62 athletes named on the World Class Programme: what it means

UK Athletics has nominated 62 athletes for its Olympic World Class Programme for 2027. It's the National Lottery funded programme, through UK Sport, that supports athletes towards medals at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 and beyond, and the list is always worth a proper look.

The familiar names are there: Dina Asher-Smith, Keely Hodgkinson, Josh Kerr, Katarina Johnson-Thompson, Laura Muir, Morgan Lake, Zharnel Hughes, Jake Wightman, Matthew Hudson-Smith and Georgia Hunter Bell are all at the top level. But the part I find most interesting is further down the list.

How the levels work

The programme isn't one big group. Athletes are placed at different levels depending on where they are now and where they could get to:

• Olympic Podium (21 athletes): those already capable of winning medals.
• Olympic Podium Potential (13): athletes who could be medal contenders, including Hannah Nuttall, Elise Thorner, Charlie Dobson and Jake Norris.
• Olympic Relay (13) and Relay Confirmation (1): the relay squads, including Imani-Lara Lansiquot, Laviai Nielsen, Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake and Louie Hinchliffe, with Lee Thompson at Relay Confirmation.
• Olympic Confirmation (14): athletes the programme wants to see confirm their potential.

Athletes get competition opportunities, training camps, and support from UK Athletics' performance staff, sports science and medical teams. Most also receive an Athlete Performance Award towards their living and sporting costs. All nominations still have to be ratified by UK Sport.

Ten new names

Ten athletes join the programme for the first time, all at Confirmation level: Samuel Bennett, Joel Clarke-Khan, Abbie Donnelly, Charlotte Henrich, Owen Heard, Kimani Jack, Arlo Ludewick, Stephen Mackenzie, Jake Minshall and Marcia Sey. Ben Jefferies has also been given a Relay Support Package, a targeted award for relay athletes with future medal potential.

Performance Director Paula Dunn said: "Selection to the World Class Programme recognises both current achievement and future potential." She also made a point I really like: "Athlete development looks different for everyone."

It starts at a club

It's worth remembering that almost every athlete on this list started at a club training night, with a volunteer coach and a track to run on. The programme picks up athletes once they're close to the top, but the work that gets them there happens at clubs up and down the country, often years earlier.

If you've got a young athlete at home who loves running, jumping or throwing, the best first step is the same one these athletes took. Find a track near you and the clubs that train there, and our guide to a child's first session explains what to expect.

Source: British Athletics