- Title: British athletes "confident", nervous ahead of world championships
- Date: 28th July 2017
- Summary: PARIS, FRANCE (JULY 28, 2017) (REUTERS) ATHLETICS TRACK AT INSEP (NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF SPORT, EXPERTISE, AND PERFORMANCE) SIGN READING (French): 'INSEP, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF SPORT, EXPERTISE, AND PERFORMANCE' VARIOUS OF BRITISH ATHLETES ARRIVING FOR TRAINING SESSION MEN RUNNING PAST SIGN READING (English): "BRITISH ATHLETICS, REPRESENT" HURDLES ON TRACK BRITISH SPRINTER, CJ UJAH, STRETCHING LEGS T-SHIRT READING (English): "GREAT BRITAIN" PARIS, FRANCE (JULY 26, 2017) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) BRITISH SPRINTER, CJ UJAH, SAYING: "The feeling right now is confidence and for me, I'm really confident at the minute. So I want to spread my confidence to the rest of the guys, because I got a chance in Monaco to kind of see the other teams and where they're at. And I think we're possibly the best prepared team. We ran well in Lille, and we run consistent. I think now it's time to cement ourselves on the world stage and get a medal. I believe with this set of boys, and it's probably the best set of sprinters we've had in a while, that we can do that and we can possibly push for the gold. I'm confident with the guys, yeah." PARIS, FRANCE (JULY 28, 2017) (REUTERS) UJAH SPRINTING ALONG TRACK INSEP TRACK UJAH SPRINTING ALONG TRACK VARIOUS OF BRITISH SPRINTER, DINA ASHER-SMITH, STRETCHING LEGS PARIS, FRANCE (JULY 26, 2017) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) BRITISH SPRINTER, DINA ASHER-SMITH, SAYING: "Considering that I had three months off because I broke my foot (LAUGHING) the training is going well. It's nice to be able to do some training but yeah it's been going well. I've been getting all my crucial sessions in and I'm really, really excited for the world championships." PARIS, FRANCE (JULY 28, 2017) (REUTERS) ASHER-SMITH SPRINTING ALONG TRACK PARIS, FRANCE (JULY 26, 2017) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) BRITISH SPRINTER, DINA ASHER-SMITH, SAYING: "Getting bronze again would be absolutely brilliant but you never know, really is one of those events that's so unpredictable, naturally. Hurdles and relay are very, very unpredictable so yeah, I mean, hopefully we can get close to where we were in Rio, hopefully we could do the same, do better, but again it depends on what happens on that." PARIS, FRANCE (JULY 28, 2017) (REUTERS) BRITISH SPRINTER, ADAM GEMILI, SPRINTING ALONG TRACK PARIS, FRANCE (JULY 26, 2017) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) BRITISH SPRINTER, ADAM GEMILI, SAYING: "I was gutted, I was really gutted, and obviously I asked for a bit more time just to prove fitness, which wasn't allowed which is understandable because it's their selection policy and whatever. But, yeah, it's... I'm over it now, and I've just got to go and try and run as fast as I can after and prove that it wasn't the right decision and that maybe I should have been, whatever, but I'll run and give it a go. And it's better late than never, I guess. Obviously in this sport you'd prefer it to be a bit earlier, but at least I'm fit and at least I'm running pain-free now." PARIS, FRANCE (JULY 28, 2017) (REUTERS) GEMILI SPRINTING ALONG TRACK BRITISH ATHLETES AND OFFICIALS STANDING NEXT TO TRACK BRITISH SPRINTER, ASHA PHILIP, TALKING TO COACH PARIS, FRANCE (JULY 26, 2017) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) BRITISH SPRINTER, ASHA PHILIP, SAYING: "Just, you know, your mind just plays games on you. Just you feel like, oh, you've got a niggle here or a niggle there, but there's really nothing wrong. It's literally just you've got jitters coming up, it's a big championships coming up, especially it being home, so you're getting all the nerves really." PARIS, FRANCE (JULY 28, 2017) (REUTERS) PHILIP SPRINTING ALONG TRACK WOMEN PRACTISING RELAY BRITISH ATHLETICS CAPTAIN FOR THE IAAF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS AND HURDLING ATHLETE, EILIDH DOYLE, LISTENING TO COACH DOYLE AND WOMEN ATHLETES PRACTISING RELAY ATHLETE PRACTISING LONG JUMP COACHES ATHLETES TRAINING HURDLING ATHLETE, ANDREW POZZI, WALKING VARIOUS OF TRAINING SESSION IN PROGRESS MEN, INCLUDING UJAH, GEMILI AND BRITISH SPRINTER, NETHANEEL MITCHELL-BLAKE, PRACTISING 400 METRE RELAY / SKY
- Embargoed: 11th August 2017 15:29
- Keywords: world championships Adam Gemili Eilidh Doyle Dina Asher-Smith British athletics team training CJ Ujah British athletics Andrew Pozzi Asha Philip
- Location: PARIS, FRANCE
- City: PARIS, FRANCE
- Country: France
- Topics: Athletics,Sport
- Reuters ID: LVA0016RMU3PB
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:British athletes preparing for the London 2017 world athletics championships next month said they were both confident and nervous as they trained in Paris, France on Wednesday (July 26) and Friday (July 28).
CJ Ujah, who is the fastest British runner in 2017 after he ran 9.98 seconds in Rabat, Morocco earlier this month, and has won three Diamond League meetings this year, told Reuters TV he was feeling "confident" ahead of the championships in which he will run the 100 metres and 4x100 metre relay.
Current European champion in the 200m, Dina Asher-Smith, said she hoped her relay team could repeat, or improve on, their bronze medal achieved in the Rio Olympics.
British sprinter Adam Gemili, who missed out on selection for the 200m due to a leg injury, said he was "gutted" over the decision but hopes to prove it was not the right choice when he runs with Ujah in the sprint relay.
The championships are expected to have the highest attendance figures in the event's history after organisers announced that more than 650,000 tickets have been sold. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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