29 April 2015

European 200m champion Adam Gemili (coach: Steve Fudge) will line up for a pre-World Championship showdown with some of his biggest medal rivals at the Sainsbury’s Anniversary Games, in the former Olympic Stadium, at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park from 24-26th July.

Gemili will take on the world’s best sprinters at the three-day athletics spectacular, which will also include star names such as British Olympic champions Mo Farah (Alberto Salazar), Jessica Ennis-Hill (Toni Minichiello) and Greg Rutherford (Jonas Tawiah-Dodoo).

The event includes a two-day Diamond League meeting on Friday 24th and Saturday 25th July, with the Sainsbury’s IPC Athletics Grand Prix Final taking place on Sunday 26th July. On Monday 27th the first ever Diamond Relay will also take place at Olympic park, a 5x5km road race for runners of all abilities finishing on the Olympic track.

The Sainsbury’s Anniversary Games takes place just four weeks before the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Beijing. The meeting will provide an important yardstick for Gemili and Britain’s top athletes as they prepare to battle for medals in China.

Gemili said: “I can’t wait to compete against the world’s best sprinters in the former Olympic Stadium at the Sainsbury’s Anniversary Games, which will give me a clear insight into where I am ahead of the world championships. It’s an inspirational venue and I’m sure this race will have a major championship feel.

 “As a Londoner it really means a lot to me to be able to compete at such a prestigious event in my home city, alongside so many Olympic and world champions. I raced at the inaugural event in 2013, so I know the atmosphere will be amazing because the support of the British crowd is always fantastic.

“The Sainsbury’s Anniversary Games will be one of the best events in Britain this year, and I hope sports fans of all ages will come along to experience the magic of big-time athletics and relive some of the memories of London 2012.”

Gemili who was also one of the gold medal winning 4x100m relay team at the European Championships last year, is one of the new exciting generation of British sprinters aiming to give the Jamaicans and the Americans a run for their money in Beijing and beyond.

British Athletics’ Major Event Director Cherry Alexander said, “The Sainsbury’s Anniversary Games will once again see the cream of global athletics gather in London at the former Olympic Stadium, for one of the biggest meetings in the world.

“It will be a perfect platform for the new generation of British athletes, such as Adam and our talented group of home-grown sprinters, to join our established stars and show what they can do before they head off to the world championships in Beijing.”

The Stadium is currently closed as work continues to transform it into the new national competition centre for British Athletics in 2016 and the permanent home of West Ham United FC. A major construction project is underway and on schedule for the stadium to host a number of world class sporting events later this year including the Sainsbury’s Anniversary Games and five matches of the Rugby World Cup.

British Athletics have secured the right to host athletics in the Stadium for one month every year for the next 50 years from 2016.

To buy tickets to the Sainsbury’s Anniversary Games visit britishathletics.org.uk. Sainsbury’s is proud to be a long-term supporter of British Athletics and a champion of inclusive sport for all, from grassroots to elite level.