Anniversary Games

The London Diamond League, formerly known as the London Grand Prix and subsequently as the Anniversary Games, 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. As the London Grand Prix, until 2012 all 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 and have been followed by an IPC London Grand Prix, making it a three-day event. In 2014 the meet was held in Glasgow, Scotland, as preparation for the Commonwealth Games held there later that month.

London Diamond League
London Stadium, host of the event annually between 2015 and 2019
DateJuly – August
LocationLondon, England (Glasgow, Scotland in 2014)
Event typeTrack and field
World Athletics Cat.GW[1]
Established1953
Official siteLondon Anniversary Games

Event names

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

Years Name Sponsor
1953–1979 International Games Rotary Watches Ltd[2]
1980–1988 British Games Peugeot / Talbot[2]
1989 British Games Royal Mail[3]
1990–1991 British Games Parcelforce
1992 London Grand Prix none
1993 IAAF Grand Prix Final
1994 London Grand Prix Trustee Savings Bank
1995–1996 London Grand Prix KP Nuts
1997–1998 London Grand Prix none
1999–2001 British Grand Prix CGU plc[4][5][6]
2002–2007 London Grand Prix Norwich Union
2008–2012 London Grand Prix Aviva
2013, 2015 Anniversary Games Sainsbury's
2014 Glasgow Grand Prix
2016–2019 Anniversary Games Müller
2020 Not held[7]
2021 British Grand Prix[8] Müller
2022 Birmingham Diamond League Müller
2023 London Diamond League[9]

Event locations
Years Venue Region Country
1953–2012 National Sports Centre Crystal Palace, London England
2013, 2015–2019, 2023 London Stadium Stratford, London England
2014 Hampden Park Mount Florida, Glasgow Scotland
2021 Gateshead International Stadium Gateshead England
2022 Alexander Stadium Birmingham England

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.[10]

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.[11] It commemorates suffragist Millicent Fawcett.[12] 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.[13]

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.[14] 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.[15] A four-year sponsorship deal with Sainsbury's was announced in January 2014.[16] In February 2014 it was confirmed that the Grand Prix event would move to Hampden Park and be known as the Glasgow Grand Prix. The event returned to London from 2015 and continued to be known as the Anniversary Games .

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.[17]

World records

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

Year Event Record Athlete Nationality
2004 Pole vault 4.90 m Yelena Isinbaeva  Russia
2005 Pole vault 4.96 m Yelena Isinbaeva  Russia
2005 Pole vault 5.00 m Yelena Isinbaeva  Russia
2016 100 m hurdles 12.20 (+0.3 m/s) Kendra Harrison  United States
2018 3000 m walk (track) 10:43.84 Tom Bosworth  Great Britain
2018 T34 100m 16.80 Kare Adenegan  United Kingdom
2018 T38 200m 25.93 Sophie Hahn  United Kingdom
2023 U20 5000m 14:16.54 Medina Eisa  Ethiopia

