Who, what and when guide: Stratford Speed Meet
Written by I Dig Sports![](https://athleticsweekly.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Eugene-Amo-Dadzie-.jpg)
Everything you need to know about this weekends big sprints event, including leading athletes and details of how to watch and follow
Some of the UKs top sprinters are heading to Newham on Sunday (May 26), as they aim to lay down early markers at the Olympic Park in London.
Since its inception, the Newham Sprints Meeting has been one of the most popular destinations for 100m and 200m runners, given the quick nature of the track and kind wind.
Last season, five of the top 10 British male and three of the top 10 British female sprinters achieved their season bests in Newham.
Romell Glave clocked a personal best of 10.02 at the Stratford Community Track in London, with Imani Lara-Lansiquot also running 11.03.
This time round, the meet has been rebranded to Stratford Speed. With more than 350 entries in the 100m, there could be around 40 races over the distance throughout the day, culminating in the elite races. The line-ups, safe to say, are really exciting.
Eugene Amo-Dadzie, nicknamed the fastest accountant, will be one of the main headlines in the mens elite field. Amo-Dadzie had a breakthrough season last year after running a stunning 9.93 and going joint-fourth on the UK all-time list. He also, on debut for Great Britain outdoors, finished fourth in his semi-final at the World Championships.
Double European 200m silver medallist Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake will also look to deliver in Stratford and his personal 100m best of 9.99 goes back to 2017. Hes so far clocked 10.20 and 10.25 over the distance this season.
Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake (Mark Shearman)
CJ Ujah will be one to watch. This will be his first full outdoor season since serving a 22-month doping ban, that ended in June last year. Ujah tested positive for two prohibited substances at the Tokyo Olympics but he was cleared of intentionally doping. His seasons best this year is 10.07 and personal best is 9.96.
One of the most popular athletes of the meet will no doubt be Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, who has also found fame as Nitro on the TV show Gladiators. Aikines-Aryeetey has only so far raced in the US this season and has a seasons best of 10.17.
Desiree Henry, who claimed an Olympic 4x100m bronze and world silver relay medal in 2016 and 2017 respectively, will be aiming to improve on her seasons best of 11.36. Henrys personal best of 11.06 was set eight years ago.
Another standout name is Joy Eze. The Brit is the European under-20 100m champion and has had a stunning rise in the sport. Her personal best is 11.37 and shell hope to better that in ideal conditions in Stratford.
With junior races taking centre stage as well, it provides a chance to also help inspire the next generation.
Meeting director Tony Shiret has worked with sports promoter Laura Hillyard on the event. Together, with Luke Smallwood from Just Timing and Victor Nutakor from Virtual Media TV, they hope to elevate the presentation of speed meets.
There has been real growth in the production and provision around distance events in the UK with Night of the 10,000m PBs, Podium 5km and the British Milers Club, says Hillyard.
Our ambition lies with enhancing the provision and production of the sprint events, developing a platform that allows for athletes not only to perform but to showcase their personalities and opens doors for partnerships.
I often jest that no matter your age most people can remember who the fastest person was in school and many wanted to be that person. The interest in sprints can be maintained if people continue to have a regular platform to engage with it.
We will be trying to achieve a lot in the short space of time we have given ourselves to prepare and it will be a huge team effort but the purpose of this event is to start the ball rolling with building at platform to springboard off.
Night of the 10,000m PBs (Getty)
It is a trial with aims of increasing our revenue base to allow us to do more things in a more sustainable way, making it a better experience for the athletes and reducing the reliance on income from entry fees. In the past the event has gone under the radar outside of the sprint community but it attracts the fastest sprinters in the UK. I am working with the event to trial some new proof of concept elements on Sunday.
Its about showcasing an enhanced in-venue and online presence, to create a platform for sprinters that aligns with their culture and gives the event and athletes greater exposure.
You can watch the stream via Virtual Media TV here.
Make sure you check out the Stratford Speed social channels @stratfordspeedgp on Instagram and TikTok and @stratfordspeed on Twitter.