Mutaz Essa Barshim at the 2016 IAAF Diamond League meeting in Birmingham (© Jean-Pierre Durand)
Reigning 200m world champion Dafne Schippers will go head-to-head with Britain’s finest sprinters in a post-world championship celebration showdown at the Müller Grand Prix Birmingham on Sunday 20 August.
A host of Olympic and world medallists will compete at the IAAF Diamond League meeting, which will include Mo Farah’s last ever track race on home soil.
Schippers will take on Britain’s fastest ever woman Dina Asher-Smith and European Indoor 60m champion Asha Philip over 100m at the Alexander Stadium.
The Dutch sprint star will be hoping to have added more world medals to her collection over both 100m and 200m in London the week before.
“The Müller Grand Prix Birmingham will be a fantastic celebration for the athletes and a fitting end to an amazing season of athletics in the UK," Schippers said.
“It will be great to have a race later in the season against the best sprinters in a fun and celebratory atmosphere and I know the athletes will put on a spectacular show for the crowd.”
Olympic high jump silver medallist Mutaz Barshim of Qatar will also compete at the Müller Grand Prix Birmingham, against home favourite and long-term rival Robbie Grabarz. Barshim has a fantastic record in Birmingham -- he won this event in a stadium record 2.38m in 2014 and also cleared 2.37m in 2016.
Grabarz finished in joint fourth behind Barshim in Rio last year and was joint Olympic bronze medallist with the Qatari athlete and Derek Drouin of Canada at London 2012.
Barshim and Birmingham-based Grabarz will each want to come out on top at both the IAAF World Championships and the Diamond League meet on 20 August.
Barshim, the 2013 world silver medallist, said, “I love competing in the UK so to have another chance to compete there at the Müller Grand Prix Birmingham is fantastic.
“I hope I will be celebrating winning another World Championship medal by the time I get to Birmingham and I will be trying my best to jump well.”
Organisers for the IAAF
2017 IAAF Diamond League calendar:
5 May – Doha, QAT
13 May – Shanghai, CHN
27 May – Eugene, USA
8 Jun – Rome, ITA
15 Jun – Oslo, NOR
18 Jun – Stockholm, SWE
1 Jul – Paris, FRA
6 Jul – Lausanne, SUI
9 Jul – London, GBR
16 Jul – Rabat, MAR
21 Jul – Monaco, MON
20 Aug – Birmingham, GBR
24 Aug – Zurich, SUI
1 Sep – Brussels, BEL
