Radcliffe Heads England's Commonwealth Challenge

Paula Radcliffe will lead England's gold medal challenge at next year's Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, and Kelly Holmes may also make the trip with the 80-strong team.

Radcliffe has been selected to defend the 5000m title she won in Manchester three years ago, as well as the 10,000m, in which she is the current European champion.

However Radcliffe, who won the marathon at last month's World Championships in Helsinki, has already announced she will only compete in one race at the Melbourne venue and for the moment is uncertain which one she will choose.

Holmes, who has contested only two races this summer because of injury, has been given the opportunity to retain her 1500m title as well as attempting the 800m - but her presence in Australia is still very uncertain.

"We'll have to wait and see whether I am fit enough," Holmes said. "I really do want to go but I have to be realistic and if I'm not fit enough, there is no point - although I am remaining hopeful."

If Holmes does travel to Melbourne she will be joined in the longer distance by Helen Clitheroe, who reached the final in Helsinki, and Lisa Dobriskey, a former European U23 silver-medallist.

Ashia Hansen will hope the incentive of claiming her third consecutive Commonwealth crown will spur her further in her fight against the knee injury she suffered in May last year; Donna Fraser has been selected to double up in the 200m and 400m; Natasha Danvers-Smith will return after giving birth to a son last December to contend the 400m hurdles, while Kelly Sotherton and Jade Johnson will go head to head in the long jump.

Jason Gardener and Mark Lewis-Francis face a tough task after being selected for the 100m with world record holder Asafa Powell of Jamaica set to compete, as well as Michael Frater and Kim Collins, who will represent Jamaica and St Kitts and Nevis respectively.

Gardener, who could count himself unlucky not to progress in Helsinki after finishing fifth in his semi-final, has been the premier British sprinter this season, while Lewis-Francis will be looking for instant improvement after moving to Eton to be coached by Tony Lester.

Nathan Douglas, who failed to perform after entering the world championships as a medal hope, is the most prominent absence from the men's team in the triple jump with Phillips Idowu and Larry Achike instead making the trip.

Full England athletics team for Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games

Women

100m Emma Ania (Shaftesbury Barnet H)

200m Donna Fraser (Croydon Harriers), Abi Oyepitan (Shaftesbury Barnet H)

400m Christine Ohuruogu (Newham Essex Beagles), Donna Fraser (Croydon Harriers)

800m Kelly Holmes (Ealing Southall & Middlesex)

1500m Helen Clitheroe (Preston Harriers), Kelly Holmes (Ealing Southall & Middlesex), Lisa Dobriskey (Ashford AC)

5000m Jo Pavey (Exeter Harriers), Paula Radcliffe (Bedford & County AC), Natalie Harvey (South London H)

10,000m Paula Radcliffe (Bedford & County AC), Hayley Yelling (WSEH AC), Mara Yamauchi (Harrow AC)

3000m Steeplechase Tina Brown (Coventry Godiva), Jo Ankier (Shaftesbury Barnet H)

100m Hurdles Sarah Claxton (Belgrave H), Diane Allahgreen (Trafford AC), Julie Pratt (Woodford G & Essex L AC)

400m Hurdles Nicola Sanders (WSEH AC), Sian Scott (Southampton AC), Natasha Danvers-Smith (Shaftesbury Barnet H)

High jump Julia Bennett (Epsom & Ewell AC), Susan Moncriffe (Trafford AC)

Long jump Jade Johnson (Herne Hill H), Kelly Sotherton (Birchfield H)

Triple jump Nadia Williams (Shaftesbury Barnet H), Ashia Hansen (Shaftesbury Barnet H)

Shot Joanne Duncan (Woodford G & Essex L AC), Julie Dunkley (Shaftesbury Barnet H)

Discus Kara Nwidobie (Blackpool & Fylde AC), Claire Smithson (Brighton & Hove AC)

Hammer Zoe Derham (Birchfield H), Lorraine Shaw (Sale H Manchester)

Javelin Goldie Sayers (Belgrave H), Shelley Holroyd (Sale H Manchester)

4x100m relay Abi Oyepitan (Shaftesbury Barnet H), Sarah Claxton (Woodford G & Essex L AC), Anyika Onuora (Liverpool H), Laura Turner (Harrow AC), Emma Ania (Shaftesbury Barnet H), Diane Allahgreen (Trafford AC)

4x400m relay Kim Wall (Basildon AC), Donna Fraser (Croydon Harriers), Christine Ohuruogu (Newham Essex Beagles), Nicola Sanders (WSEH AC), Sian Scott (Southampton AC), Natasha Danvers-Smith (Shaftesbury Barnet H)

Men

100m Jason Gardener (Bath & Wessex AC), Mark Lewis Francis (Birchfield H)

200m Marlon Devonish (Coventry Godiva), Darren Campbell (Sale H Manchester), Chris Lambert (Belgrave H)

400m Robert Tobin (Basingstoke & Mid Hants AC), Malachi Davis (Woodford G & Essex L AC)

1500m Michael East (Newham Essex Beagles), Nick McCormick (Trafford AC), Andrew Baddeley (Harrow AC)

5000m Mo Farah (Newham Essex Beagles)

10,000m Gavin Thompson (Crawley AC)

3000m steeplechase Stuart Stokes (Sale H Manchester), Luke Gunn (Derby AC), Adam Bowden (Harrow AC)

110m Hurdles Damien Greaves (Newham Essex Beagles), Andrew Turner (Notts AC), David Hughes (Trafford AC)

400m Hurdles Chris Rawlinson (Trafford AC), Matt Douglas (Belgrave H)

High jump Ben Challenger (Belgrave H), Martyn Bernard (Sheffield AC), Tom Parsons (Birchfield H)

Pole vault Nick Buckfield (Crawley AC), Keith Higham (Border H), Steven Lewis (Newham Essex Beagles)

Long jump Greg Rutherford (Milton Keynes AC), Chris Tomlinson (Newham Essex Beagles)

Triple jump Larry Achike (Shaftesbury Barnet H), Phillips Idowu (Belgrave H)

Shot Carl Myerscough (Blackpool & Fylde AC), Mark Proctor (Newham Essex Beagles), Scott Rider (Birchfield H)

Discus Carl Myerscough (Blackpool & Fylde AC), Emeka Udechuku (Woodford G & Essex L AC)

Hammer Andy Frost (Woodford G & Essex L AC), Mick Jones (Belgrave H), Simon Bown (Newham Essex Beagles)

Javelin Nick Nieland (Shaftesbury Barnet H), David Parker (Shaftesbury Barnet H)

4x100m relay Craig Pickering (Milton Keynes AC), Mark Lewis-Francis (Birchfield H), Marlon Devonish (Coventry Godiva), Jason Gardener (Bath & Wessex AC), Darren Campbell (Sale H Manchester), Chris Lambert (Belgrave H)

4x400m relay Andrew Steele (Trafford AC), Martyn Rooney (Croydon Harriers), Robert Tobin (Basingstoke & Mid Hants AC), Malachi Davis (Woodford G & Essex L AC), Graham Hedman (Woodford G & Essex L AC), Chris Rawlinson (Trafford AC).