Epic Failure

Yeah, I don't know where that has come from. The team is being selected on Monday, then announced on Friday. The next DL isn't until the Sunday after that. Chalmers might be in a ranking position when the final list is released, but UKA isn't accepting that in the 400m H.

She's comfortably in the world rankings list. The Q only matters because UKA decide that it does. I've no doubt that Amy will be in Paris in some form. But it doesn't change the fact that the UKA policy is dumb. Also, the relay sizes are 5 people, so one of Amy, Desiree and Asha will miss out, as the 100m individual athletes have to be included.

No, the Q period ends tomorrow. She already would get a ranking invite but UKA won't accept it because why would they do something that might benefit their athletes?

Women's team *should* be DAS, Neita and Hunt. But it *will* be DAS, Neita and Lansiquot. Hunt has arguably been in better form than Lansiquot for much of this year and has just beaten her in the race that should matter the most to qualification. But she's going to be a victim of the UK selection policy...

Wightman having an exemption allows them to consider him for any discretionary spot. He has the Q in both 800m and 1500m. Without the exemption, they wouldn't be able to pick him, under their own rules. And considering they are trying to be stricter about the rules, they can hardly bend them too much. James Rhodes (athletics photographer/journalist) on twitter outlined the possibilities for Jake: Josh Kerr guaranteed selection. Top 2 at trials (if they have Olympic Q) guaranteed selection. How does this work for Jake? 1) Someone without the Q is top-two in 1500m (unlikely). 2) Ben P is top two in 800m, "unlocking" the discretionary spot in 800m. 3) Josh is top two in 800m, doesn't take that place meaning it could go to Jake. 4) Jake doesn't go to Paris. 5) George M is top two in the 1500m, says he wants to do the 5000m, is given the third discretionary spot, and therefore opens up a spot in the 1500m. I agree entirely with his assessment. There's limited leeway for Jake to make the 1500m team without a very specific set of circumstances. The only thing that he's not considered is someone else getting a knock before Paris and Jake getting the spot that way.

The problem is that the trials are the selection event. Unless athletes get an exemption for illness/injury, missing the trials means missing the team. Then there is the fact that this weekend is the last chance to get a Q. Secondly, the athlete being injured and the way the selection policy is set out means that some athletes are potentially going to miss out. That's most obvious in the 1500m. Josh Kerr is practically guaranteed the discretionary spot, and he's doing the 800m here. Which means that if 2 other folks with the Q finish top 2 in the 1500m, there would be no place for Jake Wightman, no matter how fit he might be in Paris. The men's 800m and 1500m selections are going to be even more of a headache now than they already were going to be. It's less stressful in some events where there are more limited options.

Just got even worse. Wightman out. Bradshaw has the UKA Q and is in a quota spot, so she's probably fine.

Glave out. Derbyshire only doing the flat 400m, not the hurdles.

No sane English person is looking past Slovakia. Those newspaper headlines are from tabloid newspapers, who will be the first to turn on the England team when they lose. They are trash. As for the "Football's Coming Home" thing, it was partially a play on words because Euro 96 was held in England (the "home" of the game). And it is a song about hope in the face of defeat, not an arrogant assumption that we'll win. It's weird that it's become part of the idea that the English are more arrogant than everyone else.

England have won 2 out of their last 8 games. I don't think anyone should be accusing us of not trying. We're just not very good at the moment. The draw looks very lopsided. Top half seems much stronger. Any of the teams in the bottom half should fancy their chances of getting the final.

In related news, Phoebe has been selected for the Euro U18 Champs. I'm guessing (with absolutely *zero* special knowledge) that she will withdraw from that if she were to make Paris, as it is the week before the Olympics.

If it was cramp for Azu, it probably wouldn't have pushed him out of Rome as well. Still, he's had a month to get over whatever it was, so hopefully should be fine. Giles is down for the 800m, not the 1500m. Mills wouldn't surprise me if he is doing the 1500m more for speed training (or to double I suppose). He's got a solid chance of the 5000m discretionary spot given Rome and that's probably his better chance of a medal. Burgin getting a spot would be disaster for me. Because, god love him, he can't keep his body fit even for a month. He needs to work out a way of getting fit for longer, rather than a one off race. Muir is still 4 seconds clear of the field in the 1500m, so it is hers to lose. Although she's on the plane whatever, so she might not even be completely fresh for this.

