British Grand Prix (athletics)

The British Grand Prix, formerly known as the Birmingham Grand Prix or the Aviva Birmingham Grand Prix, was an annual athletics meeting. From 2010 through 2021 it was a part of the Diamond League series of track and field meets. From 1997 through 2005 the name British Grand Prix was used for meetings that were part of the London Grand Prix series, before reverting to the meetings usually held in Gateshead and Birmingham.

British Grand Prix
The host stadium – Alexander Stadium
Date	May–August
Location	Birmingham, England
Event type	Track and field
World Athletics Cat.	GW[1]

In 2020 the event was due to be held at the Gateshead International Stadium but was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.^[2] The event returned once more to Gateshead in 2021.^[3] There was a 2022 Diamond League meeting (2022 Birmingham Diamond League) held at Alexander Stadium in Birmingham, though it was officially a continuation of the Anniversary Games (usually held in London) rather than a British Grand Prix event.^[4]

Editions

The event has been sponsored by a variety of companies including Bupa, Norwich Union, Aviva and Müller.

British Grand Prix editions

Ed.	Meeting	Series	Date	Sponsor	Ref.
1st	International Invitation Meeting[a]		9 Aug 1991	Pearl Assurance	[5][6]
2nd	International Invitation Meeting[b]		17 Jul 1992	Vauxhall Motors	[7][8]
3rd	International Invitation Meeting[b]		30 Jul 1993		[7][9]
4th	1994 British Grand Prix II[c]	1994 IAAF Grand Prix II	1 Jul 1994	Bupa	[7]
5th	1995 British Grand Prix II[d]	1995 IAAF Grand Prix II	2 Jul 1995		[7]
6th	1996 British Grand Prix II[e]	1996 IAAF Grand Prix II	30 Jun 1996		[14]
7th	1997 British Grand Prix II[f]	1997 IAAF Grand Prix II	7 Sep 1997		[17][18]
8th	1998 British Grand Prix II[g]	1998 IAAF Grand Prix II	19 Jul 1998		[20][21]
9th	1999 British Grand Prix II[h]	1999 IAAF Grand Prix II	27 Jun 1999	CGU	[23][24]
10th	2000 British Grand Prix II[h]	2000 IAAF Grand Prix II	28 Aug 2000		[25][26]
11th	2001 British Grand Prix II[i]	2001 IAAF Grand Prix II	19 Aug 2001	Norwich Union	[27][28]
12th	2002 British Grand Prix II[j]	2002 IAAF Grand Prix II	30 June 2002		[29][30]
13th	2003 British Super Grand Prix[j]	2003 IAAF Super Grand Prix	13 Jul 2003		[31][32]
14th	2004 British Super Grand Prix[k]	2004 IAAF Super Grand Prix	27 Jun 2004		[33][34]
15th	2005 British Super Grand Prix[k]	2005 IAAF Super Grand Prix	21 Aug 2005		[35][36]
16th	2006 British Grand Prix	2006 IAAF Grand Prix	11 Jun 2006		[37][38]
17th	2007 British Grand Prix	2007 IAAF Grand Prix	15 Jul 2007		[39][40]
18th	2008 British Grand Prix	2008 IAAF Grand Prix	31 Aug 2008	Aviva	[41][42]
19th	2009 British Grand Prix	2009 IAAF Grand Prix	31 Aug 2009		[43][44]
20th	2010 British Grand Prix	2010 Diamond League	10 Jul 2010		[45]
21st	2011 Birmingham Grand Prix	2011 Diamond League	10 Jul 2011		[46]
22nd	2012 Birmingham Grand Prix	2012 Diamond League	26 Aug 2012		[47]
23rd	2013 Birmingham Grand Prix	2013 Diamond League	30 Jun 2013	Sainsbury's	[48]
24th	2014 Birmingham Grand Prix	2014 Diamond League	24 Aug 2014		[49]
25th	2015 Birmingham Grand Prix	2015 Diamond League	7 Jun 2015		[50]
26th	2016 Birmingham Grand Prix	2016 Diamond League	5 Jun 2016	Müller	[51]
27th	2017 Birmingham Grand Prix	2017 Diamond League	20 Aug 2017		[52]
28th	2018 Birmingham Grand Prix	2018 Diamond League	18 Aug 2018		[53]
29th	2019 Birmingham Grand Prix	2019 Diamond League	18 Aug 2019		[54]
2020: Meet canceled due to COVID-19[2]
30th	2021 British Grand Prix[l]	2021 Diamond League	23 May 2021	Müller	[55]
The 2022 Birmingham meet was part of the London Diamond League series[4]

