15th June 2022

SEVERAL BRITISH ATHLETES LINE-UP FOR THE 2022 BISLETT GAMES

Several British athletes will be in track and field action at the sixth event in the Wanda Diamond League series in Oslo, Norway on Thursday 16 June.

The women’s 5000m [19:19 BST] will be one of the key events of the evening as Eilish McColgan (coach: Liz Nuttall, club: Dundee Hawkhill) and Jessica Judd (Mick Judd, Blackburn) take to the field with the British record under threat. McColgan holds that record – 14:28.55 – from last year’s Bislett Games, and after coming so close to breaking Paula Radcliffe’s 10,000m record recently, she will have her eyes on revising that time once again. Meanwhile, Judd is in excellent form after moving into the top 10 UK all-time over the 5000m distance with her 14:57.19 clocking at the Muller Birmingham Diamond League last month.

Olympic silver medallists’ Keely Hodgkinson (Trevor Painter, Leigh) and Laura Muir (Andy Young, Dundee Hawkhill) will go head-to-head in the women’s 800m [20:25], as will Tokyo fourth placer, Jemma Reekie (Andy Young, Kilbarchan). It’ll be an intriguing contest as Hodgkinson looks for her third Diamond League win of the season after victories in Birmingham and Eugene, while Muir steps down to the two-lap distance.

After winning the 1500m at the Rabat Diamond League a week and a half ago, Jake Wightman (Geoff Wightman, Edinburgh) will be looking for success in the Dream Mile [20:50], as will Neil Gourley (Ben Thomas, Giffnock North) who has also been in excellent form so far in 2022. Wightman ran a time of 3:32.62 in Morocco to go to the top of the 2022 UK rankings, while Gourley improved his personal best to 3:34.85 at the recent Diamond League fixture in Eugene. Olympic champion and home favourite, Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR) leads the entries.

After victory at the World Athletics Continental Tour in Ostrava recently, 9.93-man Reece Prescod (Enfield & Haringey) takes on the men’s 100m [19:39] in Norway. He’ll be joined by Ojie Edoburun (Stuart McMillan, Shaftesbury Barnet) who has run 10.07 so far this season.

In the field, 2019 world finalist Sophie McKinna (Paul Wilson, Great Yarmouth) competes in the women’s’ shot put competition which kicks off the Diamond League programme at 16:31.

Back on the track, Jessie Knight (Marina Armstrong, Windsor Slough Eton and Hounslow) and Lina Nielsen (Shaftesbury Barnet) will look to continue their good form in the women’s 400m hurdles [19:04], while Sam Atkin (Mike Collins, Lincoln Wellington) is included in the men’s 5000m [19:49] start list.

In the women’s sprints, Beth Dobbin (Leon Baptiste, Edinburgh) goes in the women’s 200m [19:44], part of the Diamond League programme.

There will also be a GB & NI women’s 4x400m relay team in action with Knight and Nielsen returning to the track with Ama Pipi (Marco Airale, Enfield & Haringey), Jessica Turner (Nick Dakin, Amber Valley & Erewash) and Beth Dobbin also joining the team.

Programme and start lists

Live coverage will be on BBC Three between 19:00-21:00 on Thursday 16 June.