London 2012: Gareth Warburton wins 800m selection appeal

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Gareth Warburton

Welsh 800m runner Gareth Warburton has been added to Team GB's Olympics squad after winning an appeal against omission, but 10 others were rejected.

Jemma Simpson (800m) and sprinter Richard Kilty were among those to lose their appeals to compete in London.

Warburton was left out of the squad after failing to achieve the second 'A' qualifying time he needed at the European Championships in Helsinki.

But the 30-year-old will join Andrew Osagie and Michael Rimmer in the 800m.

UK Athletics (UKA) chairman Ed Warner, who chaired Friday's appeals panel, said: "We appreciate that this is a difficult time for athletes who were not selected to Team GB.

"Appeals are heard on a matter of process and facts and not opinion, and the panel considered 11 appeals today of which only Gareth's was successful."

The British Olympic Association announced three other additions to the squad - men's beach volleyball pair John Garcia Thompson and Steve Grotowski, plus Abigail Edmonds, who is the 10th and final member of the canoe sprint squad. She will compete in the women's K2 500m event.

Warburton was just 0.2 seconds away from achieving the qualifying time in Helsinki and initially missed out on a discretionary place.

"I am absolutely delighted to have been selected to Team GB to represent my country at our home Olympic Games," he said.

"This is an incredible opportunity for me and I intend to make the most of it. I am joining a fantastic team of athletes and we're all focused on doing Britain proud this summer."

Warburton needed to clock one minute 45.60secs in Finland, but ran 1:45.80 in his heat. He then finished last in his semi-final and missed out on selection despite a time of 1:44.98 in May.

Warner and UK Athletics president Lynn Davies assessed the appeals, together with an independent barrister.

"In light of independent legal advice, the appeals panel decided that the combination of Warburton's current 'A' and current 'B' standards made him selectable under the UKA selection policy and he has been added to the team," said Warner.

Warburton joins the 77 athletes previously selected to complete the British track and field line-up and the overall number of athletes selected for Team GB to 542 from across 26 sports.

Among the other athletes to appeal were women's 800m runners Simpson and Emma Jackson, with Lynsey Sharp controversially selected despite only having the 'B' standard.

Cornish athlete Simpson, 28, said on Twitter:external-link "My appeal was unsuccessful but at least I tried."

Jackson, 24, from Staffordshire, had been hampered by a rib injury when finishing seventh at the Olympic trials.

She wrote on Twitter:external-link "Not too surprised that the appeal was rejected but I had to try. All I can do now is prove to everybody that I should have been in the team."

Kilty said he was heartbroken after failing to win a discretionary third place in the 200m alongside Christian Malcolm and James Ellington.

The Middlesbrough-born sprinter ran a personal best 20.50secs in Arizona in April, but said the selectors were concerned about his recent form.

"There are three spots available for the Olympic 200m. Two of them are already taken and the only man eligible for the third spot was me," said the 22-year-old.

"I had two 'A' standards - one from last year and one from this year."

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41 comments

  • 2. 2002
    "I dont quite understand, if British Athletics clearly have more places available why not fill every possible place no matter what times they've achieved?"

    Don't be silly, there's no way BOA could afford travel and accommodation costs for all...oh, right. Yeah, you're right, it doesn't make any sense.

  • Really shocked Kilty didn't win his appeal. Lets face we have no chance in the 200m and where is the Olympic spirit, the "It's the taking part that matters".we have a space and should fill it. You get better when competing against the best in the best competitions in the best arenas. Selectors egos are obviously bigger than the ahtletes.

  • Abject favoritism is rampant. That's why taekwondo world number one Aaron Cook will be watching the Olympics on the telly. It's a disgrace, because Cook left British Taekwondo's performance program to train independently they didn't pick him.

    At least with running you can set a target time. Under a certain time qualifies you for the trials. The top however many in the trials go to the Olympics.

  • I dont quite understand, if British Athletics clearly have more places available why not fill every possible place no matter what times they've achieved?

