England team announced for Pickering Memorial International

England Athletics are pleased to announce the England team who will compete at the Pickering Memorial International at Loughborough on 1 June. The team will be up against teams from Wales, Scotland, Ireland and Loughborough with some big stars from Switzerland, Italy and Sweden.

The event is organised in conjunction with our charity partners Personal Best Foundation and the Ron Pickering Memorial Fund - and money from spectator tickets and raffle tickets will be split 50/50 between the two charities. Tickets are on sale through Eventbrite or at the gate and the action kicks off at 9.30am.

Meet the team

The team are led by team captains Amy Thompson and Owen Merrett. Amy is a Kukri ambassador and mentor and she's in great shape as she equalled her PB at the Loughborough International recently. Owen is an athlete at the Loughborough Talent Hub, and has already gained a new PB this year with the 7.26kg hammer. His career highlight to date is a PB and first time over 70m at the world U20s in 2022. This year he's aiming for a World Student Games or European U23 qualification distance.

Hammer

• Jabez Berry - U20 (Halesowen Athletics and Cycling Club, Steve Pearson)
• Wyatt Larkin - U20 (Harrow AC, Jamie Bath)
• Owen Merrett - U23 (Yate AC, Matt Spicer)

Javelin

• Ayesha Jones - U20 (Marshall Milton Keynes, Tom Dobbing)
• Harriet Court - U20 (Thames Valley Harriers, Mark Roberson)
• Harriet Wheeler - U20 (West Cheshire AC)
• Tom Rutter - U20 (Hawcs, Tom Dobbing)

Discus

• Moyo Stumpenhusen - U18 (Rugby & Northampton, Gary Herrington)
• Godwin Mutandwa - U18 (Dacorum and Tring, Sebastian Wadlow)
• Gabriella Tcheukam - U18 (Croydon Harriers, Chris King)
• Bethany Pendlebury - U18 (Trafford AC, Michael Martin)
• Jacob Foord - U20 (Taunton AC)
• Adam Rutter - U23 F44 (Worcester AC/Loughborough Students, Greg Thompson)

Shot

• Lawson Capes - U18 (PANVAC, Lewis Capes)
• Harry Beard - U18 (City of Sheffield and Dearne, Greg Beard)
• Emilia Adese - U18 (Blackheath & Bromley Harriers AC)
• Alani Dumbuya - U20 (Leigh Harriers, Simon Forster)
• Alastair Brown - U20 (Chelmsford AC, Greg Beard)
• Amy Thompson F41 - U20 (Liverpool Harriers, Mark Edwards)

Speaking ahead of the competition, Team Leader Tom Dobbing, said:

"Congratulations to all of the selected throwers, along with their personal coaches and support teams. This team is made up of athletes aiming for a spot in the European Under-20 and Under-23 Championships this summer. We’ve assembled a strong group of throwers who are eager to perform in what promises to be an exciting, inspiring, and exceptional event. The competition remembers the enormous contribution that Shaun Pickering and his family have made to throws and athletics in general.

"It's crucial to provide our pathway throwers with international competitions and learning opportunities like this one. The experiences they gain as part of teams like this will equip them with the knowledge, skills, and experience needed for future age group and senior championships. In helping our selected team to compete at their very best I would like to congratulate both Amy Thompson and Owen Merrett as our Team Captains.

"Finally, it takes a lot of people to facilitate an event like this so I’d like to thank the Team Coaches, our Team Manager Katie Lambert and Medical Support Lucy Eggleton-Wood for all their hard work behind the scenes throughout the selection process and on the day of competition."

A true international experience

England team athletes will be up against throwers from seven other nations including Switzerland, Sweden and Italy, plus a Loughborough University team.

The hammer is set to be a really high quality event with the 2024 European U18 Champion, Ireland's Thomas Williams, throwing alongside Pietro and Davide Camilli who are both ranked number one in Italy for their age groups. U20 Jabez Berry has got his season off to a flyer as he comes into the competition 4th on the all-time list and ranked 3rd in the world this year with a new PB at the Loughborough International

There are two fantastic Britons in the javelin; Commonwealth Youth Games champion and record holder Ayesha Jones is already over the European U20 standard, and Ben East who is close to the European U23 standard with a 4th at the European Throwing Cup.

There's will be a great shot put head-to-head between Lawson Capes and Oscar Juhlén - who posted a PB earlier this year in tough battle with Lawson in Växjö. In the U23 competition, Scotland's Amy Kennedy is getting close to the World Student Games standard.

The discus sees separate competitions for men and women due to high numbers. F44 para-athlete Adam Rutter will be looking to climb the Commonwealth rankings to secure a place in Glasgow next year. Jacob Foord is closing in on the European U20 standard - quite a feat for someone relatively new to throwing, having missed the Youth Talent Programme but picked up on the Junior Talent Programme. Giada Borin returns from Switzerland having moved up to the U23 age group. She will be wanting to add the U23 discus record to her U20 record last year. F44 classified Funmi Oduwaiye who came 6th at the Paris Paralympics will also be in the discus competition.

Prizes

Thanks to our generous sponsors, there will be prizes for the best male and female for each of the four throws. The outstanding male and female athletes will each receive £500 from the Ron Pickering Memorial Fund, a pair of Shokz headphones, goodr sunglasses, and a £50 Kukri voucher.

We will also be awarding those who finish top in each event a selection of prizes from SiS, Neuff and Kukri. In addition there will be a raffle for the public with prizes from Neuff, Shokz, goodr and Kukri, plus a signed Scott Lincoln photo frame.

Celebrating Geoff Capes Exhibition

In conjunction with The Athletics Museum, who displayed a wonderful Shaun Pickering exhibition last year, this year we celebrate the late Geoff Capes. The Interactive exhibition is an opportunity to learn more about Geoff, share fond memories and see objects and photos linked to Geoff. Entry is included in the throws event ticket.