Bakare selected for World Youth Champs

The 17-year-old 400m runner was named as one of the 26 athletes who will travel to Donetsk, Ukraine for the prestigious event from July 10-14.

Bakare, who is a Barnfield West Academy student, has been in fine form as she recently won the England Athletics U20/U23 Championships & European Trials U20 400m in a time of 53.98 secs.

British Athletics development manager Jo Jennings, a high jump silver medallist from the 1998 Commonwealth Games and two-time Olympian will lead the team in the Ukraine.

She believes there is some great potential coming through the youth ranks, saying: “We have a really promising team heading out to the Ukraine for the World Youth Championships and I’m sure the athletes will take inspiration from some of the names that have competed on this stage before.

“The likes of Katarina Johnson-Thompson, Jessica Judd, Asha Philip and Harry Aikines-Aryeetey have all experienced what it’s like to be a part of a GB & NI team at the early stages of their careers, and believe it’s a great base to work from.

“There have been some strong performances around the world this year, but I’m confident that the team that has been picked will mix it with the best and remain competitive throughout.”