Alex Millard will lead the Novuna Great Britain and Northern Ireland (GB & NI) team at the World Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, Florida, today (January 10).
The Kent-born athlete was part of the bronze medal winning team in Serbia and the sixth-place team in Australia when the event debuted. Millard is part of the mixed relay team, alongside fellow 2024 medallist Adam Fogg, USA-based Georgie Couttie and India Weir, who will make her senior debut. "I'm very excited to be named captain for the GB team at the World Cross Country Champs,” Millard (pic) said.
“It's an honour, and I'm ready to go out there and fight for another world medal. I love cross country - it's just pure racing and I like how the relay is pretty straightforward; it's just a 2K of hard effort. Running for a team is always special.
“It feels like a bit of a celebration of the sport." As tradition dictates, she will deliver a team captain's speech on the eve of the competition. She touched on what she hopes to part on the team: "Be confident and take it all in.
“Touching on the fact that you're a World Championships and never take a GB vest for granted. We're in the USA, and they're going to put on a show. So, let's get out there, enjoy it and put on a show for everyone.
“The course should make for great racing, with some fun Florida elements to contend with!" A full squad of 20 athletes will take to the course at Apalachee Regional Park, which features a water section, wooden alligator-shaped logs, and a beach-themed sandpit, inspired by Florida's landscape. The senior races are 10k; the junior races are 8k for men and 6k for women.
Megan Keith, fresh from winning the European Cross Country silver medal last month, is joined by fellow European XC team-mates Phoebe Anderson, Verity Ockenden and Poppy Tank to complete the senior women’s quartet. In the senior men's squad, Rory Leonard and Matthew Ramsden will make their senior GB debuts on Saturday. Jacob Cann and David Mullarkey, a double World University medallist based in the States, complete the team.
Novuna Great Britain and Northern Ireland team for the World Cross Country in Tallahassee, Florida:
Senior Women
Phoebe Anderson (Laurie Henes, Herne Hill)
Megan Keith (Ross Cairns, Inverness)
Verity Ockenden (Swansea)
Poppy Tank (City of Plymouth)
Senior Men
Jacob Cann (Western Tempo)
Rory Leonard (Andrew Hobdell, Morpeth)
David Mullarkey (Andrew Henerson, Leeds City)
Matthew Ramsden (Edmund Finucane, Blackburn)
Mixed Relay
George Couttie (Ben Thomas, Harrogate)
India Weir (Andrew Hobdell, Cambridge)
Adam Fogg (Cory Leslie, Coventry)
Alex Millard (Mark Coogan, Invicta East Kent)
Junior Women
Maisey Bellwood (Keighley & Craven)
Eliza Nicholson (Joe Franklin, Blackheath & Bromley)
Zara Redmond (Sarah Dempsey, Kilbarchan)
Kitty Scott (Mick Woods, Aldershot, Farnham & District)
Junior Men
Michael Clark (Jane Clark, City of Norwich)
Luke Dunham (Andrew Hobdell, Herts Phoenix)
Jonson Hughes (Andrew Henderson, Rotherham)
Alex Lennon (Nick Hancock, Sutton & District)
