Dartford teen makes Olympic athletics squad

A Dartford teenager who only made a full-time commitment to athletics in January has been selected for Team GB.

Adam Gemili will be the youngest member of the squad; on the day of the first round of the men's 100m he will be 18 years and 305 days old. He'll also be running in the 4 x 100m relay.

Six months ago Adam was a League Two footballer, but he shot to prominence last month after clocking a 100m time of 10.08 seconds - the fastest achieved by a British athlete this year.

Londoner Dwain Chambers has also been selected for the 100m and the 4 x 100m.

He said that representing his country in his home town was a "dream that at times has seemed very distant".

He was only cleared for selection in April this year, when a life-time ban for doping was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

There have also been call-ups for Mo Farah (5,000 and 10,000m), Phillips Idowu (triple jump), reigning Olympic champion Christine Ohuruogu (400m and 4x400m), Andrew Osagie (800m), Lawrence Okoye (discus) and Robbie Grabarz (high jump).

Triple jumper Yamile Aldama from Harrow has also been selected - meaning she will have competed for Cuba, Sudan and Great Britain. The 39-year-old was born in Havana but now lives in London.

UK Athletics Head Coach Charles Van Commenee says that a target of eight medals - including at least one gold - has always been the aim for the athletics squad at London 2012. That would double the four medals won in Beijing and represent Team GB’s best result since the Seoul 1988 Olympic Games.

Here is the full list of athletes from our area:

Men

Adam Gemili – 100m and 4 x 100m (age: 18, born: London, lives: Dartford)

Dwain Chambers – 100m and 4 x 100m (age: 34, born: London, Lives: London)

James Ellington- 200m and 4x100m (age: 26, born: Lewisham, lives: London)

Martyn Rooney- 400m and 4x400m (age: 25, born: Croydon, lives: Loughborough)

James Dasaolu- 100 and 4x100m (age: 24, born: Croydon, lives: Loughborough)

Conrad Williams- 400m and 4x400m (age: 30, born: Kingston, Jamaica, lives: Hither Green)

Andrew Osagie- 800m (age: 24, born: Harlow, lives: Twickenham)

Andrew Baddeley- 1500m (age: 30, born: Merseyside lives: London)

Mo Farah- 5,000m and 10,000m (age:28, born: Somalia, lives: Portland, USA. Adopted Londoner after he moved to London at the age of eight.)

Lawrence Clarke- 110mh (age: 22, born: London, lives: Bath)

Rhys Williams – 400mh (age: 28, born: Cardiff, lives: London)

Robbie Grabarz- high jump (age: 24, born: Enfield, lives: Birmingham)

Steve Lewis- pole vault (age: 26, born: Stoke on Trent, lives:London)

Chris Tomlinson- long jump (age: 30, born: Middlesbrough, lives: London)

Philips Idowu- triple jump (age: 33, born: Hackney, lives: Birmingham)

Lawrence Okoye- discus (age: 20, born: Croydon, lives Croydon)

Abdul Buhari – discus (age: 30, born: Nigeria, lives: London)

Simeon Williamson – 4x100m (age: 26, born: London, lives: Enfield)

Mark Lewis-Francis – 4x100m (age: 29, born: Birmingham, lives: London)

Luke Lennon-Ford – 4x400m (age: 23, born: Sutton Coldfield, lives: London)

Adam Gemili talks about making the team.

Women

Abi Oyepitan – 100m and 200m (age: 32, born: London , lives: London)

Anyika Onuora- 100m and 200m (age: 27, born: Liverpool, lives: London)

Margaret Adeoye- 200m (age: 27, born: London, lives: London)

Christine Ohuruogu- 400m and 4x400m (age: 28, born: London, lives: London)

Shana Cox- 400m and 4x400m (age: 27, born: Brooklyn, USA, lives: London)

Julia Bleasdale – 5000m and 10,000m (age: 30, born: Surry, lives: Surrey)

Tiffany Porter- 100m (age: 24, born: Michigan, USA, lives: London)

Perri Shakes-Drayton- 400mh (age: 23, born: London, lives: London)

Yamile Aldama – triple jump (age: 39, born: Havana, Cuba, lives: London)

Goldie Sayers- javelin (age: 29, born: Newmarket, lives: London)

Louise Hazel- heptathlon – heptathlon (age: 26, born: Southwark, lives: Birmingham)

Marilyn Okoro- 4x400m (age: 27, born: London, lives: London)