Mills has dropped the 5k for just the 1500m here. Pozzi out of the hurdles, which is a shame, although if they did want to select him I guess there's nothing stopping them. No Aimee Pratt either. For what it is worth (not much), here's my thoughts: 100m - (M) Azu, Hinchliffe, Glave ; (W) Neita, Hunt, Wedderurn-Goodison 200m - (M) MHS, Quainoo, Efoloko ; (W) DAS, Neita, Agyapong 400m - (M) Dobson, Carvell, Smith ; (W) Anning, Nielsen, Ohuruogo 800m - (M) Pattison, Giles, Sharman-Newell ; (W) Reekie, Gill, Baker 1500m - (M) Wightman, Gourley, Mills ; (W) Muir, Bell, Walcott-Nolan 5000m - (M) Dever, Atkin, Rowe ; (W) Fry, Nuttall, Fitzgerald 3000m SC - (M) Norman, Seddon, Pierce ; (W) Bird, Thorner, Tank 110m H - (M) Bennett, Ojora, King, : (W) Sember, Pawlett, Wakefield 400m H - (M) Chalmers, Faulds, Derbyshire ; (W) Nielsen, Knight, Newnham HJ - (M) JCK, Grimsey, Jack (W) Lake, KJT, Ferguson PV - (M) Heard, Hague, Coppell ; (W) Caudrey, Bradshaw, Ashurst LJ - (M) JFD, Farquhson, Fortheringham ; (W) Hopkins, Irozuru, Olajide TJ - (M) Falode, Ajala, Bright-Davies ; (W) Ojora, Metzger, Omitowoju SP - (M) Lincoln, Cameron, Swan ; (W) Vincent, Omoregie, Campbell Discus - (M) Okoye, Percy, Thompson ; (W) Lally, Law, Oladipo Hammer - (M) Norris, Ikeji, T Campbell; (W) Purchase, Payne, Mayho Javelin - (M) East, Evans, Bainbridge ; (W) Walton, F Jones, A Jones

If I'm talking about who I would like to get the spots, Azu and Hinchliffe. I'm intrigued for the 400s as well. Relay implications there. The middle distances are where the real action is at though.

It wouldn't be a problem if they had the policy written out in advance. They just can't change it midway through the competition! It would be the same in the UK if both Keely and Jemma fell and the top 2 had the Q. Only one of them would make it.

Sekgodiso is definitely in the medal hunt, especially now. But there's just more unknowns about her right now than Moraa or Hodgkinson to make her anything more than a strong contender for bronze, at least for me. Doesn't mean she can't win obviously, but it would still be a relatively big shock, even with her PB earlier this year.

Funny, I could have sworn that the current T20 World Champs are still in the tournament anyway.

Technically not a WL as it had a +2.3 wind.

Understanding it is one thing. Being able to execute every time to beat it is another. And then there is the issue of fitness/health. Keely's chances just went up but we shouldn't be hanging the gold around her neck just yet.

Not sure that Keely is necessarily clear favourite, considering you have the reigning world champ in there with her. But there's a medal up for grabs that probably wasn't expected to be now. Which will make for an interesting race in itself.

I wouldn't completely rule out . A certain someone split 49.7 in the World Relays in what is her only outing this season. Obviously, this would be reliant on her getting a time before the Q period closes but I believe that the Bahamas National Champs are this week...

All I'll say is be glad that you don't have to deal with the US coverage. It's...not great.

Barring the obvious calamity that can happen with a crash/technical etc, I've got Pidcock as my #1 gold prediction, in any sport this summer. He's just that good. The rides at the weekend were just astonishing.

Lebanon don't need to be in there, we don't need an Aussie B team. would be the obvious replacement, it's their national sport. Also, replace the US with Fiji. Job done.

Fiji are the double Olympic champs and current 7s World Cup champs on the men's side. They deserve as much respect as anyone! Australia, I grant you, are not much better than us.