Athletics: Williamson secures 60m slot alongside Chambers

(GETTY IMAGES)

Simeon Williamson will team up with Dwain Chambers after being selected for the Great Britain and Northern Ireland squad to compete in next month's World Indoor Championships in Valencia.

The European Under-23 100 metres champion will fill the second slot in the 60m alongside Chambers, who was automatically selected after winning the trials earlier this month. This year the 22-year-old has lowered his personal best to 6.60sec before finishing second behind Chambers in Sheffield but ahead of the European Indoor silver medallist Craig Pickering.

Pickering had been expected to be Chambers' main challenger but ended up trailing in fifth. Pickering and Williamson were then set to race at the Norwich Union Grand Prix in Birmingham but the former pulled out with a virus, and a damaged hamstring meant the former European 100m junior champion abandoned his indoor season.

"This was a very close selection," said the UK Athletics' performance director, Dave Collins. "But Simeon has had a fantastic indoor season and coped very well under the amount of pressure and attention. It is great to have so many for the future."