  • I hate that this boils down to money. There are three places in each event. We should pick three athletes for each event. The only proviso I would make is if our athletes are clearly too far below the standard needed to even compete with the lowest rated competitors from other nations. Even then, what of 'Eric the Eel' and 'Eddie the eagle?' Did they not exemplify Olympic spirit?

  • I cannot see how Warburton is selectable under the UKA selection policy and Kilty is not. It is now required for UKA, as a publicly funded body, to give a detailed explanation of this apparently odd decision. I do not argue for or against selection, only for consistency and the need for transparency. I have no issue with the w800 decision. If UKA fail to be open their funding should be withdrawn.

  • The inconsistency amongst selection for Team GB is absurd. Dan Keatings in gymnastics and Aaron Cook in Taekwondo both very strong medal chances are rejected by faceless beaurocrats, Gareth Warburton who only ardent athletics fans have heard of (I am one of those fans) and has practically no chance of medalling but still deserves to compete get his chance. Who are these numpty selectors?

  • I appreciate the desire to drive up standards, but the opportunity to compete in an Olympics in front of a home crowd is a once in a lifetime opportunity. With no travel or accommodation costs involved, I don't see why we don't fill all the available spaces. At the very least it might drive some of our up and coming athletes to achieve big personal bests

  • I understand why they would limit the selection based on cost at Olympics overseas but at home there is less cost and therefore every spot available should be filled.

    I've heard that the person leading the selection panel isn't even British which is something that I would have to question. I think those who are responsible for these crazy decisions should be sacked.

  • Very disappointed for Richard Kilty. Surely if you achieve the Qualifying requirements and there is a place available.......

    His current form might not be great but the Olympics only come around every four years, surely he was worth a punt.

  • Sharp's form and progress is so far ahead of the other 800m runners. Her hunger has simply translated to the track. Sometimes sentimentality doesn't a winner make – even if it makes a good story. That said, there's no convoluted rule against Kilty's selection, and many of our Olympic medalist in the past had a previous games to gain experience.

  • Great news Gareth Warburton was selected. Sad that we don't send a full team when we have the athletes.

    it's also a shame that the womens 800 will only have one athlete in the team, a strong event for us is now a weak hope for medals

    I still can't believe they didn't take Coe back in 88, although Peter Elliot proved he deserved to go. Let's hope Sharp does similar!

  • The Selectors need to be removed from the process to stop them from picking their friends and leaving out other athletes. Not just in Athletics but across all Olympic sports, there need to be set standards that exclude personal opinion. These are peoples entire careers being decided by a group of people based entirely on their personal opinion.

  • 33. Chambers ran a couple of A standards last year which can be taken into account for selection purposes.

    I get the Women's 800m. They had to choose between an in form athlete with only the B standard OR out of form athletes with the A standard. They couldn't mix & match.

    I don't understand the Men's 200m though. There was an athlete they could pick but didn't. Why?

  • If three competitors are allowed from each country for each event we should have three in each event. This encourages sporting participation at all levels not just the elite. Legacy is supposed to be one of the important criteria. Winning is not just crossing the finishing line first, it is also making it to the start line.

  • The only real shocker for me is Aaron Cook, as a neutral that whole issue stinks of spitefulness. Also the head honcho isnt personable enough, i'd take Phillips Idowu's stance approach to communicating with him....does he realise he isnt running Barclays (but then who is right) but selecting for an athletics meet!

  • So what were the grounds of his appeal? What process wasn't followed or what facts were incorrect?

    This article is a bit light on detail.

  • I have a question, are the selectors drug tested!!!

  • 11 whats CvC's nationality got to do with anything?

    CvC has an excellent record in athletics coaching and as a technical director and UK athletics has been on an upward slope since his appointment. Do you really want him replaced by somebody British who can make sentimental decisions?

  • The selectors should have been clearer. Either it's decided on A stndard, or it's on current form, or it's on the trials. If, as they seem to have done, used a number of these criteria, then it should have been so from the start.
    Sharp is the best 800m athlete at present by far, although she hasn't achieved the 'A' standard, surely there could have been a place for Okoro also.

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