With only a matter of days to go until the World Indoor Tour Final at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham, this Saturday, February 25, the start lists have been published. A host of global medallists will contest in the finale of the prestigious World Indoor Tour series in front of a huge crowd in Birmingham.
After six meetings over the last two months, this will be the chance for athletes to be crowned the winners of the series. With the likes of Dina Asher-Smith, Daryll Neita, Keely Hodgkinson, Laura Muir, Josh Kerr and USA’s Grant Holloway already announced, several global champions will also take to the newly laid track in Birmingham.
Jamaican World 200m champion, Shericka Jackson, will take on Asher-Smith and Neita in the women’s 60m in what is expected to be one of the key highlights of the meeting. 60m hurdles world record holder Holloway heads the sprint hurdles event with 2023 world number two, and fellow-American, Daniel Roberts lining up in the field alongside him.
Keely Hodgkinson – who set a world leading time of 1:57.71 at the World Indoor Tour Gold event in Lievin last week - takes on the 800m, the final event of the meet, which includes UK Athletics Indoor 800 and 1500 champions’ Issy Boffey and Ellie Baker. Laura Muir goes over the 1000m distance as she looks to build on Tour wins in Boston and New York, while Josh Kerr – the second quickest European in history over 1500m indoors - faces a strong field in the men’s 1500m which includes European outdoor 800m champion Mariano Garcia (ESP) and UK Indoor champion, Neil Gourley.
One of the standout races of the meetings could be the women’s 3000m as the current world 5000m champion Gudaf Tsegay, will attack the indoor world record in Birmingham. The Ethiopian ran the second-fastest indoor mile ever by a woman (4:16.16) in Torun this month, and she will be targeting Genzebe Dibaba’s 8:16.60 which has stood since 2014. The race will also include 2019 5000m bronze medallist and current European 5000m champion, Germany’s Konstanze Klosterhalfen.
Meanwhile, reigning world indoor 400m Champion, Trinidad and Tobago’s Jereem Richards takes to the boards in the two-lap race, while bronze medallists at last year’s world indoors in Belgrade, New Zealander Hamish Kerr and Tina Šutej of Slovenia headline the men’s high jump and women’s pole vault; the latter field also containing 2016 Olympic champion, Katerina Stefanidi of Greece.
Reece Prescod and Jeremiah Azu lead the entries for the domestic 60m sprint, while Paralympic 100m champion Thomas Young heads the field in the men’s para 60m which also includes UK champion Kevin Santos and Zac Shaw.
The Birmingham World Indoor Tour Final will be available live on BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website/app and Red Button from 13:30 Saturday 25 February.