Venues

Venues for the British Grand Prix

Years	Venue	Region	Country
1991–2001, 2003–2004, 2006, 2008–2010, 2021	Gateshead International Stadium	Gateshead	England
2002, 2005, 2007	Don Valley Stadium	Sheffield	England
2011–2019	Alexander Stadium	Birmingham	England

World records

Over the course of its history, the following world records have been set at the British Grand Prix.^[56]

World records set at the British Grand Prix

Year	Event	Record	Athlete	Nationality
2004	Pole vault	4.87 m	Yelena Isinbayeva	Russia
2006	100 m	9.77 (+1.5 m/s)	Asafa Powell	Jamaica

Meeting records

Men

Men's meeting records of the British Grand Prix

Event	Record	Athlete	Nationality	Date	Place	Ref.
100 m	9.77 (+1.5 m/s)	Asafa Powell	Jamaica	11 June 2006	Gateshead	[57]
150 m	14.97 (+0.9 m/s)	Linford Christie	Great Britain	4 September 1994[m]	Sheffield	[58]
200 m	19.94 (+1.4 m/s)	Michael Johnson	United States	15 September 1991[n]	Sheffield	[59]
300 m	31.56	Douglas Walker	Great Britain	19 July 1998	Gateshead	[60]
400 m	44.23	Kirani James	Grenada	5 June 2016	Birmingham	[61]
600 m	1:13.10 DLR	David Rudisha	Kenya	5 June 2016	Birmingham	[62]
800 m	1:42.79	Emmanuel Korir	Kenya	18 August 2018	Birmingham	[63]
1000 m	2:16.18	Bernard Lagat	United States	31 August 2008	Gateshead	[64]
1500 m	3:29.33	Asbel Kiprop	Kenya	5 June 2016	Birmingham	[65]
Mile	3:51.89	Asbel Kiprop	Kenya	24 August 2014	Birmingham	[66]
2000 m	4:48.36	Hicham El Guerrouj	Morocco	19 July 1998	Gateshead	[67]
3000 m	7:26.69	Kenenisa Bekele	Ethiopia	15 July 2007	Sheffield	[68]
Two miles	8:07.85	Mo Farah	Great Britain	24 August 2014	Birmingham	[69]
5000 m	13:00.20	Vincent Chepkok	Kenya	10 July 2010	Gateshead	[70]
110 m hurdles	12.95 (−0.9 m/s)	Aries Merritt	United States	26 August 2012	Birmingham	[71]
300 m hurdles	34.48	Chris Rawlinson	Great Britain	30 June 2002	Sheffield	[72]
400 m hurdles	47.67	Kevin Young	United States	14 August 1992[o]	Sheffield	[73]
3000 m steeplechase	8:00.12	Conseslus Kipruto	Kenya	5 June 2016	Birmingham	[74]
High jump	2.40 m	Mutaz Essa Barshim	Qatar	20 August 2017	Birmingham	[75]
Pole vault	5.91 m	Aleksandr Averbukh	Israel	19 August 2001	Gateshead	[76]
Long jump	8.53 m (+1.5 m/s)	Luvo Manyonga	South Africa	18 August 2018	Birmingham	[77]
Triple jump	17.74 m (+1.9 m/s)	Christian Olsson	Sweden	13 July 2003	Gateshead	[78]
Shot put	22.45 m	Christian Cantwell	United States	11 June 2006	Gateshead	[79]
Discus throw	69.83 m	Piotr Małachowski	Poland	10 July 2010	Gateshead	[70]
Hammer throw	78.51 m	Pawel Fajdek	Poland	20 August 2017	Birmingham	[80]
Javelin throw	95.66 m	Jan Železný	Czech Republic	29 August 1993	Sheffield	[81]
4 × 100 m relay	37.95	HSI: Jon Drummond Bernard Williams Curtis Johnson Maurice Greene	United States	28 August 2000	Gateshead	[82]

