Four ‘On Camp with Kelly’ athletes have today been named in the England Team for the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India.  The Games take place from 3-14 October, with the athletics on 6-12 October.

Andrew Osagie (Harlow AC - above) has been named for the men’s 800m.  Despite making a late start to the season due to injury, he has run under the England qualifying time for the Games twice with a best of 1:47.18, just 0.03 outside his personal best.  He was also inside the qualifying time in the indoor season when he clocked 1:47.40 in his heat at the IAAF World Indoor Championships before narrowly missing out on a place in the final.  He won the UK Indoor 800m title earlier this year.

Emma Jackson (City of Stoke - right) will compete in the women’s 800m after clocking a new personal best and qualifying time of 2:00.88 at the Aviva London Grand Prix on 14 August.  She made her senior debut for the Aviva GB & NI Team earlier this year when she finished fourth in the 800m at the European Team Championships.

UK 1500m champion Hannah England (Oxford City AC - on picture below) is selected for that distance.  This year she has represented the Aviva GB & NI Team at both the European Team Championships, where she finished second, and the European Athletics Championships, where she was tenth.  She has a season’s best of 4:04.33, just outside her personal best of 4:04.29, and numerous clockings under the England qualifying standard of 4:10.00.

Charlotte Purdue (Aldershot Farnham & District - pictured below) will compete in the 10,000m after smashing her personal best and setting a new UK junior record of 32:36.75 on 14 August, well under the England qualifying time of 33:00.00.  She has also won the England Senior 5000m title this year, a distance at which she was second in the Aviva UK Championships and European Athletics Junior Championships last year.

Dame Kelly, who will be in Delhi to support the athletes as President of Commonwealth Games England, said: “I would like to congratulate the athletes and their coaches on their selection for the Commonwealth Games.  The Commonwealths were always an important event for me and I won my first major international title in the 1500m at the 1994 Games.  It will be a great learning experience for the athletes to compete in a multi-sport event as they build towards London 2012 and I am sure they will all perform very well.  This will be the first Games I attend as Commonwealth Games England President and I am proud that ‘On Camp with Kelly’ athletes will be part of a very strong multi sport England Team.”

Dame Kelly also won gold at the Commonwealth Games in the 1500m in 2002 and silver in 1998. 

Click here to see the full team on the England Athletics website.


Photos Mark Shearman