Commonwealth Games: Jessica Judd named in England athletics squad
Last Updated: 16/06/14 3:42pm
Jessica Judd was named as part of the England athletics squad for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow on Monday.
The 19-year-old from Canvey Island has struggled with injury over the past few months but returned to action earlier this month with two appearances in the Diamond League.
The second of those, in Oslo, saw Judd deliver a fantastic performance to finish third in the 800m in a personal best time of 1:59.77 - the fastest time by a British athlete this year.
That, coupled with a number of superb displays last summer, was enough to persuade the selectors that the Sky Academy Sports Scholar was well worth her place in the team despite a lack of competitive action until very recently.
Other high profile athletes named in the squad include 100m hurdler Tiffany Porter and double Olympic champion Mo Farah who will compete in both the 5000m and the 10,000m. While in the absence of Jessica Ennis-Hill, there are high hopes for Katarina Johnson-Thompson in the heptathlon.
Team Leader Peter Stanley was pleased with the team and spoke of his belief that the younger members of the team are ready to make an impact.
“We are delighted to be taking a team to Glasgow that contains a combination of experienced athletes who have medalled at the highest levels of competition and athletes we believe are ready to make their mark at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games," he said.