Guide to who, what and when: Stratford Speed ​​Meet

Everything you need to know about this weekend’s big sprint event, including top athletes and details on how to watch and watch

Some of Britain’s best sprinters head to Newham on Sunday (May 26) as they aim to make early marks at London’s Olympic Park.

Since its inception, the Newham Sprints Meeting has been one of the most popular destinations for 100m and 200m runners, given the fast nature of the track and the good wind.

Last season, five of the top 10 British men and three of the top 10 British women sprinters achieved their best season at Newham.

Romell Glave ran a personal best of 10.02 at the Stratford Community Track in London, with Imani Lara-Lansiquot also running 11.03.

This time the meeting was renamed “Stratford Speed”. With over 350 100m entries, there could be around 40 races over the distance throughout the day, culminating in the elite races. The lineups, safe to say, are really interesting.

Eugene Amo-Dadzie, dubbed “the fastest accountant”, will be one of the main headliners in the men’s elite field. Amo-Dadzie had a breakthrough season last year after running an amazing 9.93 to move up to fourth on the UK all-time list. Also on his debut for Great Britain outdoors, he finished fourth in his semi-final at the World Championships.

Double European 200m silver medalist Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake will also be looking to deliver in Stratford and his 100m personal best of 9.99 dates back to 2017. So far he has clocked 10.20 and 10.25 distance this season.

Nathaniel Mitchell-Blake (Mark Shearman)

CJ Ujah will be one to watch. This will be his first full outdoor season since serving a 22-month doping ban that ended last June. Ujah tested positive for two banned substances at the Tokyo Olympics but was cleared of intentional doping. This year’s season best is 10.07 and personal best is 9.96.

One of the most popular athletes of the meeting will undoubtedly be Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, who also found fame as ‘Nitro’ in the TV series Gladiators. Aikines-Aryeetey has only competed in the US so far this season and has a season best of 10.17.

Desiree Henry, who won an Olympic bronze medal in the 4x100m and a world relay silver in 2016 and 2017 respectively, will be looking to improve on her season best of 11.36. Henry’s personal best of 11.06 was set eight years ago.

Another notable name is Joy Eze. The Briton is the European under-20 100m champion and has had an amazing rise in the sport. Her personal best is 11.37 and she will be hoping to do so in ideal conditions in Stratford.

With junior racing also in the spotlight, it offers a chance to help inspire the next generation as well.

Meeting director Tony Shiret worked with sports promoter Laura Hillyard on the event. Together with Just Timing’s Luke Smallwood and Virtual Media TV’s Victor Nutakor, they hope to elevate the presentation of speed meets.

“There has been a real increase in production and provision around distance events in the UK, with Night of the 10,000m PBs, Podium 5km and the British Milers’ Club,” says Hillyard.

“Our ambition lies in improving the delivery and production of sprint events, developing a platform that allows athletes not only to perform, but to showcase their personalities and open doors for partnerships.

“I often joke that no matter how old you are, most people can remember who was the fastest person at school and many wanted to be that person. Interest in sprints can be maintained if people continue to have a regular platform to engage.

“We’re going to try to get a lot done in the short amount of time we’ve given ourselves to prepare and it’s going to be a huge team effort, but the aim of this event is to start the ball rolling with building from platform to springboard.

Night of the 10,000m PB (Getty)

“It’s an attempt to increase our revenue base to enable us to do more things in a more sustainable way, making it a better experience for athletes and reducing our reliance on entry fee revenue. In the past, the event has flown under the radar outside the sprinting community, but attracts the fastest sprinters in the UK. I’m working with the event to test some new “proof of concept” items on Sunday.

“It’s about presenting an enhanced on-site and online presence to create a platform for sprinters that aligns with their culture and gives the event and athletes greater exposure.”

You can watch the stream via Virtual Media TV here.

Be sure to check out Stratford Speed ​​social channels – @stratfordspeedgp on Instagram and TikTok and @stratfordspeed on Twitter.

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