London Athletics Meet

Athletics tournament held in London, United Kingdom From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The London Athletics Meet, formerly known as the London Grand Prix and subsequently as the Anniversary Games and London Diamond League, is an annual athletics event held in London, England. Previously one of the five IAAF Super Grand Prix events, it is now part of the Diamond League. From 1997 through 2005 the meetings were known as the British Grand Prix, before that name reverted to the meetings usually held in Gateshead and Birmingham.

DateJuly – August
LocationLondon, England (Glasgow, Scotland in 2014/Gateshead, England in 2021/Birmingham, England in 2022)
Event typeTrack and field
World Athletics Cat.GW[1]
Quick facts Date, Location ...
London Athletics Meet
London Stadium, current host of the annual event
DateJuly – August
LocationLondon, England (Glasgow, Scotland in 2014/Gateshead, England in 2021/Birmingham, England in 2022)
Event typeTrack and field
World Athletics Cat.GW[1]
Established1953; 73 years ago (1953)
Official siteLondon Anniversary Games
2026 London Athletics Meet
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As the London Grand Prix, until 2012 most editions were held at the National Sports Centre in Crystal Palace. The 2013 edition was renamed the Anniversary Games as it took place at the Stadium in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, exactly one year after the Olympic Games were held in the same venue. It was followed by an IPC London Grand Prix, making it a three-day event.[2] In 2014 the meet was held in Glasgow, Scotland, as preparation for the Commonwealth Games held there later that month.[3]

Editions

The event has been sponsored by a variety of companies including Peugeot, Norwich Union, Sainsbury's and Müller.

More information Ed., Meeting ...
London Athletics Meet editions
Ed. Meeting Series Date Sponsor Ref.
1–25 International Games 1953–1977
26th 1978 British Games[a] 23 Aug 1978 Rotary Watches[4] [5][6]
27th 1979 British Games[a] 31 Aug 1979 [7][8]
28th 1980 British Games[b] 27 Jun 1980 Talbot[4] [9]
29th 1981 British Games[b] 31 Jul 1981 [10]
30th 1982 British Games[b] 20 Aug 1982 [11]
31st 1983 British Games[b] 15 Jul 1983 [12][13]
32nd 1984 British Games[c] 13 Jul 1984 Peugeot / Talbot[4] [14][15]
33rd 1985 London Grand Prix[d] 1985 IAAF Grand Prix 19 Jul 1985 [16][17]
34th 1986 London Grand Prix[d] 1986 IAAF Grand Prix 11 Jul 1986 [18][19]
35th 1987 London Grand Prix[d] 1987 IAAF Grand Prix 10 Jul 1987 [16][20]
36th 1988 London Grand Prix[e] 1988 IAAF Grand Prix 8 Jul 1988 [16][21]
37th 1989 London Grand Prix[f] 1989 IAAF Grand Prix 14 Jul 1989 Royal Mail / Peugeot[4] [16][22]
38th 1990 London Grand Prix[g] 1990 IAAF Grand Prix 20 Jul 1990 Parcelforce[4] [16][23]
39th 1991 London Grand Prix[h] 1991 IAAF Grand Prix 12 Jul 1991 [16][24]
40th 1992 London Grand Prix[i] 1992 IAAF Grand Prix 10 Jul 1992 TSB[4] [16][25]
41st 1993 London Grand Prix[j] 1993 IAAF Grand Prix 23 Jul 1993 [16][26]
42nd 1994 London Grand Prix[j] 1994 IAAF Grand Prix I 15 Jul 1994 [16][27]
43rd 1995 London Grand Prix[k] 1995 IAAF Grand Prix I 7 Jul 1995 KP Nuts[4] [16][28]
44th 1996 London Grand Prix[l] 1996 IAAF Grand Prix I 12 Jul 1996 Securicor[4] [30][31]
45th 1997 Sheffield Grand Prix[l] 1997 IAAF Grand Prix I 29 Jun 1997 [32]
46th 1998 Sheffield Grand Prix[m] 1998 IAAF Grand Prix I 2 Aug 1998 none [33]
47th 1999 London Grand Prix[m] 1999 IAAF Grand Prix I 7 Aug 1999 CGU[34] [35][36]
48th 2000 London Grand Prix[n] 2000 IAAF Grand Prix I 5 Aug 2000 Norwich Union[4] [37][38]
49th 2001 London Grand Prix[n] 2001 IAAF Grand Prix I 22 Jul 2001 [39][40]
50th 2002 London Grand Prix[n] 2002 IAAF Grand Prix I 23 Aug 2002 [41][42]
51st 2003 London Grand Prix[n] 2003 IAAF Super Grand Prix 8 Aug 2003 [43][44]
52nd 2004 London Grand Prix[n] 2004 IAAF Super Grand Prix 30 Jul 2004 [45][46]
53rd 2005 London Grand Prix[n] 2005 IAAF Super Grand Prix 22 Jul 2005 [47][48]
54th 2006 London Grand Prix 2006 IAAF Super Grand Prix 28 Jul 2006 [49][50]
55th 2007 London Grand Prix[o] 2007 IAAF Super Grand Prix 3 Aug 2007 [51][52]
56th 2008 London Grand Prix 2008 IAAF Super Grand Prix 25–26 Jul 2008 Aviva [53][54]
57th 2009 London Grand Prix 2009 IAAF Super Grand Prix 24–25 Jul 2009 [55][56]
58th 2010 London Grand Prix 2010 Diamond League 13–14 Aug 2010 [57]
59th 2011 London Grand Prix 2011 Diamond League 5–6 Aug 2011 [58]
60th 2012 London Grand Prix 2012 Diamond League 13–14 Jul 2012 [59]
61st 2013 Anniversary Games 2013 Diamond League 26–27 Jul 2013 Sainsbury's [60]
62nd 2014 Glasgow Grand Prix[3] 2014 Diamond League 11–12 Jul 2014 [61]
63rd 2015 Anniversary Games 2015 Diamond League 24–25 Jul 2015 [62]
64th 2016 Anniversary Games 2016 Diamond League 22–23 Jul 2016 Müller [63]
65th 2017 Anniversary Games 2017 Diamond League 9 Jul 2017 [64]
66th 2018 Anniversary Games 2018 Diamond League 21–22 Jul 2018 [65]
67th 2019 Anniversary Games 2019 Diamond League 20–21 Jul 2019 [66]
2020: Meet canceled due to COVID-19[67]
68th 2021 Anniversary Games[p] 2021 Diamond League 13 Jul 2021 Müller [69]
69th 2022 Birmingham Diamond League[q] 2022 Diamond League 21 May 2022 [72]
70th 2023 London Athletics Meet[r] 2023 Diamond League 23 Jul 2023 [75]
71st 2024 London Athletics Meet 2024 Diamond League 20 Jul 2024 [76]
72nd 2025 London Athletics Meet 2025 Diamond League 19 Jul 2025 Novuna [77]
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Venues

