BLACKBURN Harrier pair Sophie Hitchon and Holly Bradshaw have been named in a 75-strong athletics squad announced by Team England for next year's Commonwealth Games.
The East Lancashire duo will be among medal contenders at the games which will be held in Australia's Gold Coast.
Hammer thrower Hitchon, from Burnley, won bronze at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and also won bronze in the Rio Olympics last year while Bradshaw was fifth in the pole vault in Brazil.
Olympic gold medallist Greg Rutherford is also in the squad. Rutherford, who won the long jump title at London 2012, has had an injury-disrupted year and missed the World Championships in London over the summer due to an ankle problem.
The 30-year-old later had surgery to fix a hernia issue but will be in Australia's Gold Coast in 2018 to defend the Commonwealth gold he won in Scotland.
As expected, Sir Mo Farah, 34, will not be there having recently called time on his track career to focus on road racing, but other medal hopefuls like Adam Gemili, Dina Asher-Smith and Katarina Johnson-Thompson have all been included.
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