Aviva Grand Prix – Gateshead International Stadium – Bank Holiday Monday 31st August 2009

Jessica Ennis and Christine Ohuruogu pound the track in Gateshead

Gateshead International Stadium is a rather unassuming place to be classed as one of the homes of British athletics.

Surrounded by car dealerships, a McDonalds and little else, it’s not somewhere you’d think would host world-class athletics on a regular basis. But it does – and Gateshead’s one of the highlights of the track meeting season.

The Aviva British Grand Prix will be at the nearly-55 year old stadium on Bank Holiday Monday (31st August), with World Heptathlon gold medallist Jessica Ennis making her debut at the stadium, competing in the 100m hurdles. She’ll be joined by British standout star Christine Ohuruogu, who loves competing in Gateshead “partly because of the quality of the field they always have there and also just because it is always a good atmosphere.”

With tickets from just £10 (and some of the 11,000 still available), the atmosphere provided by local supporters of athletics will surely be of the same high quality as normal. Every one of them will be hoping for strong performances on the track and in the field, and a hope that a magical Gateshead moment can occur, like it did in June 2006.

Further information:

Aviva Grand Prix – United Kingdom Athletics

Aviva Grand Prix – Gateshead Council

Gay joins the field for the British Grand Prix – Northern Echo

Gay will compete at the Aviva Grand Prix – World Track

This blog post has been contributed by Chris Stokel-Walker.

Visit Chris’s website to find out more about him.

 

If you would like to have your say at the Directory of Newcastle upon Tyne Blog contact us at support@directoryofnewcastleupontyne.com