Who, what and when: your guide to the Novuna London Athletics Meet
Multiple Olympic, world and European champions, plus a host of world record holders, headline the Novuna London Athletics Meet on July 18 — the 11th stop on this year's Wanda Diamond League and one of the undisputed highlights of the British athletics summer.
Between them, the athletes on show have amassed an astonishing 71 medals from the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo and the Paris 2024 Olympics alone, with entries including Ja'Kobe Tharp, the American teenager who smashed the 110m hurdles world record just last month. Coming hot on the heels of thrilling Diamond League fixtures in Oregon and Monaco, London now promises to cap a spectacular fortnight for the sport.
So who should you look out for?
Hodgkinson headlines an historic 800m
For the first time, three of Britain's finest middle-distance runners will share a start line in the women's 800m. Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson leads the way, alongside training partner and world silver medallist Georgia Hunter Bell and rising star Phoebe Gill, who makes her Diamond League debut before turning her attention to the World Athletics Under-20 Championships.
They face serious international opposition too, headed by London favourite Femke Broeders-Bol of the Netherlands, who steps up from the 400m hurdles — an event in which she has won multiple Olympic and world medals — and Paris 2024 silver medallist Tsige Duguma of Ethiopia. Britain's Issy Boffey plus Sarah Billings of Australia and American Addison Wiley complete a mouth-watering field.
The men's race is equally stacked. Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi of Kenya arrives fresh from a world record over 1000m in Monaco and faces Paris silver medallist Marco Arop of Canada and American record-holder Bryce Hoppel. British interest comes from Max Burgin, Ben Pattison, world 1500m silver medallist Jake Wightman and the ever-consistent Mark English of Ireland, while Peter Bol of Australia, Cian McPhillip of Ireland and Tobias Grønstad of Norway round out the field.
Kerr eyes the mile world record
The Emsley Carr Mile could be one of the races of the day. Olympic silver medallist and two-time world indoor champion Josh Kerr has made no secret of his intention to target Hicham El Guerrouj's long-standing mile world record of 3:43.13 on home soil, and he'll be pushed all the way by Paris bronze medallist Yared Nuguse and fellow American Hobbs Kessler.
Alfred and Tebogo lead the sprints
Olympic 200m champion Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia returns to defend her London title after clocking the third-fastest 200m in history in Monaco last week. She faces a stellar field including Gabby Thomas, Dina Asher-Smith, Amy Hunt, Shaunae Miller-Uibo and newly-crowned British champion Success Eduan.
In the men's 100m, Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo of Botswana returns to London, up against world indoor 60m champion Jordan Anthony of the USA, who was runner-up to Oblique Seville in Monaco. South Africa's Gift Leotlela and Nigeria's Kayinsola Ajayi add international quality, while Britain's challenge comes from Zharnel Hughes, Jeremiah Azu and national champion Romell Glave.
Duplantis and Karalis go head-to-head
Mondo Duplantis makes his first London appearance in a decade, and finds Greece's Emmanouil Karalis — now second on the pole vault all-time list — waiting for him in what could be the field event of the day. Kurtis Marschall of Australia and 2018 world champion Sam Kendricks, back in London for the first time since that year, mean all three medallists from the recent global championships will share the runway.
The women's long jump is no less competitive, with 2023 European indoor champion Jazmin Sawyers and world indoor silver medallist Larissa Iapichino of Italy up against double world and Olympic champion Malaika Mihambo of Germany, American Claire Bryant and Agate de Sousa of Portugal.
Distance and relay action
Olympic 1500m silver medallist Jessica Hull of Australia headlines the women's 3000m, alongside African 5000m champion Medina Eisa and cross-country star Marta Alemayo, both of Ethiopia, while Brits in action include Megan Keith, Hannah Nuttall, Laura Muir, Innes FitzGerald and Eloise Walker.
Relay teams from Australia, Scotland, Ireland and the Netherlands join two Great Britain and Northern Ireland quartets for what's always one of the most electric parts of the afternoon, while the national men's 800m and women's 400m races give home talent the chance to shine in front of a full house. Fans taking their seats early in the programme will see Club Connect mixed relay races, too.
Para-athletics stars on show
The para-athletics programme is just as strong. Paralympic champion and world record holder Salum Ageze Kashafali of Norway headlines the men's ambulant 100m, alongside Britain's Zac Shaw and Thomas Young, while Ben Sandilands, the Paralympic champion and world record holder, races the ambulant 1500m.
Wheelchair racing legend Marcel Hug of Switzerland, a seven-time Paralympic champion, takes on Canada's Brent Lakatos and Britain's Nathan Maguire — a new dad this year — in the T54 1500m.
In the women's ambulant 100m, double Paralympic champion Sophie Hahn is joined by fellow Brit Olivia Breen, New Zealand's Anna Grimaldi, Ireland's Orla Comerford and Dutch long jump star Fleur Jong, one of the most dominant athletes in world para sport.
The action will be shown on BBC1 for UK viewers from 1pm to 4.30pm.
Timetable and entry list here.
