UK Athletics chief Jack Buckner has hailed a successful London Diamond League as Team GB athletes shone ahead of this month’s Olympic Games in Paris.
West Ham United’s London Stadium – the central arena of London 2012 – hosted 60,000 fans on Saturday in what was the last major athletics meet before Paris 2024.
There were impressive performances by Keely Hodgkinson in the 800m – who set a world leading time as British athletes took up all three spots on the podium – while 400m runner Matthew Hudson-Smith set a world lead.
There were impressive performances for the women’s 4x100m relay team but the men’s quartet failed to get the baton around the track.
“We were delighted with the success of the London Diamond League,” Buckner told City A.M. “To sell out at 60,000 tickets was amazing and created by far the biggest one day athletics meet in the world.
“On Saturday night many people were saying it’s also the best. Nowhere else in the world is there such great fans, atmosphere and organisation.
“The performances were stunning and everyone wants to come back next year. We shall be on sale for 2025 in a few days – we plan to make the event even bigger and better.”
The track and field programme at Paris 2024 begins on 1 August with the race walk and concludes on 11 August with the women’s marathon.
Tokyo 2020 saw Team GB return without a gold medal in athletics for the first time since Atlanta 1996.