Team GB has today announced a 39 strong team to compete at the European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) in Maribor, Slovenia this summer.
Maribor will welcome over 3,000 athletes from 48 countries for the 17th edition of the summer EYOF which runs from 23-29 July.
Eleven Olympic sports make up the programme: artistic gymnastics, athletics, handball, judo, road cycling, swimming, tennis and volleyball, with mountain bike, skateboarding and 3×3 basketball featuring for the first time at an EYOF. Team GB will be represented in five sports: artistic gymnastics, judo, mountain bike, road cycling and swimming.
EYOFs play a vital role in providing aspiring young Olympians with a fantastic multi-sport experience and the 39 athletes selected to compete in Maribor will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of Team GB EYOF alumni including Dina Asher-Smith (Trabzon 2011), Nile Wilson (Utrecht 2013), Duncan Scott (Utrecht 2013) and Tom Pidcock (Tbilisi 2015) who went from EYOF podium to medal success at the Olympic Games.
Georgina Harland, MBE, Team GB’s Chef de Mission, said: “Being selected to represent Team GB is a very special moment, and I am sure that the 39 young athletes selected to take part in this summer’s EYOF will grab this exciting opportunity and use it as an important steppingstone in their future sporting careers.
“Maribor is set to be a fantastic event and I look forward to watching all of the athletes competing to the best of their ability in July.”
Ellie Lewis, artistic gymnastics said: “To be selected to be part of Team GB feels so unreal at the moment. I always have a huge amount of pride when representing my home nation, so to get the opportunity to represent my sport alongside other athletes from other sports as part of Team GB will be an experience I won't forget. I have worked so hard with my coaches transferring up to junior level and to have our efforts come to this selection is a really proud moment.”
Chloe Link, judo said: “It feels amazing to be selected, I’ve been wanting this for ages. As soon as I heard that the European Youth Olympics were an option, my goal was immediately set on it. I want to put in a good performance, to win all of my fights and really soak up the experience, as it will give me a good feel for the senior Olympics for when I’m older.”
Evie Strachan, mountain bike said: “I’m super excited to be attending EYOF and to have been given the opportunity to represent GB and be a part of the team. I think it will be a great experience to be part of the Team GB and to also race at a higher level abroad for the first time. It’s hard to put my excitement into words if I’m honest!”
Phoebe Cooper, swimming said: “It’s great to be part of the EYOF team again – last year was an amazing competition. We really bonded as a team and this made you feel that Team GB was behind you. I’m really looking forward to this year’s event, as I can build on my previous experience. I hope the whole team can thrive at the competition.”
At the last summer’s EYOF in Banská Bystrica in 2022, Team GB claimed fourth place in the medal table with a total of 18 medals, including 7 golds.
Team GB at Maribor 2023:
Artistic Gymnastics:
Alexander Niscoveanu, aged 17 from Cardiff
Jonas Rushworth, aged 17 from Leeds
Sol Scott, aged 16 from Huntingdon
Ema Kandalova, aged 14 from London
Ellie Lewis, aged 13 from Bridgend
Jemima Taylor, aged 14 from Newport
Cycling:
Max Standen (mountain bike), aged 16 from Barnstaple
Rory Gravelle (road cycling), aged 16 from Carmarthen
Max Hinds (road cycling), aged 16 from Worcester
Luca Bednarek (road cycling), aged 15 from Harrogate
Evie Strachan (mountain bike), aged 15 from Stafford
Abigail Miller (road cycling), aged 15 from York
Erin Boothman (road cycling), aged 16 from Glasgow
Arabella Blackburn (road cycling), aged 15 from Aberdeen
Judo:
Jesse Chraniuk (-55 kg), aged 16 from High Wycombe
Ross McWatt (-60 kg), aged 17 from Aberdeen
Irakli Goginashvili (-66 kg), aged 16 from London
Derek Marczak (-73 kg), aged 15 from London
Eva Ewing (-44 kg), aged 15 from Stirling
Amelia Alder (-48 kg), aged 16 from Guildford
Lola Hodson (-52 kg), aged 17 from Llantrisant
Chloe Link (-57 kg), aged 17 from Ashford
Julia Marczak (-70 kg), aged 16 from London
Swimming:
Evan Davidson, aged 16 from Texas
Dean Fearn, aged 15 from Aberdeen
Joshua Inglis, aged 16 from Sidcup
Jacob Mills, aged 15 from Leicester
Kourosh Khodakhah, aged 16 from Tehran
Filip Nowacki, aged 15 from Jersey
Charles Simpson, aged 15 from Durham
Isaac Thompson, aged 15 from Jersey
Amelie Blocksidge, aged 14 from Salford
Mabli Collyer, aged 14 from Caerfyrddin
Phoebe Cooper, aged 15 from Sheffield
Coco Croxford, aged 14 from Glasgow
Gabrielle Freeman, aged 14 from Joondalup
Martyna Karabacz, aged 14 from London
Theodora Taylor, aged 14 from Newport
Hollie Wilson, aged 14 from Harrogate