Chalmers targets spot in relay final
CAN Cam Chalmers get his hands on a prestigious medal when the World Championships come around later this month?
The recent British individual silver-medallist has key relay ambitions in Doha 2019, but he is quick to note the unpredictability of competing at this level.
Although Chalmers heads to Qatar without the the privilege of an individual campaign, he is quite clearly a fit pick for a men’s 4x400m squad that stormed to bronze and a sub-3min. time at the previous ‘Worlds’ in London 2017.
Yet the 22-year-old certainly won’t be putting an early call on it.
‘It’s so tricky with the relays, as you never know what other countries are going to do,’ said Chalmers.
‘There’s always upsets and surprises and stuff. All-in-all, Great Britain does tend to perform pretty well in major championships and we punch above our individual-times weight, if that makes sense.
‘The guys who came third in London ran really well. The goal’s always to get in the final and just be competitive and get yourself in a position where you’ve got a shout of getting a medal.’
All four faces that featured in GB’s London final are back on the squad list for Doha.
British champion Matt Hudson-Smith is the clear No. 1 by current form and has earned an individual run, together with fellow 45-low man Rabah Yousif, an athlete that Chalmers scalped at last month’s British Championships.
Dwayne Cowan marginally leads the Guernseyman by season’s best and world ranking but despite London 2017 anchorman Martyn Rooney’s enviable past credentials, Chalmers has established himself as a favourable runner by recent form.
There is also the possibility of featuring in the first mixed 4x400m to be contested at these heights.
The team will be drawn from the 15 vests across the men’s and women’s squads and although the other half went even better in London by snagging silver, Chalmers again testified to the unpredictability of the competition.
‘The mixed has never been run at a major championships, so you have no idea what people will do.’
The championships begin on 27 September and recently the committee unveiled unique medals showcasing the Doha skyline and iconic Khalifa International Stadium.
