Wednesday 1st May.

A team of nine athletes have been selected to represent England at this race. The U20 women will race over 5k and the men over 10k. Both races take place on a multi-lap course through the narrow streets of this historic location. Following in the footsteps of last year’s team they can expect a great spectator atmosphere and high-quality competition from across Europe. The event organisors are passionate about promoting the values of friendship and internationalism through this competition and the team can expect a friendly welcome from our Italian hosts.

Jem O’Flaherty heads up the U20 Men’s team and is the only member of the team who competed at this event last year. He has enjoyed an excellent season on the cross-country with top placed performances at all three of the major domestic championship events, English Nationals, English Schools' and the Inter-Counties. Becky Briggs heads up the U20 Women’s team following a superb season on both the roads and the cross-country which culminated in a great run at the IAAF World Cross-Country Championships at the end of March.

U20 Men’s Team

• Jem O’Flaherty (London Heathside, Kabir Kemp)
• Max Davis (Avon Valley Runners, Steve Williams)
• Sam Goodchild (Cornwall AC, Diarmuid Devery)
• Ben Preddy (Preston AC, Peter Crook)
• Chris McCleod (Solihull & Smallheath, Andrew Webber)

U20 Women’s Team

• Becky Briggs (City of Hull AC, Derek Ricketts)
• Lucy Elms (Dulwich AC)
• Holly Smith (Vale Royal, Andrew Carter)
• Jessica Mitchell (Havering AC, Patrick Gahagan)

Team Leader: Spencer Duval
Team Coach: Bryan Clinton