More information Years, Venue ...
Venues for the London Athletics Meet
Years Venue Region Country
1953–1963 ? ? England
1964–1996, 1999–2012 National Sports Centre Crystal Palace, London England
1997–1998 Don Valley Stadium[78] Sheffield England
2013, 2015–2019, 2023–2025 London Stadium Stratford, London England
2014 Hampden Park[3] Mount Florida, Glasgow Scotland
2021 Gateshead International Stadium Gateshead[68] England
2022 Alexander Stadium Birmingham[71] England
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Emsley Carr Mile

The Emsley Carr Mile remains a fixture at the annual meeting, with a history spanning back to 1953 at the White City Stadium. Emsley Carr, an athletics fan and the editor of The News of the World, created an annual mile race in the hope that the first four-minute mile would be achieved on British soil. Gordon Pirie won the first race, but Roger Bannister had run under 4 minutes in Oxford by time that the second race was competed. However, the tradition continued, with the winner signing his name in a red leather-bound book identical to the Bible used in Queen Elizabeth II's coronation. Derek Ibbotson achieved the first sub-4-minute run at the race in 1956, and many of the best middle-distance runners have won at the Emsley Carr Mile since, including Sebastian Coe, Steve Ovett and Hicham El Guerrouj.[79]

Millicent Fawcett Mile

The Millicent Fawcett Mile, a women's race, was first held in the 2018 Anniversary Games and won by Sifan Hassan in 4:14.71.[80] It commemorates suffragist Millicent Fawcett.[81] There had been a women's mile event at previous games, without this title, the previous record being held by Hellen Obiri who ran in 2017 in 4:16.56.

History

In 2009 pole vault favourite Yelena Isinbayeva lost for the first time in 18 competitions, beaten by Anna Rogowska. Kate Dennison set an eighth British record in the pole vault.[82]

On 24 January 2013 it was announced that London Grand Prix would be moved to the Olympic Stadium for 2013. The London Legacy Development Corporation had expressed interest in holding an athletics event at the stadium to coincide with the first anniversary of the start of the 2012 Summer Olympics.[83] After the 2013 event, a return to Crystal Palace was ruled out as according to Ed Warner it would be a backward step.

