Jessica Ennis-Hill will make her first major international appearance since winning heptathlon gold at London 2012 after being named in the Great Britain squad for next month’s World Championships in Beijing.
The 29-year-old returned to competing in May after a combination of injuries and the birth of her son kept her away from the sport.
There had been a number of encouraging performances at May’s Gotzis Meeting – where she hit the heptathlon qualifying standard for next year’s Olympics – and individual events at the British Championships and Anniversary Games this month – although Ennis-Hill and coach Toni Minichiello had insisted she would only go to the Worlds if fully prepared.
That requirement appears to have been satisfied with Ennis-Hill named among the 62-strong team named by British Athletics on Tuesday for the World Championships from August 22-30.
Mo Farah is another London 2012 champion who will be in action in China as he attempts to successfully defend the 5000m and 10,000m he won in Moscow two years ago.
While reigning Olympic, Commonwealth and European champion Greg Rutherford will attempt to become only the fourth ever British athlete – after Daley Thompson, Sally Gunnell and Jonathan Edwards – to simultaneously hold all the major titles.
“Beijing is a hugely important event to us, yet this is the first of three huge global competitions for us, with the Olympics in Rio next year and the home World championships in 2017,” said British Athletics performance director Neil Black.
“In selecting athletes we were looking at either a potential to finish top eight in this year’s Worlds or to give opportunities to athletes developing towards medal success in 2016 and beyond.
“I’m very confident we have selected a team who can be successful in Beijing, as well as use it as a platform onto further Olympic and World successes.”
Other notable names to look out for in the team include recent British record breakers Shara Proctor in the long jump and sprinter Dina Asher-Smith who will go into the 200m event full of confidence having become the first British woman to dip up 11 seconds at last weekend’s Anniversary Games.
Adam Gemili is included in the men’s 4x100m relay squad but will not take part in the individual event after a recent hamstring – James Dasaolu, Richard Kilty and Chijindu Ujah making up the individual selections.
Ennis-Hill will be joined in the heptathlon by reigning European indoor pentathlon champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson who will also contest the long jump.
While Zharnel Hughes makes his Great Britain debut in the 200m fresh from setting a new personal best of 20.05 seconds last weekend, and Laura Muir will aim to build on a promising season by mixing it with the world’s best in the 1500m. © Sportsbeat 2015