Andrew Pozzi and Shelayna Oskan-Clarke have been announced as the co-captains of the British team for the upcoming IAAF World Indoor Championships in Birmingham from 1-4 March.
The pair secured their place in the British squad with impressive displays when winning their respective disciplines at the British Indoor Championships earlier this month, with Pozzi taking gold in the men's 60m hurdles and Oskan-Clarke victorious in the women's 800m.
The 32 members of the British squad were able to vote for who they wanted to captain the team and it was a dead-heat in the end as Oskan-Clarke and Pozzi each received the same number of votes.
“I am really looking forward to competing at the World Indoor Championships in Birmingham", said Oskan Clarke in the wake of the captaincy announcement. "I was not expecting to be captain of the team and am overwhelmed and thrilled to be voted in by my peers and will do my utmost to support them and lead by example.
"It is great to have another home championships following on from the World Championships in London last year. This is my first World Indoor Championships, which I am looking forward to after my silver medal at Europeans last year."
It is only the second time that British athletes have voted for their captain after Eilidh Doyle won the vote to captain the team at the 2017 IAAF World Championships in London, with Oskan-Clarke and Pozzi expected to follow in the footsteps of Doyle by delivering a pre-Championships speech at the British team meeting.
“It is a great privilege to be voted as captain and it is nice that other people on the team feel that you can offer them something more than just your performance," revealed Stratford-based Pozzi, who lives not far from the venue for this weekend's Championships.
"I have been going to that exact stadium in Birmingham since I was 12, maybe younger, so my ties are really long-standing and I was really pleased to get the call. I have been on teams with some great captains and they have the qualities you respect. It is great to know that the team think of you in that way and that spurs you on more to make a particular effort and to try and justify that faith."
The IAAF World Indoor Championships get underway at Arena Birmingham on Thursday.