Hampden Park, which was due to host the athletics events at the Commonwealth Games and a temporary venue in Horse Guards Parade and the Mall, were mooted for the 2014 edition, before a return to the Olympic Stadium in 2015 due to a gap in the reconstruction schedule.[84] A four-year sponsorship deal with Sainsbury's was announced in January 2014.[85] In February 2014 it was confirmed that the Grand Prix event would move to Hampden Park and be known as the Glasgow Grand Prix.[3] The event returned to London in 2015 and continued to be known as the Anniversary Games until 2021.

The 2021 event, due to be held on 13 July, was moved away from London Stadium to Gateshead International Stadium due to the difficulty of reconfiguring the stadium for a single athletics event.[86][68]

World records

Over the course of its history, a number of world records have been set at the London Grand Prix.

More information Year, Event ...
World records set at the London Athletics Meet
Year Event Record Athlete Nationality
1986 2000 m 5:28.69 Maricica Puică  Romania
2004 Pole vault 4.90 m Yelena Isinbaeva  Russia
2005 Pole vault 4.96 m Yelena Isinbaeva  Russia
Pole vault 5.00 m Yelena Isinbaeva  Russia
2016 100 m hurdles 12.20 (+0.3 m/s) Kendra Harrison  United States
2018 T38 200 m 25.93 Sophie Hahn  United Kingdom
T34 100 m 16.80 Kare Adenegan  United Kingdom
3000 m walk (track) 10:43.84 Tom Bosworth  Great Britain
2023 U20 5000 m 14:16.54 [s] Medina Eisa  Ethiopia
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Meeting records

Men

More information Event, Record ...
Men's meeting records of the London Athletics Meet
Event Record Athlete Nationality Date Place Ref. Video
100 m 9.78 (−0.4 m/s) Tyson Gay  United States 13 August 2010 Crystal Palace [88]
200 m 19.47 (+1.6 m/s) Noah Lyles  United States 23 July 2023 Stratford [89]
400 m 43.74 Matthew Hudson-Smith  Great Britain 20 July 2024 Stratford [90]
800 m 1:42.00 Emmanuel Wanyonyi  Kenya 19 July 2025 Stratford [91]
1000 m 2:14.15 Abdi Bile  Somalia 14 July 1989 Crystal Palace [92]
1500 m 3:28.82 Phanuel Kipkosgei Koech  Kenya 19 July 2025 Stratford [93]
Mile 3:45.96 Hicham El Guerrouj  Morocco 5 August 2000 Crystal Palace [94]
3000 m 7:27.64 Mohamed Katir  Spain 13 July 2021 Gateshead [95]
Two miles 8:01.72 Haile Gebrselassie  Ethiopia 7 August 1999 Crystal Palace [96]
5000 m 12:55.51 Haile Gebrselassie  Ethiopia 30 July 2004 Crystal Palace [97]
10,000 m 27:20.38 Aloÿs Nizigama  Burundi 7 July 1995 Crystal Palace [28]
110 m hurdles 12.93 (+0.6 m/s) Aries Merritt  United States 13 July 2012 Crystal Palace [98]
400 m hurdles 47.12 Karsten Warholm  Norway 20 July 2019 Stratford [99]
3000 m steeplechase 8:06.86 Brimin Kiprop Kipruto  Kenya 27 July 2013 Stratford [100]
High jump 2.41 m Javier Sotomayor  Cuba 15 July 1994 Crystal Palace [101]
Pole vault 6.03 m Renaud Lavillenie  France 25 July 2015 Stratford [102]
Long jump 8.58 m (+0.2 m/s) Luvo Manyonga  South Africa 22 July 2018 Stratford [103]
Triple jump 17.78 m (+0.6 m/s) Christian Taylor  United States 22 July 2016 Stratford [104]
Shot put 23.07 m Ryan Crouser  United States 23 July 2023 Stratford [105]
Discus throw 71.70 m DLR Mykolas Alekna  Lithuania 19 July 2025 Stratford [106]
Hammer throw 85.60 m Yuriy Sedykh  Soviet Union 13 July 1984 Crystal Palace [14]
Javelin throw 90.81 m Steve Backley  Great Britain 22 July 2001 Crystal Palace [107]
Mile walk (track) 5:31.08 Tom Bosworth  Great Britain 9 July 2017 Stratford [108]
3000 m walk (track) 10:43.84 Tom Bosworth  Great Britain 21 July 2018 Stratford [109]
4 × 100 m relay 37.60 Chijindu Ujah
Zharnel Hughes
Richard Kilty
Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake		  Great Britain 21 July 2019 Stratford [110]
37.46 Racers Track Club
Daniel Bailey
Yohan Blake
Mario Forsythe
Usain Bolt		  Antigua and Barbuda /
 Jamaica		 25 July 2009 Crystal Palace [111]
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Women

