Junior Worlds call-up for Alisha Rees and Michael Olsen

Capital starlets Alisha Rees and Michael Olsen are set for a showdown with the best teens on the track after being handed a golden ticket to next month's IAAF world junior championships in Finland.

Alisha Rees. Pic: Bobby Gavin

The sprint duo have been named in a 40-strong British squad for the showpiece, which will be staged in Tampere from 10-15 July.

Loughborough-based Rees came second in the 200 metres at this month’s trials in Bedford after smashing the Scottish junior record earlier this season, while her Edinburgh AC club-mate Olsen will run in the 4x100 relay following victory at last weekend’s Mannheim International in Germany.

“We’ve selected a strong team for the world junior championships that we believe has an excellent chance of challenging for medals,” British team leader Trevor Painter said.

“We saw some excellent performances at Mannheim International over the weekend which produced great levels of competition from all our athletes, with personal bests broken all over the track and field, a trend which we hope continues in Tampere.

“The team contains a strong array of medal prospects and athletes that we believe can reach the finals of their respective event and thrive on the world junior championship stage.”