Hurdler and Sky Scholar Andrew Pozzi named in England's Commonwealth Games squad
Tuesday 24 October 2017 18:49, UK
Hurdler Andrew Pozzi has been selected by Team England for next year's Commonwealth Games in Australia.
It is another welcome boost for the 25-year-old from Stratford-upon-Avon who has bounced back from long-term injury problems and was recently unveiled as one of the new Sky Sports Scholars.
Pozzi will head to the Gold Coast in Queensland for the Commonwealths between 4 and 15 April in 2018 as part of a 75-strong England squad including Adam Gemili, Katarina Johnson-Thompson, Greg Rutherford and Dina Asher-Smith.
"I'm delighted to have been selected to represent England at the Games in Australia," said Pozzi who will be desperate to impress on the big stage after struggling at the 2016 Rio Olympics and World Championships in London last summer.
"England has a superb history in the 110m hurdles at the Commonwealths and I'm excited to have the opportunity to continue this.
"The Games is a key part of a very exciting 2018 season for me where I hope to build on the progress I made in 2017.
"They will be extremely competitive with some of the world's best hurdlers from the Commonwealth countries and I'm excited to challenge for a place on the podium."
Read Andrew Pozzi's Scholar profile
Pozzi will be looking to emulate last year's indoor heroics after his nine-race unbeaten streak before being crowned European indoor 60m hurdles champion in Belgrade.
He has a full indoor schedule building up to the World Indoor Championships in Birmingham at the start of March.
Team England will send a team of around 600 athletes and staff in what will be England's largest ever team to represent the nation in an overseas sporting event. The team will compete in 18 sports, including 38 para medal events.
Team England Athletics Team Leader Martin Rush added: "The team is a blend of experience and youth, featuring a number of athletes who performed well at last summer's World Championships, as well as some who are making their senior international championships debuts.
"With just 75 places available, selection was always going to be a difficult task given the number of high-performing English athletes, but we are happy that we are taking a team that will be ready to perform at their best in Australia."
