COMMONWEALTH Games coach John Crotty is tipping Jazmin Sawyers for a top-six place after the Trentham long-jumper was selected for England’s squad.
The 20-year-old has made the 129 strong England squad for the Glasgow Games alongside Ashleigh Nelson, the 100 metre sprinter from Birches Head, and Light Oaks pole vaulter Steve Lewis.
All three will now represent their country at the Games, which run from July 23 to August 3.
Sawyers, aged 20, said: “I am absolutely over the mood. It’s really hard to make the jump from junior to senior competition, so to have the chance to represent England at the Commonwealth Games in my first year is amazing.”
She has been in fine form this year, winning long jump silver in the British Indoor Championships in Sheffield.
That followed a superb 2013, in which she bade farewell to junior athletics with a string of superb performances.
The City of Stoke AC starlet leaped a season’s best 6.33m at the European Junior Championships in Italy to claim silver behind title favourite Malaika Mihambo.
She also jumped 6.50m, to claim a silver medal at the British Championships. The youngster, who is studying law at Bristol University, also won long jump silver at the British Universities Championships.
Crotty, from Alsager, is the England horizontal jumps coach for the Commonwealth Games.
He was national triple jump coach for 20 years, national long jump coach for five, and has worked with stars such as Olympic champion and triple jump world record-holder Jonathan Edwards.
He is delighted to see Sawyers make the squad, alongside more experienced England long jumpers Shara Proctor and Lorraine Ugen.
He said: “It’s wonderful to see her there. I expect Jazmin to be competing for a place in the top six at least – and if she can do that then there is always a chance she can get a medal.
“There is no pressure on Jazmin, but she really is one for the future and she is one of these athletes that always seems to perform well at the best competitions. She will certainly benefit from the experience.”
While Sawyers has made the squad, there was disappointment for Porthill triple jumper Ben Williams who missed out having just failed to make the 16.40 metres qualifying distance.
The 22-year-old smashed his personal best distance four times in four months to reach 16.22m while competing in the United States where he is on a scholarship with the University of Louisville in Kentucky.
But after returning from the USA in May, he only had one competition to make the qualifying distance, and fell short at the event in Bedford on May 31 and June 1.
He is back in action this weekend and will start favourite at the national under-23s championships, again in Bedford.
Crotty added: “Ben is performing reasonably well, but will get better. I would judge him in mid to late July when he will be at a better level.
“He has plenty to look forward to, including going for the 16.65m qualifying for the European Championships in Zurich, which come in August after the Commonwealth Games.
“Ben is only 22 and still has plenty of time ahead of him.”
Steve Lewis, aged 28, remains in the England Commonwealth Games squad as the country’s top ranked pole vaulter.
He vaulted a personal best of 5.82m in 2012, a new British record, before finishing fifth at the London Olympics.
The former Holden Lane High School pupil, had his funding cut for this year after failing to met UK Athletics’ ruthless criteria.
However, he kept his ranking as Great Britain’s number one pole vaulter for the eighth successive year.
Nelson, aged 23, was part of the 4 x 100m relay team which won bronze for Great Britain in the World Championships in Moscow last year.
The call-up continues a terrific comeback by Nelson, who lost her funding support from UK Athletics after a 2011 season spent struggling with a misdiagnosed hamstring injury.
However, the bronze medal winning relay team from the World Championships were all rewarded by receiving funding for 2014.
She said: “I am really happy to have been selected. I think things are really coming together for me, I’m not quite there yet though.
“The selection was touch and go because I have had a few niggles at the beginning of the season so will be focusing first of all on getting my body 100 per cent and take it from there.”
IN form Uttoxeter swimmer Adam Peaty laid down a marker for the Commonwealth Games with a double victory at the Mare Nostrum meetings in Barcelona.
The 19-year-old won the 100m breaststroke in a new British record of 59.25 seconds.
That completed a wonderful series of meetings for the youngster, who had earlier broken the 50m British breaststroke record to win gold in 27.19 seconds.
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