7th September 2018

GLOBAL BRITISH MEDALLISTS TO TAKE ON INTERNATIONAL STARS AT 2018 GREAT CITYGAMES

A host of British medallists from the 2018 European Championships and Olympic & Commonwealth medallists will headline the 2018 Great North CityGames this weekend in Newcastle and Gateshead.

Diamond League and European 1500m gold medallist Laura Muir (Andy Young, Dundee Hawkhill) will headline the medallists from last month’s Championships in Berlin, taking on club mate and 5000m European silver medallist, Eilish McColgan (Liz McColgan, Dundee Hawkhill) over the mile.

The 25-year-old, who claimed her first senior outdoor medal in Berlin, will close her stellar season after the race and will be flanked by training partner Jemma Reekie (Andy Young, Dundee Hawkhill), fresh from making her senior British debut at the Athletics World Cup in July.

Olympic bronze medallist Abdelaati Iguidar (MOR) heads the men’s field along with New Zealander Jordan Williamsz, while 2010 European 800m silver medallist Michael Rimmer (Norman Poole, Liverpool Pembroke Sefton) and 3000m steeplechase specialist Zak Seddon (Jeff Seddon, Bracknell AC) will look to push them for victory.

Meanwhile Greg Rutherford (Dan Pfaff, Marshall Milton Keynes) will take to the long jump runway for the final time in his illustrious career on the Newcastle-Gateshead quayside after announcing his retirement earlier this year.

The former Olympic, world, European and Commonwealth champion, who competed at the first ever CityGames in the North-East, will compete in a mixed field that includes 2016 European silver medallist Jazmin Sawyers (Lance Brauman, City of Stoke) and 2015 British indoor champion Abigail Irozuru (Tom Cullen, Sale Harriers Manchester).

The pop-up 150m track at Newcastle-Gateshead Quayside will see European 100m silver medallist Reece Prescod (Jonas Dodoo, Enfield & Haringey) and 4x100m relay gold medallist Harry Aikines-Aryeetey (Benke Blomkvist, Sutton & District) face-off against Ireland’s Leon Reid (James Hillier, Birchfield Harriers) and American Elijah Hall-Thompson.

Prescod clocked his third legal sub-10 run with a 9.94 (-0.5m/s) at the Birmingham Diamond League last month, while Reid will be hoping to continue to build on the 200m Commonwealth bronze he took at Gold Coast for Northern Ireland in April.

In the women’s equivalent, Jodie Williams (Stuart McMillan, Herts Phoenix) and Daryll Neita (Jonas Dodoo, Cambridge Harriers) will challenge Commonwealth Games 100m gold medallist Michelle-Lee Ahye (TTO).

Williams and Neita were part of the women’s 4x100m relay team that took gold in Berlin at the European Championships. Bronze medallist in the women’s 200m at the European Championships, Jamile Samuel (NED), completes the line-up.

Lynsey Sharp (Terrence Mahon, Edinburgh AC) will look to regain the 500m crown she claimed in 2016, but will  face stiff competition from Anyika Onuora (Rana Reider, Liverpool), who finished as runner-up to Sharp the same year.

Sharp clocked the fastest ever 500m time on the road of 1:06.62 that day, while Onuora has finished second in the past two years to Sharp and Perri Shakes-Drayton.

4x400m relay silver medallists from Berlin, Martyn Rooney (Graham Hedman, Croydon) and Rabah Yousif (Carol Williams, Newham & Essex Beagles), will headline the rarely run 500m race.

2010 European 400m hurdles champion Dai Greene (Benke Blomkvist, Swansea), who took gold at the Müller British Athletics Championships earlier this year, will also be in the field, along with 400m hurdles Beijing 2008 Olympic bronze medallist Bershawn Jackson (USA) and 800m specialists Guy Learmonth (Henry Gray, Lasswade) & Harun Abda (USA).

Jonnie Peacock (Michael Khmel, Charnwood) will make his return to competitive action in the men’s T44/64 100m in a very strong field containing 2018 World Para Athletics European T64 100m gold medallist Felix Streng (GER) and fellow finalist, Emanuele di Marino (ITA).

More international acclaim comes from 2016 Olympic silver medallist Orlando Ortega (ESP) in the men’s 110m hurdles, flanked by Commonwealth Games finalist Shane Brathwaite (BAR) and David King (James Hillier, City of Plymouth).

Defending British champion Alicia Barrett (Toni Minichiello, Chesterfield) and indoor 60m hurdles silver medallist Yasmin Miller (Robert Smith, Derby) will race in the women’s equivalent against Germany’s Nadine Hildebrand and Eefje Boons of the Netherlands.

The CityGames will be shown live on BBC One from 1:15pm on Saturday, 8 September. Start lists and results for the events will be available here.