Why didn't Great Britain send a women’s 4x400m team to the European Athletics Championships? Exploring the reason for skipping the major event

Great Britain has sent a contingent of 70 athletes to the European Athletics Championships, but they will be skipping the women's 4x400m relay. This is because the British Olympic Trials take place soon after the Championships, and athletes have opted to turn their focus on the former.

The British squad for the European Athletics Championships was originally announced on the 28th of May, featuring a lineup that included multiple Olympic and World Championship medalists. However, fans noticed that no athletes had been named for the women's 4x400m relay event and were left confused about their decision to skip such a major competition.

Now, with the Championships beginning shortly, 400m sprinter Laviai Nielson took it upon herself to clear out the confusion regarding Britain's participation in the women's 4x400m relay in Rome.

Nielson took to her Instagram story to explain that the women's 4x400m team chose to skip the European Championships since it was scheduled 12 days before the British Olympic Trials.

“The simple answer is the women's 4x400 basically opted out of competing here. If the Europeans weren't 12 days before our Olympic trials, we would've definitely had a team here. However, in an event like the women's 400m in the UK, 4 of us already having the Olympic Standard, it is extremely competitive. It's going to be intense and it will be like us essentially having back-to-back champs in the space of two weeks.”

The 28-year-old further explained that an additional event could exhaust the athletes before they enter the trials, affecting their chance of making it to the Games.

“Having an extra event like the 4x400m could be the difference between us going into the Olympic Trials fresh and ready to go, or exhausted and tired. For us, all roads lead to Paris and British Athletics want us to have a good chance at trials too, so they supported our choice and said we could forgo the relay and train well leading into trials and subsequently, the Olympic Games.”

While the women's 4x400m relay team opts for the European Athletics Championships, Britain will be represented in the 400m race by Laviai Nielson and Victoria Ohuruogu, both of whom are World Championship medalists in the relay category.

European Athletics Championships: Great Britain's men's and mixed 4x400m team

While Great Britain opted out of the women's 4x400m relay at the European Athletics Championships, their athletes will partake in the men's and mixed 4x400 relays.

The men's team consists of Michael Ohioze, Alex Haydock-Wilson, Lewis Davey, Tony Harries, and Charlie Carvell. Ohioze is a ten-time All-American in the NCAA circuit, having competed for the University of Iowa.

Meanwhile, both Haydock-Wilson and Davey head into Rome as defending champions in the men's 4x400m relay, having been a part of the team that led Britain to gold in 2022. The duo were also part of the team that won bronze in the event at the 2023 Budapest World Athletics Championships.

Lastly, Harries is a two-time British 200m Indoor Champion, and Carvell is a European U20 Championships silver medalist in the 400m and a two-time gold medalist in the 4x400m relay.

Adding to these five athletes, Great Britain's team for the mixed 4x400m relay at the European Athletics Championships will consist of World Indoor Championships bronze-medalist Hannah Kelly and British Athletics Championships bronze-medalist Emily Newnham.

The Championship in Rome begins on June 7 and will last till June 12. Fans in Britain excited to catch the live action from the competition can tune in to the BBC for a live broadcast, or find a live stream on Eurovision Sport for free.