Schippers and Asher-Smith to celebrate impressive seasons at Muller Grand Prix Birmingham

Two-time world 200m champion Dafne Schippers and British sprint heroine Dina Asher-Smith (coach: John Blackie), will celebrate their impressive seasons with a 100m race at the Müller Grand Prix Birmingham on Sunday 20 August.

Schippers took victory on the line in the 200m world final, in a season’s best of 22.05 seconds, ahead of Marie-Josée Ta Lou of Ivory Coast, who ran a national record of 22.08 seconds and will also compete in the 100m in Birmingham next weekend.

The Dutch star was one of the few defending champions to retain a world title at the IAAF World Championships in the London Stadium this week.

Schippers said: “I’ve had a fantastic World Championships and to defend my 200m title in the incredible atmosphere of the London Stadium was really special. The British crowds have always supported me, so I know that racing the 100m at the Müller Grand Prix Birmingham next week will be really good fun.”

She added: “To compete as a two-time world champion will be amazing and I know the race in Birmingham will be really exciting, so I think it will be a great way to say goodbye to the UK for this year, after a summer that I will never forget.”

European 200m champion, Dina Asher-Smith, clocked a season’s best of 22.22 seconds to finish in fourth place in the 200m final in London, just seven hundredths of a second off the bronze medal.

It was a remarkable performance, considering the fact that Britain’s fastest woman broke her foot in February and only started her outdoor season a few weeks ago.

A host of Olympic and world medallists will compete at the prestigious IAAF Diamond League meeting, which will be the culmination of an outstanding summer of global athletics events in the UK and include Mo Farah’s last ever track race on home soil.

Niels de Vos, Chief Executive of UK Athletics said: “The Birmingham public are one of the most knowledgeable and supportive of the British athletes and international stars. We expect the Muller Grand Prix Birmingham to be one of the best events of the summer.”

The Müller Grand Prix Birmingham is supported by Birmingham City Council and takes place exactly one week after the end of the IAAF World Championships in London which run from 4-13 August.