Elite quartet carry world medal hopes

UK ATHLETICS head coach Charles van Commenee will look to a quartet of title contenders to lead the Great Britain medal charge at the World Championships in Daegu later this month as they aim to eclipse the six won in Berlin two years ago.

The Dutchman yesterday named world and European heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis, Phillips Idowu, who holds both titles in the triple jump, European 5,000 and 10,000 metres champion Mo Farah and Dai Greene, the European and Commonwealth 400m hurdles champion, in his 67-strong team for the event in South Korea.

But four of last year's European silver medallists missed out on individual selection, with no places for Michael Bingham, Chris Thompson or Rhys Williams, while Mark Lewis-Francis had to settle for a spot in the 4x100m relay team.

There are four Scots in the team - Lee McConnell has been selected for the 400m; Eilidh Child in the 400m hurdles and Susan Partridge and Andrew Lemoncello in the marathon. Eilish McColgan misses out after breaking her foot in Saturday's Diamond League meeting in London.

Van Commenee said: "I am looking to see an improvement from two years ago in Berlin, where we recorded six medals and 20 top-eight finishes.

"It is important to remember there is work to do before London 2012 and Daegu is another stop on the journey to make our athletes run faster, jump higher and throw further. The aim in Daegu is to get more athletes within touching distance of the podium."

Ennis has not lost a heptathlon since returning from the triple stress fracture of her foot which ruled her out of the Beijing Olympics in 2008, while Idowu does not have Teddy Tamgho to contend with as his young French rival is out through injury. Farah is enjoying the best season of his career after moving to Oregon to train under famed distance coach Alberto Salazar and is the world No 1 over both 5,000 and 10,000m. Greene is also among the favourites for the world title in an open race.

The team includes three of Britain's recruits from overseas, American-born 100m hurdler Tiffany Porter, Anguillan-born long jumper Shara Proctor and triple jumper Yamile Aldama, a former World Championship silver medallist who has previously represented Cuba and Sudan and will be 39 when the competition starts.

European 200m silver medallist Christian Malcolm, who made his first appearance in a British vest 15 years ago, will be captain. The team will head to a holding camp in Ulsan, South Korea, the week before the championships get under way on 27 August.