Muller Anniversary Games 2016: Dates, Event Schedule and TV Info
Usain Bolt, Jess Ennis-Hill and a whole host of international athletics stars will travel to London for the 2016 Muller Anniversary Games—one of the biggest events on the British athletics calendar.
This year's event will incorporate both the IAAF Diamond League meeting and the IPC Grand Prix final over the course of two days, starting with several sprint events on Friday, July 22.
With the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro just around the corner, it will give Bolt, Ennis-Hill and the rest of the field a chance to test their form against world-class competition, and we'll soon learn which athletes are peaking at just the right time. Here's everything you need to know about this year's Anniversary Games:
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Date: 22-23 July
Time: The first event will start at 6:24 p.m. BST (1 p.m. ET) on Friday. Saturday's action will kick off at 11:50 a.m. BST (6:50 a.m. ET).
TV Info: BBC Two/BBC Red Button (Friday), BBC One (Saturday)
Stream: iPlayer
Event Schedule
| Times (BST | Gender | Event |
| 19:00 | Men | U20 4x100-metre relay |
| 19:05 | Men | Pole vault |
| 19:10 | Women | U20 4x100 relay |
| 19:30 | Women | 4x100-metre relay |
| 100-metre hurdles, heat 1 | ||
| 19:40 | Women | 100-metre hurdles, heat 1 |
| 19:50 | Women | 100-metre hurdles, heat 2 |
| 19:55 | Women | High jump |
| 20:05 | Women | 400 metres |
| 20:15 | Men | 100 metres, heat 1 |
| 20:22 | Men | Triple Jump |
| 20:27 | Men | 100, heat 2 |
| 20:39 | Women | 400-metre hurdles |
| 20:50 | Men | 800 metres |
| 20:55 | Men | Javelin |
| 21:00 | Men | Emsley Carr Mile |
| 21:15 | Women | 100-metre hurdles, final |
| 21:27 | Women | 1,500 metres |
| 21:39 | Men | 100, final |
| Saturday | ||
| Times (BST | Gender | Event |
| 11:50 | Women | Club F32/51 |
| 12:01 | Men | 200 metres T42 |
| 12:12 | Women | 1,500 metres T54 |
| 12:23 | Men | 100 metres T53 |
| 12:30 | Men | Discus F43/44 |
| 12:33 | Men | 1,500 metres T54 |
| 12:43 | Men | Long Jump T42/44 |
| 12:46 | Women | 100 metres T34 |
| 12:55 | Women | 100 metres T44 |
| 13:04 | Men | 100 metres T47 |
| 13:13 | Women | 200 metres T12 |
| 13:21 | Men | 100 metres T37 |
| 13:29 | Women | 100 metres T38 |
| 13:39 | Women | 400 metres T37 |
| 13:47 | Men | 100 metres T44 |
| 14:17 | Women | Long Jump |
| 14:20 | Men | 4x100-metre relay |
| 14:30 | Men | 110-metre hurdles, heat 1 |
| 14:39 | Men | 110-metre hurdles, heat 2 |
| 14:44 | Women | Pole Vault |
| 14:49 | Men | 400 metres |
| 15:00 | Women | Discus |
| 15:04 | Men | 400-metre hurdles |
| 15:15 | Women | 100-metre, heat 1 |
| 15:26 | Women | 100-metre, heat 2 |
| 15:37 | Women | 3,000-metre steeplechase |
| 15:50 | Men | Long Jump |
| 15:56 | Men | 110-metre hurdles, final |
| 16:00 | Men | Shot |
| 16:04 | Women | 800 metres |
| 16:15 | Women | 200 metres |
| 16:26 | Women | 100-metres, final |
| 16:36 | Men | 5,000 metres |
Usain Bolt Headlines Friday's Events
As reported by BBC Sport, a slight injury scare that saw Bolt miss out on the Jamaican National Championships won't keep the star sprinter from competing at the Olympic Stadium. In a short video for British Athletics, he confirmed his participation:
The six-time Olympic gold medalist is always the star attraction, no matter where he goes, and he'll be competing in the 200 metres race, looking to prove his fitness and earn his spot for Rio.
There's little doubt he'll qualify, but Friday's race will be about so much more than that. The 29-year-old's preparations for the Olympics hit a major bump when he suffered his injury, and he needs to finds his best form in a hurry if he wishes to complete a historic triple-double: Winning 100 metres and 200 metres Olympic gold on three separate occasions.
Justin Gatlin has been in strong form all year long and proved himself a strong challenger during last year's World Championships, and as of right now, he has the advantage.
Plenty of fans and pundits believe Bolt has to beat Gatlin in order to “save” athletics, although former top sprinter Michael Johnson doesn't even think that will be enough. Last year's win at the World Championships didn't change much, per Johnson, as he told Jonathan McEvoy of the Mail on Sunday:
"No, I don't think that was good for the sport as such. What has happened since, stories of widespread doping in Russia and the complicity of the IAAF in covering up failed tests, proves my point.
The issues afflicting track and field were not repaired by the fact Bolt won that race. There is a much bigger problem that needs to be dealt with at source. It is not solved overnight or over one season and certainly not over one sprint.
"
Elsewhere, British star Mo Farah will feature on Saturday, and after his fifth-placed finish in the 1.500 metres race in the Diamond League meeting in Monaco, things are looking up for the long-distance runner.
The 33-year-old will likely be aiming for the longer distances in Rio, and he'll run his final race in London, competing in the 5.000 metres. The decision to run the 1.500 metres in Monaco was made to work on his closing speed, and the veteran made a strong impression―a top-three finish in London is certainly possible.
As shared by British Athletics, he won't be satisfied with anything but a win, however:
Ennis-Hill will defend her heptathlon gold medal in Rio, and after putting up a total score during the meet in Ratinger, Germany, that was higher than her score in Beijing, local fans will demand results in London.
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