FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
'Be brave,' Bedford tells Brits seeking Rio selection
With the Rio Olympics looming, elite race coordinator Dave Bedford issued a
stark warning to British athletes chasing qualification at this Sunday's
Virgin Money London Marathon.
A 17-strong British contingent will take to the elite Start Lines for this
year's races, when the goal of selection for the Rio Games this August
provides an added narrative to what is set to be a fascinating event.
With 12 British men targeting the 2:14:00 qualifying time and five women
seeking 2:31:00, Bedford believes the array of world class talent running
ahead of them will draw out the best in the Britons – but only if they're
prepared to take a chance.
Two men and two women have already achieved the times but they need to
finish among the top two Britons in the trials race on Sunday to guarantee
selection. Among the men, Londoner Scott Overall and Scot Callum Hawkins
are in the driving seat after confident runs in Berlin and Frankfurt last
autumn, while Sonia Samuels and Alyson Dixon both beat the women's standard
at the Berlin Marathon in September.
But Bedford believes they could come under pressure if the other British
hopefuls are brave enough.
"There will be Brits who haven't got the qualifying time who are prepared
to take the chance," said Bedford. "That makes it interesting to see what
they do, and how they run the race. It will be a fascinating experience to
see who goes to Rio.
"Take Scott Overall, four years ago he ran 2:10:55 in Berlin, was selected
for the Olympics in London, but didn't maximise the opportunity and just
went through the motions. And actually he has done very little since then
until Berlin 2015, when again he ran a qualifying time. The question is
whether he can finish first or second among the Britons in London.
"Callum Hawkins is another strong athlete," he added. "He got the
qualifying time, not quite as fast as Scott, but I think that he has an
opportunity to be first or second here and I could quite easily see him
qualifying for Rio."
Bedford tips Chris Thompson to give the principal pair a run for their
money. Thompson ran an impressive debut in London two years ago, clocking
2:11:19, "a good quality time from a great track runner with wonderful
pedigree", although it was too early to gain selection.
"With Chris, I think it's a real shame that his time in London didn't
qualify him," said Bedford. "He has had a career where he has had to cope
with a lot of injuries.
"However, as I understand it, he has had a good build-up to London, not a
perfect build-up. If he is fit and healthy, he will definitely stand a
great chance of qualifying for Rio. Let's hope he is."
Of the rest, the debut runs of Jonathan Hay and Ryan McLeod will be worth
watching, says Bedford, while Leeds City athlete Susan Partridge and London
2012 Olympian Freya Ross should provide the main threat to Samuels and
Dixon in the women's race.
"It's very similar to the men's," he said. "If you haven't got the
qualifying time yet, you are going to have to run a race that gives you a
chance of getting it and finishing first or second.
"I think Susan Partridge stands a good chance. I understand her training
has gone well. We also have Freya Ross in there, who in previous years has
run 2:28:50 to 2:29:00."
Overall, Hawkins, Thompson, Dixon, Partridge, Ross and Samuels will all
appear at a press conference at14:00 at the Tower Hotel, London, on
Thursday 21 April.
Click here for a list of all 2016 Race Week press conferences.
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