Jodie Williams heads GB's World Junior Championships squad

DOUBLE world youth champion Jodie Williams will spearhead Great Britain's assault on the World Junior Championships, having been named in the first wave of selection for Moncton, Canada.

HEADING THE LIST: Jodie Williams heads a batch of 13 athletes named in the Great Britain squad in the first selection wave for the World Junior Championships (Getty Images)

The 16-year-old confirmed her place on the plane with a dominant double victory at the European Under 20&23 Championships in Bedford last weekend.

Williams is currently ranked number in Europe over 200m this year, clocking an incredulous 22.79 seconds at the Loughborough International last month, while in Bedford she clocked her second fastest ever 100m time of 11.28.

Such impressive form has prompted many to suggest she is worthy of a place in the senior Great Britain squad for the European Championships in Barcelona later this summer.

But Williams has expressed a desire to stay in the junior ranks for the time being and will bid for gold on two fronts in Canada.

Others to be named in the first wave of athletes include discus thrower Lawrence Okoye, who threw an incredulous 63.92m in Bedford, taking him to second in the all-time UK under-20 list.

And hammer thrower Sophie Hitchion, who has already tasted international success with Commonwealth Youth Games gold in 2008 and European Junior Championships bronze in 2009, has also been selected.

"We've named these athletes in our first round of selections based on the 'first eligible athlete past the post in the relevant trials' principle, provided that they had achieved the UKA qualifying standard within the qualification period," said UKA strategic head of coaching and development and world juniors team leader Kevin Tyler.

"We're fortunate that we have a number of athletes who place well in the current world age group rankings and we hope that they can now focus, along with their coaches, on their preparations to do justice to those rankings in Canada."

Also named in the first wave are Kieran Showler-Davis in the 200m and Niall Brooks in the 800m, both athletes now moving into the world class category following their lifetime best performances of 20.75 and 1:47.29 in Beford.

The second and final wave of selections, including relay teams, will be announced week commencing  July 5.

Great Britain team:

MEN

100m: Deji Tobais - Windsor, Slough, Eton & Hounslow
200m: Kieran Showler-Davis - Basingstoke & Mid Hants
800m: Niall Brooks - Sale Harriers Manchester
400mH: Jack Green - Kent
High Jump: Sam Bailey - Chelmsford
Discus: Lawrence Okoye - Croydon Harrier
Javelin: Daniel Pembroke - WSEH

WOMEN

100m & 200m: Jodie Williams - Herts Phoenix
1500m: Laura Weightman - Morpeth
5000m: Emelia Gorecka - Aldershot, Farnham & District
High Jump: Isobel Pooley - Aldershot, Farnham & District
Pole Vault: Sally Scott - Gateshead
Hammer: Sophie Hitchon - Blackburn