Glasgow Indoor Grand Prix 2016: Events Schedule, Top Participants and More
The 2016 Glasgow Indoor Grand Prix takes place on Saturday, Feb. 20, as a star-studded cast of athletes descends on the Emirates Arena for this one-day event.
The likes of Mo Farah, Dafne Schippers and Dina Asher-Smith will test their early-season form, one week before the British Indoor Athletics Championships take place in Sheffield, England.
Here's a look at the full event schedule:
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| 1 | 4 X 200 METRES UNDER 13 | W | Heats |
| 2 | 4 X 200 METRES UNDER 13 | M | Heats |
| 3 | 4 X 200 METRES UNDER 15 | W | Heats |
| 4 | 4 X 200 METRES UNDER 15 | M | Heats |
| 5 | 4 X 200 METRES UNDER 17 | W | Heats |
| 6 | 4 X 200 METRES UNDER 17 | M | Heats |
| 7 | 4 X 200 METRES UNDER 13 | W | Final |
| 8 | 4 X 200 METRES UNDER 13 | M | Final |
| 9 | TRIPLE JUMP | M | Final |
| 10 | 4 X 200 METRES UNDER 15 | W | Final |
| 11 | 4 X 200 METRES UNDER 15 | M | Final |
| 12 | 4 X 200 METRES UNDER 17 | W | Final |
| 13 | 4 X 200 METRES UNDER 17 | M | Final |
| 14 | POLE VAULT | M | Final |
| 15 | 60 METRES | W | Heats |
| 16 | LONG JUMP | W | Final |
| 17 | 800 METRES | M | Final |
| 18 | 400 METRES | W | Final |
| 19 | 1500 METRES | M | Final |
| 20 | 60 METRES HURDLES | M | Heats |
| 21 | 800 METRES | W | Final |
| 22 | HIGH JUMP | W | Final |
| 23 | 60 METRES | W | Final |
| 24 | 60 METRES | M | Heats |
| 25 | LONG JUMP | M | Final |
| 26 | 3000 METRES | W | Final |
| 27 | 400 METRES | M | Final |
| 28 | 1500 METRES | W | Final |
| 29 | 60 METRES HURDLES | M | Final |
| 30 | 60 METRES HURDLES | W | Final |
| 31 | 60 METRES | M | Final |
| 32 | 3000 METRES | M | Final |
Preview
Olympic long jump champion Greg Rutherford has been forced to pull out of the event with a minor injury, but his absence won't dampen the excitement surrounding this year's Glasgow Indoor Grand Prix, as numerous athletes will still compete over the course of the six-hour event.
Per the official British Athletics website, Rutherford said he wanted to be extra careful with his injury as this is an Olympic year:
"I was planning on competing in Albuquerque again last Friday, but decided not to jump due to some minor pain I've felt during my warm up routine.
Unfortunately I'm still dealing with this and while it hasn't been any easy decision, I have to withdraw from this week's Glasgow Indoor Grand Prix.
The atmosphere during the 2014 Commonwealth Games was fantastic and I'm disappointed that I can't make it back to Glasgow, especially since my training was going very well.
It's just a minor injury I'm dealing with, but you have to be smart in an Olympic year.
"
With Rutherford sidelined, most of the attention will go to the sprint events, where several top battles are expected to take place.
Schippers and Asher-Smith will go head-to-head in the women's 60 metres, while the men's edition will feature no less than four top international sprinters.
British hopes Chijindu Ujah and Richard Kilty will face Trayvon Bromell of the United States and Kim Collins of Saint Kitts and Nevis. The latter is a veteran of many races, while the American ranks as one of the best young talents in the sport.
The 20-year-old took bronze in the 100 metres during last year's World Championships and is expected to contend for an Olympic medal in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, and the Glasgow event will give him a chance to test his form against a strong field.
Kilty took gold during the 2014 Indoor World Championships and is a 60-metres specialist, and he's excited to see where his form stands this early in the season, per British Athletics' official website:
"I love competing indoors and I can’t wait to run in Glasgow again. 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.
"
Ujah had a breakout year in 2015, dipping under 10 seconds during a 100-metre event for the second consecutive year, and he could turn a few heads in Rio.
Farah will run the 3,000 metres, where he'll line up alongside Edinburgh's Andrew Butchart and a strong Kenyan delegation led by Augustine Choge, Conseslus Kipruto and Ismael Kombich.
But the biggest showdown will come in the women's 60 metres. Asher-Smith, Britain's fastest woman and arguably the top Team GB hope in any Olympic sprinting event, will go head-to-head with rising star Schippers.
The Dutch phenom switched to sprint events in 2015 and won the 100-metre silver medal at the Beijing World Championships almost immediately, and big things are expected of the 23-year-old in 2016.
Per European Athletics, she appears to be in sensational form:
Asher-Smith, 20, will have to be at her very best to beat Schippers, but if she can keep things close with the Dutch athlete and finish in a decent time, it should provide a major boost with the summer Olympics looming.
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