Meeting records

Men
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
200 m 19.47 (+1.6 m/s) Noah Lyles  United States 23 July 2023 Stratford [18]
400 m 43.98 Michael Johnson  United States 10 July 1992 Crystal Palace
800 m 1:42.05 Emmanuel Korir  Kenya 22 July 2018 Stratford [19]
Mile 3:45.96 Hicham El Guerrouj  Morocco 5 August 2000 Crystal Palace
3000 m 7:27.64 Mohamed Katir  Spain 13 July 2021 Gateshead [20]
5000 m 12:55.51 Haile Gebrselassie  Ethiopia 30 July 2004 Crystal Palace
110 m hurdles 12.93 (+0.6 m/s) Aries Merritt  United States 13 July 2012 Crystal Palace [21]
400 m hurdles 47.12 Karsten Warholm  Norway 20 July 2019 Stratford [22]
3000 m steeplechase 8:06.86 Brimin Kiprop Kipruto  Kenya 27 July 2013 Stratford [23]
High jump 2.41 m Javier Sotomayor  Cuba 15 July 1994 Crystal Palace
Pole vault 6.03 m Renaud Lavillenie  France 25 July 2015 Stratford [24]
Long jump 8.58 m (+0.2 m/s) Luvo Manyonga  South Africa 22 July 2018 Stratford [25]
Triple jump 17.78 m (+0.6 m/s) Christian Taylor  United States 22 July 2016 Stratford [26]
Shot put 23.07 m Ryan Crouser  United States 23 July 2023 Stratford [27]
Discus throw 68.56 m Daniel Ståhl  Sweden 21 July 2019 Stratford [28]
Javelin throw 90.81 m Steve Backley  United Kingdom 22 July 2001 Crystal Palace
3000 m walk (track) 10:43.84 Tom Bosworth  Great Britain 21 July 2018 Stratford [29]
4 × 100 m relay 37.60 Chijindu Ujah
Zharnel Hughes
Richard Kilty
Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake		  Great Britain 21 July 2019 Stratford [30]
37.46 Racers Track Club
Daniel Bailey
Yohan Blake
Mario Forsythe
Usain Bolt		  Antigua and Barbuda /  Jamaica 25 July 2009 Crystal Palace [31]

Women
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 [32]
200 m 22.10 (-0.3 m/s) Elaine Thompson  Jamaica 25 July 2015 [33]
400 m 49.05 Sanya Richards-Ross  United States 28 July 2006
800 m 1:57.30 Jemma Reekie  Great Britain 23 July 2023 Stratford [34]
1500 m 3:57.49 Laura Muir  Great Britain 22 July 2016 Stratford [35]
Mile 4:14.71 DLR Sifan Hassan  Netherlands 22 July 2018 Stratford [36]
3000 m 8:21.64 Sonia O'Sullivan  Ireland 15 July 1994
5000 m 14:12.29 Gudaf Tsegay  Ethiopia 23 July 2023 Stratford [37]
100 m hurdles 12.20 (+0.3 m/s) DLR Kendra Harrison  United States 22 July 2016 Stratford [38]
400 m hurdles 51.45 DLR Femke Bol  Netherlands 23 July 2023 Stratford [39]
3000 m steeplechase 8:57.35 Jackline Chepkoech  Kenya 23 July 2023 Stratford [40]
High jump 2.05 m Kajsa Bergqvist  Sweden 28 July 2006
Pole vault 5.00 m Yelena Isinbayeva  Russia 22 July 2005
Long jump 7.02 m (-0.5 m/s) Malaika Mihambo  Germany 21 July 2019 Stratford [28]
Triple jump 15.27 m (+1.2 m/s) Yamilé Aldama  Sudan 8 August 2003
Shot put 20.90 m Valerie Adams  New Zealand 27 July 2013 Stratford [41]
Discus throw 69.94 m Sandra Perković  Croatia 23 July 2016 Stratford [42]
Javelin throw 68.26 m Barbora Špotáková  Czech Republic 9 July 2017 [43]
4 × 100 m relay 41.82 Asha Philip
Desiree Henry
Dina Asher-Smith
Daryll Neita		  Great Britain 22 July 2016 Stratford [44]