More information Event, Record ...
Women's meeting records of the London Athletics Meet
Event Record Athlete Nationality Date Place Ref.
100 m 10.75 (+1.2 m/s) Marie-Josée Ta Lou  Ivory Coast 23 July 2023 Stratford [112]
200 m 21.71 (−0.6 m/s) Julien Alfred  Saint Lucia 19 July 2025 Stratford [113]
400 m 48.57 DLR Nickisha Pryce  Jamaica 20 July 2024 Stratford [114]
800 m 1:54.61 Keely Hodgkinson  Great Britain 20 July 2024 Stratford [115]
1000 m 2:34.73 Paula Ivan  Romania 14 July 1989 Crystal Palace [92]
1500 m 3:54.75+ Gudaf Tsegay  Ethiopia 19 July 2025 Stratford [116]
Mile 4:11.88 Gudaf Tsegay  Ethiopia 19 July 2025 Stratford [116]
2000 m 5:28.69 Maricica Puică  Romania 11 July 1986 Crystal Palace [117]
3000 m 8:21.64 Sonia O'Sullivan  Ireland 15 July 1994 Crystal Palace [101]
5000 m 14:12.29 Gudaf Tsegay  Ethiopia 23 July 2023 Stratford [118]
100 m hurdles 12.20 (+0.3 m/s) DLR Kendra Harrison  United States 22 July 2016 Stratford [119]
400 m hurdles 51.30 DLR Femke Bol  Netherlands 20 July 2024 Stratford [120]
3000 m steeplechase 8:57.35 Jackline Chepkoech  Kenya 23 July 2023 Stratford [121]
High jump 2.05 m Kajsa Bergqvist  Sweden 28 July 2006 Crystal Palace [122]
Pole vault 5.00 m Yelena Isinbayeva  Russia 22 July 2005 Crystal Palace [123]
Long jump 7.09 m (±0.0 m/s) Malaika Mihambo  Germany 21 May 2022 Birmingham [124]
Triple jump 15.27 m (+1.2 m/s) Yamilé Aldama  Sudan 8 August 2003 Crystal Palace [125]
Shot put 20.90 m Valerie Adams  New Zealand 27 July 2013 Stratford [126]
Discus throw 69.94 m Sandra Perković  Croatia 23 July 2016 Stratford [127]
Javelin throw 72.98 m (old design) Fatima Whitbread  United Kingdom 10 July 1987 Crystal Palace [128]
68.26 m (current design) Barbora Špotáková  Czech Republic 9 July 2017 Stratford [129]
4 × 100 m relay 41.55 DLR Dina Asher-Smith
Imani Lansiquot
Amy Hunt
Daryll Neita		  Great Britain 20 July 2024 Stratford [130]
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Notes

  1. [a]
    Also known as Royal Watches International Games
  2. [b]
    Also known as Talbot (International) Games
  3. [c]
    Also known as Peugeot Talbot Games and Talbot Games
  4. [d]
    Also known as Peugeot Talbot Games
  5. [e]
    Also known as Peugeot Games and Peugeot Talbot Games
  6. [f]
    Also known as Royal Mail Parcels Games and Peugeot Games
  7. [g]
    Also known as Royal Mail Parcels Games and Parcelforce Games
  8. [h]
    Also known as Parcelforce Games
  9. [i]
    Also known as TSB Grand Prix
  10. [j]
    Also known as TSB Games
  11. [k]
    Also known as TSB Games and KP Games
  12. [l]
    Also known as British Grand Prix and Securicor Games[29]
  13. [m]
    Officially known as British Grand Prix
  14. [n]
    Officially known as Norwich Union British Grand Prix
  15. [o]
    Officially known as Norwich Union Super Grand Prix
  16. [p]
    Officially known as Müller British Grand Prix[68]
  17. [q]
    Officially known as Müller Birmingham Diamond League[70][71]
  18. [r]
    Also known as London Diamond League[73][74]
  19. [s]
    Not ratified as no anti-doping test was taken after the race.[87]

References

External links

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