Sporting Digest: Athletics

BRITAIN averted another withdrawal from the World Cup yesterday. Rob Denmark, the Commonwealth 5,000 metres champion, threatened to pull out of the men's team in protest at the poor funding and support offered both to himself and other middle distance runners, but changed his mind after intensive discussions with the British Athletic Federation promotions officer, Ian Stewart, and the national coach, Malcolm Arnold.

GREAT BRITAIN TEAM (World Cup, Crystal Palace, 9-11 Sept): MEN: 100m: L Christie (Thames Valley); 200m: J Regis (Belgrave); 400m: D Ladejo (Belgrave); 800m: C Winrow (Wigan); 1500m: G Lough (Annadale); 5,000m: J Nuttall (Preston); 10,000m: R Denmark (Basildon); 110m hurdles: C Jackson (Brecon); 400m hurdles: G Cadogan (Haringey); 3,000m steeplechase: M Rowland (Phoenix); High jump: S Smith (Liverpool); Long jump: F Salle (Shaftesbury); Triple jump: J Edwards (Gateshead); Pole vault: N Winter (Shaftesbury); Shot: N Spratley (Reading); Discus: R Weir (Birchfield); Javelin: S Backley (Cambridge H); Hammer: P Head (Newham); 4 x 100m (from): Christie, Regis, Jackson, T Jarrett (Haringey); D Braithwaite (Haringey), T Williams (Shaftesbury), J John (Newham); 4 x 400m (from): Ladejo, R Black (Team Solent), B Whittle (Haringey); P Crampton (Spenborough); D McKenzie (Shaftesbury), I Thomas (Newham), J Baulch (Cardiff). WOMEN: 100m: P Thomas (Trafford); 200m: Thomas; 400m: P Smith (Sale); 800m: A Griffiths (Sale); 1500m: K Holmes (Ealing); 3,000m: Y Murray (Motherwell); 10,000m: S Rigg (Warrington); 100m hurdles: J Agyepong (Shaftesbury); 400m hurdles: S Gunnell (Essex); High jump: D Marti (Bromley); Long jump: Y Idowu (Essex); Triple jump: M Griffith (Windsor); Shot: J Oakes (Croydon); Discus: J McKernan (Lisburn); Javelin: S Gibson (Notts); 4 x 100m (from): Thomas, Agyepong, S Douglas (Sale); M Richardson (Windsor), S Jacobs (Shaftesbury), G McLeod (Birchfield); 4 x 400m (from): Gunnell, Smith, M Neef (Glasgow), T Goddard (Basingstoke), D Fraser (Croydon), L Keough (Basingstoke).