Dina Asher-Smith will return to the North East of England on July 13 for the Müller British Grand Prix after event switches from its original home in the British capital
Three days after Gateshead International Stadium hosted the first meeting in the 2021 Wanda Diamond League series, it has been confirmed that the same venue will hold another Diamond League meeting on Tuesday July 13.
The first meeting last Sunday, May 23, was due to be held in the Moroccan city of Rabat but moved to Gateshead due to the pandemic and now the Anniversary Games in the Olympic Stadium in London will also be held in Gateshead and will be named the Müller British Grand Prix.
Asher-Smith won the 100m in spectacular style last Sunday when she beat Sha’Carri Richardson of the United States, among others, in dreadful weather conditions.
On July 13 she will return to the venue to run 200m – the event in which she is the world champion – in her last race at home before heading out to the Olympics in Tokyo.
She said: “I’m really excited to return to Gateshead on July 13 for the Müller British Grand Prix. Hopefully we will be allowed to have more fans in the stadium and the athletes will get a great send off before they go to the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
“My first 100m of 2021 last weekend was against some tough opposition and I’m expecting it to be another exciting race when I go back there in a few weeks’ time.”
This is the second time this season that Gateshead has stepped into hold a Diamond League event after the original venue faced difficulties. For London, the switch is due to the repercussions of the pandemic and after an agreement was reached between UK Athletics and the London Legacy Development Corporation.
Re-configuring the London Stadium from a football venue to an athletics arena for a one-off meeting was deemed too costly, whereas the 11,800 capacity Gateshead Stadium is already set up and ready to welcome spectators.
Gateshead Council’s Cabinet Member for Culture, Sport and Leisure, Councillor Angela Douglas, said: “We are delighted that athletics will return to Gateshead International Stadium this summer with the Müller British Grand Prix. This is fantastic news for Gateshead and a ringing endorsement of our long-established reputation for hosting major international sporting events.
“It is such a brilliant opportunity to celebrate our great passion for sport in the region and for spectators to get up close to all the action. We look forward to supporting the athletes on their journey to the Olympic Games in Tokyo.”
After welcoming back 2000 spectators at the Müller Grand Prix Gateshead last Sunday, British Athletics is hopeful more fans will be able to safely return to the stadium for the Müller British Grand Prix on July 13 and further big-name athlete announcements are expected in coming weeks.