Women

Women's meeting records of the British Grand Prix

Event	Record	Athlete	Nationality	Date	Place	Ref.
100 m	10.81 (+0.7 m/s)	Carmelita Jeter	United States	26 August 2012	Birmingham	[83]
200 m	22.15 (+0.4 m/s)	Shaunae Miller-Uibo	Bahamas	18 August 2018	Birmingham	[84]
300 m	35.71	Donna Fraser	Great Britain	28 August 2000	Gateshead	[85]
400 m	49.77	Sanya Richards	United States	21 August 2005	Sheffield	[86]
800 m	1:56.92	Francine Niyonsaba	Burundi	5 June 2016	Birmingham	[87]
1000 m	2:33.92	Laura Muir	Great Britain	18 August 2018	Birmingham	[88]
1500 m	3:58.07	Kelly Holmes	Great Britain	29 June 1997[p]	Sheffield	[90]
Mile	4:21.11	Konstanze Klosterhalfen	Germany	18 August 2019	Birmingham	[91]
2000 m	5:34.49	Angela Chalmers	Canada	4 September 1994[m]	Sheffield	[92]
3000 m	8:28.90	Sifan Hassan	Netherlands	20 August 2017	Birmingham	[93]
Two miles	9:11.49	Mercy Cherono	Kenya	24 August 2014	Birmingham	[94]
5000 m	14:51.77	Tirunesh Dibaba	Ethiopia	21 August 2005	Sheffield	[95]
10,000 m	30:17.15	Paula Radcliffe	Great Britain	27 June 2004	Gateshead	[96]
100 m hurdles	12.46 (−0.3 m/s)	Kendra Harrison	United States	5 June 2016	Birmingham	[97]
	12.46 (−0.2 m/s)	Danielle Williams	Jamaica	18 August 2019	Birmingham	[98]
400 m hurdles	53.78	Kaliese Spencer	Jamaica	26 August 2012	Birmingham	[99]
3000 m steeplechase	9:05.55	Beatrice Chepkoech	Kenya	18 August 2019	Birmingham	[91]
High jump	2.03 m	Kajsa Bergqvist	Sweden	21 August 2005	Sheffield	[100]
Pole vault	4.87 m	Yelena Isinbayeva	Russia	27 June 2004	Gateshead	[101]
Long jump	6.96 m (+1.5 m/s)	Malaika Mihambo	Germany	18 August 2018	Birmingham	[102]
Triple jump	14.94 m (+0.9 m/s)	Ashia Hansen	Great Britain	29 June 1997[p]	Sheffield	[103]
Shot put	20.52 m	Valerie Adams	New Zealand	26 August 2012	Birmingham	[104]
	20.57 m X	Nadzeya Astapchuk	Belarus	10 July 2010	Gateshead	[70]
Discus throw	69.23 m	Sandra Perković	Croatia	7 June 2015	Birmingham	[105]
Hammer throw	71.14 m	Joanna Fiodorow	Poland	20 August 2017	Birmingham	[106]
Javelin throw	66.08 m	Barbora Špotáková	Czech Republic	26 August 2012	Birmingham	[107]
4 × 100 m relay	43.80		Jamaica	17 July 1992	Gateshead	[108]

Notes

1. Also known as Pearl Assurance Invitational
2. Also known as Vauxhall Invitational
3. Also known as Gateshead Games and Bupa Games^[10]
4. Also known as Gateshead Games and Bupa Games^[11]
5. Also known as Bupa International^[12] and Bupa Games^[13]
6. Also known as Bupa International^[15] and Bupa Games^[16]
7. Also known as Bupa Games^[19]
8. Officially known as CGU Gateshead Classic^[22]
9. Officially known as Norwich Union Classic Grand Prix II
10. Officially known as Norwich Union Classic
11. Officially known as Norwich Union Super Grand Prix
12. Officially known as Müller Grand Prix Gateshead
13. The Diamond League organization includes this date in the Gateshead Grand Prix II series, even though the actual GP2 meeting took place on July 1.
14. The Diamond League organization includes this McVitie's Challenge meeting in the Gateshead series, even though the actual Gateshead meeting took place on August 9.
15. The Diamond League organization includes this Lucozade Games meeting in the Gateshead series, even though the actual Gateshead meeting took place on July 17.
16. The Diamond League organization includes this date in the Gateshead Grand Prix II series, even though it was part of the London Grand Prix I series, which had been relocated to Sheffield only in 1997 and 1998,^[89] and the actual GP2 meeting took place on September 7.