3rd January 2019
LOOKING AHEAD TO 2019: JULY-SEPTEMBER
Another bumper summer of Championships and major events come into full flow for the British athletes from July as preparations towards the World Championships intensify.
1) Highgate in London once again plays host to the European 10,000m Cup at the Night of the 10,000m PBs on 6th July following last year’s success.
Charlotte Arter headlined the British performances, setting a personal best 32:15.71, claiming an individual third place and team silver, while Alex Yee (Kenneth Pike; Kent) shattered his previous best and finished fifth, achieving the European Championships 10,000m standard in the process.
2) The European Mountain Running Championships (uphill) head to Switzerland on the 7 July with the British team hoping to emulate the success of 2018 that saw each member of the team claim at least one medal in Skopje, Macedonia.
3) The multi-eventers will have a keen focus on the European Combined Events Team Championships Super League on July 6-7.
The top three senior women’s and senior men’s scores combine to give the overall total score for their respective nation.
4) The European Under-23 Championships in Gavle, Sweden, will pit some of Europe’s rising stars against one another between 11-14 July.
The championships will provide an opportunity for age group athletes to win silverware ahead of the World Championships, with the British team seeking a strong championship. The last time they finished atop the medal table was at the first ever championship in 1997.
5) The World Long Distance Mountain Running Championship trials take place in Snowdonia on 14 July ahead of the championships themselves in Argentina later in the year.
6) Just four days later, the European Under-20 Championships head to Boras, Sweden between 18-21 July, with the British contingent looking to continue their domination at the Championships in recent years.
2017’s edition was the first time since 2011 that the British team had not topped the medal table, but they collected 19 medals in the process, including five golds.
7) July’s major action ends with the iconic Muller Anniversary Games at the London Stadium, a place where world records and meeting records alike have been shattered over the years.
Tom Bosworth, Sophie Hahn and Kare Adenegan all set world records in 2018, Sifan Hassan (NED) claimed the women’s mile Diamond League record, with five new meeting records set.
8) August kicks off with the World Para Athletics Junior Championships in Nottwil, Switzerland,
In the first instalment of the championships in 2017, Great Britain & Northern Ireland finished third overall with a total of 20 medals, 11 of which were gold. The team finished second on the Under-20 medal table and in sixth place on the Under-18 table.
9) The British team will once again compete in the European Team Championships Super League in Bydgoszcz, Poland, in August.
At the last edition in 2016, the British team took six individual victories, headlined by Harry Aikines-Aryeetey (Benke Blomkvist; Sutton & District) in the men’s 100m and Eilidh Doyle (Brian Doyle; Pitreavie) in the women’s 400m hurdles.
10) The Muller Grand Prix Birmingham on 18 August is the final opportunity for athletes to secure vital points on the Diamond League circuit ahead of the finals in Zurich and Brussels.
Reece Prescod (Jonas Dodoo; Enfield & Haringey) dipped under 10-seconds for the first time in an epic duel with Christian Coleman, whilst Greg Rutherford waved goodbye to the Alexander Stadium for the final time.
11) The British Championships will once again determine who will guarantee themselves a spot on the British team for the IAAF World Championships in Doha, Qatar, over the weekend 24-26 August.
Dina Asher-Smith (John Blackie; Blackheath & Bromley) and Morgan Lake (Fuzz Caan; Windsor Slough Eton & Hounslow) set championship records in the women’s 100m and women’s high jump respectively, while Beth Dobbin (Leon Baptiste; Edinburgh AC) broke the Scottish record as she clocked 22.59 (-1.3m/s) to win the 200m final.
12) Another highlight in the ultra-running community is the IAU 50km Championships, taking place in Brasov, Romania, on September 1.
Great Britain & Northern Ireland women’s team took team gold in 2016 as the men took team silver, Amy Clements was the best performer, scooping an individual bronze.
13) The pinnacle for our leading athletes in 2019 will be the chance to compete at the IAAF World Championships in Doha, Qatar, from September 28.
After six medals were won in 2017, there is a great opportunity for our leading British stars to challenge themselves on the international stage and put their name in the lights one year out from the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
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