| 2023 British Athletics Championships | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 8–9 July |
| Host city | Manchester, United Kingdom |
| Venue | Manchester Regional Arena |
 | |
| Level | Senior |
| Type | Outdoor |
2024 TBC → | |
The 2023 British Athletics Championships was the national championships in outdoor track and field for athletes in the United Kingdom, which also served as a qualifying event for the 2023 World Athletics Championships. On 28 July, 51 British athletes were chosen for the World Championships.
In April 2023, UK Athletics confirmed that the 2023 British Athletics Championships would be held in Manchester on 8 and 9 July. [1] The Championships were used as the main qualification method for the 2023 World Athletics Championships in August 2023; [2] competitors qualified automatically for the World Championships if they finished in the top two in the event, and reached the competition's qualifying standard. UK Athletics could then allocate an additional World Championships place for each event. [3] On 28 July, UK Athletics announced that 51 British athletes had been selected for the World Championships, based on these criteria; [4] the number was the lowest since 2005, as UK Athletics did not allow British athletes to receive wildcard places for the World Championships. [5] In the United Kingdom, the Championships were shown on BBC both on television and online. [6]
The British title in the 10,000 metres was held in May 2023 as part of the Night of the 10,000m PBs event. The races featured British and non-British athletes, and the top finishing Britons, who were awarded the British titles, were Jessica Warner-Judd and Andrew Butchart respectively. [7]
There was heavy rain during the first day of the Championships, [8] which caused the men's 100 metres race to be run in the middle of a downpour. [9] The men's 100 and 200 metres events were both won by Zharnel Hughes, [10] [11] making him the first man to achieve the British Championships sprint double since Marlon Devonish in 2007. [10] Hughes' time of 19.77 seconds for the 200 metres race was faster than John Regis' British record, however a large tailwind prevented Hughes' time from counting for record purposes. [10] After the race, Hughes described the conditions as "the worst ever". [9]
The women's 100 metres race was delayed due to the rain, [8] and was won by Dina Asher-Smith, her fifth British title in the event. [8] [12] The race was run in dry conditions. [8] Daryll Neita, who won the 100 and 200 metres events in 2022, retained her 200 metres title. She had chosen only to run the 200 metres race at the 2023 Championships. [11]
Molly Caudery won the women's pole vault ahead of Holly Bradshaw, who had not lost in the British Championships since 2010. Caudery qualified for the World Championships as a result. [12] Katie Snowden was a surprise winner of the 1500 metres race, beating favourite Laura Muir. [11]
The 400 metres, or 400-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 for men and since 1964 for women. On a standard outdoor running track, it is one lap around the track. Runners start in staggered positions and race in separate lanes for the entire course. In many countries, athletes previously competed in the 440-yard dash (402.336 m)—which is a quarter of a mile and was referred to as the 'quarter-mile'—instead of the 400 m (437.445 yards), though this distance is now obsolete.
The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the 100-meter (109.36 yd) dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 for men and since 1928 for women. The inaugural World Championships were in 1983.
The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slightly shorter race, called the stadion and run on a straight track, was the first recorded event at the ancient Olympic Games. The 200 m places more emphasis on speed endurance than shorter sprint distances as athletes predominantly rely on anaerobic energy system during the 200 m sprint. Similarly to other sprint distances, the 200 m begins from the starting blocks. When the sprinters adopt the 'set' position in the blocks they are able to adopt a more efficient starting posture and isometrically preload their muscles. This enables them to stride forwards more powerfully when the race begins and start faster.
The 4 × 100 metres relay or sprint relay is an athletics track event run in lanes over one lap of the track with four runners completing 100 metres each. The first runners must begin in the same stagger as for the individual 400 m race. Each runner carries a relay baton. Before 2018, the baton had to be passed within a 20 m changeover box, preceded by a 10-metre acceleration zone. With a rule change effective November 1, 2017, that zone was modified to include the acceleration zone as part of the passing zone, making the entire zone 30 metres in length. The outgoing runner cannot touch the baton until it has entered the zone, and the incoming runner cannot touch it after it has left the zone. The zone is usually marked in yellow, frequently using lines, triangles or chevrons. While the rule book specifies the exact positioning of the marks, the colours and style are only "recommended". While most legacy tracks will still have the older markings, the rule change still uses existing marks. Not all governing body jurisdictions have adopted the rule change.