References
  1. "IAAF World Ranking Calendar". IAAF. 2019.
  2. COMPILATION NOTES GBRathletics. Retrieved on 2013-03-08.
  3. Astute Pascoe strikes corporate gold The Herald (1989-07-15). Retrieved on 2013-03-11.
  4. Turnbull, Simon (1999-07-18). Athletics: Palace doubt for mile master The Independent. Retrieved on 2013-03-11.
  5. Norwich Union London Grand Prix Euromeetings.org Retrieved on 2013-03-08.
  6. 2001 Review Brits lining up for victory Archived 2013-08-20 at the Wayback Machine Diamond League London. Retrieved on 2013-03-08.
  7. "Anniversary Games 2020 cancelled because of coronavirus". BBC Sport. 2020-05-12. Retrieved 2021-04-18.
  8. Henderson, Jason (27 May 2021). "Diamond League in London moves to Gateshead". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  9. "UK ATHLETICS LINES UP THRILLING LONDON STADIUM RETURN IN JULY 2023". British Athletics. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  10. Powell, David (2003-08-07). Emsley Carr Mile stands test of time. The Times. Retrieved on 2009-07-31.
  11. "Programme 2018 and results". Muller Anniversary Games. Diamond League. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
  12. "First ever Millicent Fawcett Mile to be held at Muller Anniversary Games". British Athletics. 22 July 2018. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
  13. Brown, Matthew (2009-07-24). Against the wind Bolt blasts 9.91, Isinbayeva's win streak halted at 18 – London Day 1 – IAAF World Athletics Tour. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-07-25.
  14. "Olympic Stadium to host Diamond League meeting". BBC News. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
  15. "Athletics could return to the Olympic Stadium in 2015 due to a gap in its rebuilding schedule". Retrieved 24 July 2016.
  16. http://www.britishathletics.org.uk/media/news/2014-news-page/january-2014/01-01-14-sainsburys-sponsorship/
  17. "CHANGE OF VENUE FOR MÜLLER ANNIVERSARY GAMES". UK Athletics. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  18. "200m Results" (PDF). sportresult.com. 23 July 2023. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  19. "800m Results" (PDF). sportresult.com. 22 July 2018. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
  20. "3000m Result" (PDF). sportresult.com. 13 July 2021. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
  21. "110 Metres Hurdles Results". IAAF. 13 July 2012. Retrieved 15 July 2012.
  22. "Warholm smashes European 400m hurdles record with 47.12". European Athletics. 20 July 2019. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
  23. "3000 m steeplechase Men: Results" (PDF). Diamond League. Omega Timing. 27 July 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 27 July 2013.
  24. "Pole Vault Results" (PDF). static.sportresult.com. 25 July 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
  25. "Long Jump Results" (PDF). sportresult.com. 22 July 2018. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
  26. "Triple Jump Results" (PDF). sportresult.com. 22 July 2016. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  27. "Shot Put Results" (PDF). sportresult.com. 23 July 2023. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  28. Bob Ramsak (21 July 2019). "Obiri and Fraser-Pryce shine in London - IAAF Diamond League". IAAF. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  29. "3000m Race Walk Results" (PDF). sportresult.com. 21 July 2018. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  30. "4×100m Relay Results" (PDF). sportresult.com. 21 July 2019. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  31. Matthew Brown (21 July 2009). "Bolt leads Jamaican club's 400-relay team to 37.46". www.bleacherreport.com. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
  32. "100m Results" (PDF). sportresult.com. 23 July 2023. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  33. "200m Results" (PDF). static.sportresult.com. 25 July 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
  34. Jon Mulkeen (23 July 2023). "Bol blazes to 51.45 Diamond League record in London". World Athletics. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  35. "1500m Results" (PDF). sportresult.com. 22 July 2016. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  36. "Mile Run Results" (PDF). sportresult.com. 22 July 2018. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
  37. "5000m Results" (PDF). sportresult.com. 23 July 2023. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  38. "100m Hurdles Results" (PDF). sportresult.com. 22 July 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 July 2016. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  39. "400m Hurdles Results" (PDF). sportresult.com. 23 July 2023. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  40. "Bol blazes to 51.45 Diamond League record in London | REPORT | World Athletics". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  41. "Shot put Women: Results" (PDF). Diamond League. Omega Timing. 27 July 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 27 July 2013.
  42. "Women's Discus Throw Results" (PDF). sportresult.com. 23 July 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
  43. "Javelin Throw Results" (PDF). sportresult.com. 9 July 2017. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  44. "Women's 4×100m Relay Results" (PDF). sportresult.com. 22 July 2016. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
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