This weekend marks the start of the biennial European Athletics Championships, where a number of the best athletes in Great Britain are getting ready to compete against competitors from across the continent as they continue to hone their skills for the Olympic Games in Paris later this summer.
For the first time since 1974, the championship will be held in Rome’s storied Stadio Olimpico. Despite the withdrawal of four British athletes earlier this week, including sprinter Zharnel Hughes and 400-meter runner Matthew Hudson-Smith, Katarina Johnson-Thompson, Keely Hodgkinson, Dina Asher-Smith, and Neil Gourley, the GB & NI squad still looks formidable.
Ahead of their projected race for gold in Paris 2024, Johnson-Thompson will try to make a lasting impression as she rekindles her rivalry with Olympic winner Nafi Thiam in the heptathlon. Meanwhile, emerging star Molly Caudery will aim to build on her global indoors crown, which she won earlier this year.
In the sprints, Jeremiah Azu, who set a personal best time of 9.97 seconds in May, will start as the fastest European man in the 100 metres and attempt to defeat Olympic champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs on home soil. Daryll Neita has chosen to concentrate on the 200 metres, so Asher-Smith and Amy Hunt will represent Great Britain in the women’s 100 metres.
Topics #2024 European Athletics #Championships #schedule