The 4 × 400 metres relay or long relay is an athletics track event in which teams consist of four runners who each complete 400 metres or one lap. It is traditionally the final event of a track meet. At top class events, the first leg and the first bend of the second leg are run in lanes. Start lines are thus staggered over a greater distance than in an individual 400 metres race; the runners then typically move to the inside of the track. The slightly longer 4 × 440 yards relay, on an Imperial distance, was a formerly run British Commonwealth and American event, until metrication was completed in the 1970s.
60 metres, or 60-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field. It is a championship event for indoor championships, normally dominated by the best outdoor 100 metres runners. At indoor events, the 60 metres is run on lanes set out in the middle of the 'field', as is the hurdles event over the same distance, thus avoiding some of the effects of the banked track encircling the venue, upon which other track events in indoor events are run. At outdoor venues it is a rare distance, at least for senior athletes. The format of the event is similar to other sprint distances. The sprinters follow three initial instructions: 'on your marks', instructing them to take up position in the starting blocks; 'set', instructing them to adopt a more efficient starting posture, which also isometrically preloads their muscles. This will enable them to start faster. The final instruction is the firing of the starter's pistol. Upon hearing this the sprinters stride forwards from the blocks.
The 1500 metres or 1,500-metre run is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athletics since 1983. It is equivalent to 1.5 kilometers or approximately 15⁄16 miles. The event is closely associated with its slightly longer cousin, the mile race, from which it derives its nickname "the metric mile".
John Paul Lyndon Regis, MBE is a British former sprinter. During his career, he won gold medals in the 200 metres at the 1989 World Indoor Championships and the 1990 European Championships, and a silver medal in the distance at the 1993 World Championships.
The 10,000 metres or the 10,000-metre run is a common long-distance track running event. The event is part of the athletics programme at the Olympic Games and the World Athletics Championships, and is common at championship-level events. The race consists of 25 laps around an Olympic-sized track. It is less commonly held at track and field meetings due to its duration. The 10,000-metre track race is usually distinguished from its road running counterpart, the 10K run, by referring to the distance in metres rather than kilometres.
The 3000 metres or 3000-metre run is a track running event, also commonly known as the "3K" or "3K run", where 7.5 laps are run around an outdoor 400 m track, or 15 laps around a 200 m indoor track.
Zharnel Hughes is an Anguilla-born British sprinter who specialises in the 100 metres and 200 metres. Born and raised in the British Overseas Territory of Anguilla, he has competed internationally for Great Britain in the Olympic Games, World Athletics and European Athletics events, and for England at the Commonwealth Games, since 2015. A double Commonwealth Games, double European Championships gold medalist as part of the 4 x 100 metres relay, Hughes has twice been European champion individually; over 100 metres in 2018, and 200 metres in 2022. In 2023, he broke both British sprint records, before winning his first global individual medal, a bronze in the 100 metres at the 2023 World championships.
Reece Prescod is a British sprinter. He won the silver medal in the 100 metres at the 2018 European Championships and bronze for the 4 × 100 m relay at the 2022 World Championships.
The 2021 British Athletics Championships was the national championships in outdoor track and field for athletes in the United Kingdom, which also served as the main qualifying event for athletics competitors for the delayed 2020 Summer Olympics. In addition, the Championships included a number of parasports events, with a total of 36 competitors in these competitions. On 29 June 2021, UK Athletics announced 65 athletes that would compete for Team GB at the Olympics, taking the total number of British athletics competitors at the Games to 72. In July 2021, four more athletes qualified for the Games based on their World Athletics rankings.