News02 Dec 2015


Schippers to face Asher-Smith over 60m in Glasgow

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Dafne Schippers and Dina Asher-Smith in action (© Getty Images)

World 200m champion and European record-holder Dafne Schippers will duel with Britain’s fastest ever woman, Dina Asher-Smith, over 60m at the Glasgow Indoor Grand Prix on 20 February, organisers of the IAAF Indoor Permit meeting announced on Wednesday (2).

Each athlete has beaten the other once over 60m in their careers, with both setting their personal bests at last year’s European Indoor Championships in Prague. On that occasion, Schippers won in 7.05 while Asher-Smith was second in 7.08, the first of five British records the prodigious teenager – who turns 20 on Friday – set during 2015.

“Clocking (the European record) 21.63 in the 200m in Beijing was a huge win for me," said Schippers. "I kept thinking ‘if I pull this off, there’s nothing stopping me from doing this again in Rio’. I’m even more committed to putting on an amazing performance, especially in Glasgow where the atmosphere is always electric."

Asher-Smith confirmed that her Glasgow outing will help set the stage for the rest of the year.

“2015 has been a special year for me and I couldn’t be more pleased," said Asher-Smith. "Now I’m looking ahead and I am absolutely thrilled to compete with Dafne at the Glasgow Indoor Grand Prix. The atmosphere in the Emirates Arena will be amazing and a strong start to 2016 is going to be important for me in my build up to the Olympic Games in Rio.

“I think I surprised myself when I realised I beat Kathy Cook’s 200m (British) record time of 22.10 earlier this summer," she added. "The Glasgow Grand Prix now gives me the perfect platform to build on my 2015."

The Glasgow Indoor Grand Prix will be the fourth and final IAAF Indoor Permit meeting of 2016 and the organisers are aiming to make it the most spectacular indoor athletics event ever staged in Scotland.

Organisers for the IAAF

2016 IAAF World Indoor Tour
Karlsruhe indoor meeting (Karlsruhe, GER), Saturday 6 February
New Balance Indoor Grand Prix (Boston, USA), Sunday 14 February
Globen Galan (Stockholm, SWE), Wednesday 17 February
Glasgow Indoor Grand Prix (Glasgow, GBR), Saturday 20 February

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