Team GB have named the athletes who will represent Great Britain at the European Games in Krakow in June, with six triathletes part of the squad.
Team GB have selected a squad of 178 athletes to compete in 18 sports at the Kraków-Małopolska 2023 European Games, which are set to take place in and around the Polish city between 21 June to 2 July 2023.
Sophie Alden, Olivia Mathias and Sian Rainsley will represent Team GB in the women's triathlon race in Poland, whilst Connor Bentley, Barclay Izzard and Hamish Reilly will compete in the men's race.
Bentley became U23 World Champion in Abu Dhabi in November and has started 2023 in fine form by winning back-to-back Europe Triathlon Cup races in Caorle and Olsztyn.
Mathias was part of the Welsh team who won silver in the mixed relay at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, with this year's Games featuring both individual and mixed relay racing.
The women's individual race with take place on Tuesday 26 June, with the men's the following day. The mixed relay will be on Saturday 1 July.
Gordon Benson won gold at the first European Games in 2015 in Baku, with 2023 seeing triathlon return to the schedule having not taken place in 2019.
In total, the third edition of the European Games will see around 7,000 athletes from 48 European nations compete across a 12-day sporting programme. The Opening Ceremony will take place on Wednesday 21 June at the Henryk Reyman Municipal Stadium, with the Closing Ceremony to return at the same venue on Sunday 2 July.
Nicola Adams, Duncan Scott and Jade Jones were among Team GB’s medallists at the inaugural European Games in Baku in 2015, while Sir Jason Kenny, Chelsie Giles and Lauren Price were successful at Minsk 2019.
Nineteen athletes return for their second European Games with Team GB this year, while shooters Amber Rutter (nee Hill) and Seonaid McIntosh, alongside table tennis players Liam Pitchford and Paul Drinkhall, will each be competing at their third.
The 178-strong squad for Krakow 2023 features several Olympic gold medallists, including Charlotte Worthington, Joe Choong, Jade Jones and Joe Clarke, with a total of 32 Tokyo 2020 Olympians among those named.
The delegation will be led by Dr Paul Ford, who reprises his role as Chef de Mission after previously leading the charge at Minsk 2019.
Ford said: “It’s a huge privilege once again to take such a talented group of athletes to compete against Europe’s finest at these Games. Crucially, the 2023 European Games offers several qualification opportunities for Paris, providing a great benchmarking exercise looking ahead to next year. We will focus our support on creating the best performance environment for our athletes as well as fine-tuning our preparations for 2024.”
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