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Team England announces marathon runners for 2022 Commonwealth Games

Marathon runners Jonny Mellor and Georgina Schwiening are the first members of the athletics team to be selected for Team England at this summer’s home Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

Both secured their places to represent Team England after strong performances at the Manchester Marathon which hosted the England Athletics marathon trial for Birmingham 2022 - the first major multi-sport event on home soil since the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Mellor (coach: Steve Vernon, club: Liverpool Harriers) won the elite men’s race in commanding style with a time of 2:10:46, finishing close to his lifetime best and well inside the England qualifying standard for the Commonwealth Games of 2:14:00.

Schwiening (club: Cambridge Runners) was also in fine form when she smashed her PB of 2:35:22, clocking 2:31:37 to take third place in the elite women’s race.

The former world junior duathlon champion also finished well inside the England qualifying standard of 2:34:00 and now, like Mellor, has the Commonwealth Games marathon race in Birmingham on July 30 firmly in her sights. After starting at Smithfield, the marathon runners will head south out of the city towards Bournville which is then followed by a section through the city centre, finishing in Victoria Square, the location for the Town Hall and the Council House.

Schwiening said: “I am delighted and honoured to be selected to represent Team England in the marathon at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham this summer. It is a privilege to be part of the Games and I’m still pinching myself to check that it’s real. I can’t wait to be on the start line and soak up the atmosphere of a home Games.”

Mellor said:

“It’s an honour to be selected for the Commonwealth Games and I’m really excited for the opportunity to take part in a home Games. I’m extremely grateful to England Athletics and London Marathon for supporting me on this journey so far.”

Kelly Sotherton MBE, Team Leader for the England Athletics Team at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, said:

“It’s a real privilege to announce our first two Team England members for track and field for Birmingham 2022. I’m excited to have Georgina and Jonny in our team. They performed outstandingly to qualify and be in this position. With less than three months to go, the excitement is building more so now and announcing the marathon team today makes it even more real.”

Team England’s Chef de Mission, Mark England OBE, said:

“It’s great to welcome Jonny and Georgina to Team England for Birmingham 2022 this summer. They have both set strong qualifying times at the Manchester Marathon and it will be exciting to see them build on that in front of a home crowd in a few months’ time. I’m looking forward to watching them race on Saturday 30th July and seeing them ‘Bring it Home’ for England in Birmingham.”

Alongside the marathon runners, Team England will send a team of more than 400 athletes to compete at Birmingham 2022, a multi-sport event with a fully integrated programme of para sport disciplines, as well as the largest ever female and para sport programme in the Games’ history.

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