Staffordshire's Jazmin Sawyers named GB captain for the Euros

Sawyers, the two-time Olympic long jump finalist, will lead the team in Istanbul, Turkey, as the competition gets under way today.

The City of Stoke athlete has already jumped an indoor personal best of 6.75m this season, and sits fourth in the European standings so far in 2023.

The women’s long jump gets under way with the qualifying pools on Saturday, but before that she was set to give a captain’s speech to the GB & NI team yesterday evening.

On receiving the captaincy, Sawyers said: “I am so proud to be named captain, it’s always an honour to pull on the Great Britain & Northern Ireland vest, so to go a step further and captain this team means a lot to me.

“One of my favourite parts of a Championships is in the team meeting when you hear from the captain and the team leader, and you leave the room ready to go and compete. So, there is quite a lot of pressure on me now I am in that position, but what an honour to be asked.

“I’ve been on teams for seven years now and I have never quite felt like the captain type, so I hope I can do the role justice. I’m confident this team will get the year off to a great start.”

Technical director Stephen Maguire added: “Jazmin is a consistent and high-performing athlete at the major championships, and she is great example for the rest of the team competing here in Istanbul.

“She is a medallist at major championships and a finalist at two Olympic Games, so she brings a wealth experience to the role. She has been involved in senior GB & NI squads for nearly a decade, and competed in junior Championships before then, so she can share her experiences which will be beneficial to the whole team.”