Rio Paralympics: David Weir & Hannah Cockroft named in athletics squad

David Weir is yet to confirm which events he will compete in at the Rio Games

Paralympic champions David Weir and Hannah Cockroft are among the first 13 athletes named on the Great Britain track and field team for the Rio Games.

All won gold or silver medals at last year's IPC Worlds in Doha and have gone on to show form this year.

Also included are fellow London 2012 gold medallists Aled Davies and Richard Whitehead.

The remainder of the athletics team, which is expected to total around 50, will be announced in late July.

GB Paralympic team for Rio - who's in?

Wheelchair racer Weir, 37, will be attending his fifth Games, having made his debut in Atlanta in 1996. He won Britain's only track and field golds in Beijing in 2008 before his four golds in London.

Sprinter Whitehead is one of only a handful of British athletes to compete at a summer and winter Paralympics, having represented GB in sledge hockey at the 2006 Winter Games in Turin.

He, along with thrower Davies and wheelchair racers Cockroft and Mel Nicholls, will be competing at a second summer Games along with London silver and bronze medal winning runner Paul Blake, while javelin thrower Hollie Arnold is in line for her third Games having made her debut in Beijing aged 14.

Making their Paralympic debuts will be current T37 400m world champion Georgie Hermitage, F51 club world champion Jo Butterfield and T38 100m world title holder Sophie Hahn.

Also appearing at their first Games will be wheelchair racer Dan Bramall, sprinter Maria Lyle and high jumper Jonathan Broom-Edwards.

However, sprinter Kadeena Cox, who won gold in the T37 100m in Doha has not been included in this round of selection after her recent reclassification, but she will be in contention to be included in the second phase.

Weir praised the "brave and confident" young squad who have shown "no fear" in recent championships.

The six-time gold medallist added that many in the current team are "a lot stronger than me when I was at that age".

Squad

Men - Paul Blake, Dan Bramall, Jonathan Broom-Edwards, Aled Davies, David Weir, Richard Whitehead. Women - Hollie Arnold, Jo Butterfield, Hannah Cockroft, Sophie Hahn, Georgie Hermitage, Maria Lyle, Mel Nicholls.