British duo to take on Kim Collins and Trayvon Bromell over 60m, as Richard Kilty aims to use the event as preparation for a world title defence
World and European 60m champion Richard Kilty and British 60m champion Chijindu Ujah will go up against 2003 world 100m champion Kim Collins and world 100m bronze medallist Trayvon Bromell when they race over 60m at the Glasgow Indoor Grand Prix on February 20.
Kilty added the European indoor title to his world indoor gold earlier this year and has a personal best of 6.49. He has never beaten Collins in four attempts over 60m but the 26-year-old remains unbeaten against British teammate Ujah.
“I love competing indoors and I can’t wait to run in Glasgow again,” said Kilty. “This will be a good test for me against some of the best sprinters in the world and the best preparation for the British Championships where I want to secure my spot for Portland and try to defend my world title from Sopot two years ago.”
At the age of 21, Ujah established himself as Britain’s best 100m sprinter this year, running sub-10 seconds for the second consecutive year and reaching the World Championships semi-finals. With a personal best of 6.53 for 60m, he will be confident of performing well at the Emirates Arena.
“2015 was another good year for me but I’m already excited for 2016 and getting started at the Glasgow Indoor Grand Prix,” he said.
“I’ve got my eye on improving my personal best and pushing for sub-6.50. I’m sure we will all push each other to some really fast times in Glasgow.”
Collins was the world’s best indoor sprinter in 2015, going unbeaten all season and improving his personal best to 6.47. After first competing in Britain in 2002, the 39-year-old St Kitts and Nevis sprinter has raced a number of times in Glasgow but is hoping for his first win on Scottish soil in February.
He said: “I always love competing in the UK and have been coming to Glasgow for many years. I can’t wait to get back there in February.
“Being unbeaten indoors in 2015 was an amazing achievement for me and I want to keep the run going this season, but it will be a tough race in Glasgow and the fans could be in for a great show.”
At the other end of the age scale, USA’s Bromell became the world’s fastest ever teenager over 100m in the summer, running 9.84 in June and then claiming world bronze. The Glasgow Indoor Grand Prix will be his first ever 60m in Europe and he will be looking to challenge his 6.54 personal best.
“2015 was a great year for me and I was delighted to win a medal in Beijing,” said the now 20-year-old. “The Glasgow Indoor Grand Prix will be an important meet to set me up for another good year and I’m looking forward to testing myself in a world class 60m race.”
Britain’s fastest ever woman, Dina Asher-Smith, and European record-holder Dafne Schippers are among those who will also be racing over 60m in Glasgow.
Double Olympic, world and European champion Mo Farah has also been announced for the meeting and is set to race over 3000m.
The Glasgow Indoor Grand Prix is to be the final meeting in the IAAF’s new World Indoor Tour, which also has events in Karlsruhe, Boston and Stockholm.
