08 July, 2015

British champions London bound for Sainsbury's Anniversary Games

Some of the stars of last weekend’s Sainsbury’s British Championships will perform again on home soil at the Sainsbury’s Anniversary Games on 24-26 July. The two-day IAAF Diamond League athletics spectacular will return to The Stadium in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park where the British contingent will face some of the very best athletes in the world.

Now the reigning British indoor and outdoor champion, Chijindu Ujah will continue his preparations for Beijing as he takes on a world class 100m field which includes new European record holder Jimmy Vicaut, Commonwealth champion Kemar Bailey-Cole and fellow Jamaican Nesta Carter.

Ujah took a thrilling victory in Birmingham to win the British title in 10.10, ahead of European champion James Dasaolu.

Dina Asher-Smith goes in the women’s race after a fantastic breakthrough year, the British champion and British record holder proved she is capable of mixing it with the very best after running Allyson Felix close at the Sainsbury’s Birmingham Grand Prix.

Robbie Grabarz returned with a bang, securing a British title and an IAAF World Championships qualifying mark, but will now step up in class as he takes on the best high jumpers in the world, including Mutaz Essa Barshim and Bohdan Bondarenko.

Great Britain’s heptathlon stars Jessica Ennis-Hill and Katarina Johnson-Thompson both continued their progression at the Sainsbury’s British Championships. Olympic champion Ennis-Hill picked up a bronze medal in the hurdles whilst European indoor champion Johnson-Thompson was third in the long jump. The long anticipated match-up between them didn’t materialise but the Sainsbury’s Anniversary Games could be the time when they compete against each other for the first time this season.

Christine Ohuruogu was beaten to the British 400m title by Margaret Adeoye in Birmingham but the former Olympic and current world champion will be back in action at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park as she continues to build up to her world title defence in Beijing in August.

Greg Rutherford has been in superb form during 2015 with IAA Diamond League victories in Birmingham and Oslo and the Olympic champion continued this by winning Sainsbury’s British Championships gold in Birmingham. He will hope to maintain his winning streak by jumping well in London, where he will have fond memories of the long jump pit where he claimed his Olympic gold medal on that Super Saturday in 2012.