Top things to know about athletics at the 2022 Commonwealth Games
Schedule, preview and stars to watch in Birmingham, including the likes of Tobi Amusan, Jake Wightman, and Eleanor Patterson.
The athletics programme will include some freshly-minted world champions looking to affirm their new-found status, with the likes of Tobi Amusan, Jake Wightman, and Eleanor Patterson set to shine at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Although the Birmingham have already seen some high-profile withdrawals, there is still plenty of top talent left to put up a show for athletics fans.
The quadrennial event also give athletes a shot at redemption and rising stars to get their first taste of global success.
Below, we take a deeper look at the athletes expected to light up the competition, the schedule, and how to watch the action.
MORE: Commonwealth Games 2022: Preview, schedule, how to watch the global stars in action
You can follow all the action via our live update blog article on Olympics.com.
Tobi Amusan in triple crown bid
Nigerian hurdles sensation Tobi Amusan will be among the big attractions on the track, where she will be looking to add a second Commonwealth Games crown to the world and African titles she won this year.
Amusan sparkled at the recent World Athletics Championships, where she clinched a maiden global title in the 100m hurdles. The 25-year-old Nigerian also chopped eight hundredths off the previous world record in the semi-finals with a time of 12.12 seconds.
British record holder Cindy Sember and Jamaica’s Danielle Williams, who also featured in the final at the world championships, will be among Amusan’s biggest challengers.
Olympic long jump bronze medallist and world championship runner-up, Ese Brume, is another strong gold-medal contender in Birmingham. The African record holder will be looking to add to the gold medal she won at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.
READ MORE: Commonwealth Games 2022 venues: From historic sites to state-of-art facilities
The great British middle-distance onslaught
The great British middle-distance revival may be on full display in Birmingham, with some of the current crop of stars set to flex their muscle on home soil.
Newly crowned world 1500m champion and Scotsman Jake Wightman will be leading the charge following his spectacular win in Eugene, Oregon.
Wightman stunned some of the big names in the game, including the Olympic champion and the defending world champion, for the greatest victory of his career.
The 28-year-old ran the race of his life, relegating Norwegian Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen to second place.
Wightman will be looking to strike gold again in Birmingham and, in the process, upgrade the bronze he won four years ago.
Scotland may well celebrate a 1-2 podium should countryman and Olympic bronze medallist Josh Kerr fire at all cylinders. Kerr finished in a creditable fifth place in the final at the world championships,
The Scottish duo will have a fight on their hands with former world champion Timothy Cheruiyot and Kenyan compatriot Abel Kipsang looking to make amends for missing out on the podium in Eugene.
In the women’s 1500m, Olympic silver medallist Laura Muir will fancy her chances after finishing third in the final at the world championships.
Rising English rose Keely Hodgkinson is on the cusp of adding Commonwealth Games glory to her growing list of accolades after winning 800m silver at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and the recent world championships. She can expect a tussle with world bronze medallist Mary Moraa of Kenya and Jamaican middle-distance star Natoya Goule.
Antipodean dominance
Australia will set its sights on podium dominance in the women’s high jump with world gold medallist and defending Commonwealth champion Eleanor Patterson leading the charge.
Patterson and compatriot Nicola Olyslagers will be looking for a repeat of Tokyo 2020, where the duo share the top two steps on the podium.
The men’s shot put could see another Antipodean country take the lion’s share of the medals, with defending champion and two-time Olympic bronze medallist Tom Walsh and Jacko Gill of New Zealand looking like the leading contenders.
Two-horse 100m race?
South Africa’s Akani Simbine and Ferdinand Omanyala of Kenya will continue their rivalry when they go toe-to-toe in the men’s 100m.
Simbine will take some confidence from his third consecutive appearance in a world championships 100m final as he aims to become the first man since British great Linford Christie in 1994 to successfully defend a Commonwealth Games title in the short sprint.
Omanyala has proved to be Simbine’s kryptonite over the last year, usurping the South African of his African record and title.
The half-lap sprint, in turn, could see Adam Gemili and Zharnel Hughes give the home crowd something to cheer about should the English speedsters get their hands on some bling.
The women's race is equally hard to call. Will the Jamaican sprint queens rule again like they did in Eugene where Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson won 100m and 200m gold?
Athletics schedule at 2022 Commonwealth Games
All times are British Summer Time (GMT/UTC+1)
Wednesday 3 August 2022
18:30 – 22:00 Athletics and Para athletics, Alexander Stadium
- Men’s high jump
- Women’s 10,000m
- Women’s shot put
- Men’s discus F42-44/F61-64
- Mens 100m T37/38
- Women’s 100m
- Men’s 100m
Thursday 4 August 2022
18:30 – 21:45 Athletics and Para athletics, Alexander Stadium
- Women’s discus F42-44/F61-64
- Men’s long jump
- Men’s 100m T11/12
- Men’s discus
- Women’s 1500m T53/54
- Men’s 110m hurdles
Friday 5 August 2022
18:30 – 22:00 Athletics and Para athletics, Alexander Stadium
- Men’s shot put
- Men’s 1500m T53/54
- Women’s triple jump
- Women’s 3000m steeplechase
Saturday 6 August 2022
17:00 – 19:30 Wrestling, Coventry Arena
- Men’s freestyle 57kg
- Women’s freestyle 50kg
- Men’s freestyle 74kg
- Women’s freestyle 53kg
- Men’s freestyle 97kg
- Women’s freestyle 76kg
18:30 – 21:45 Athletics and Para athletics, Alexander Stadium
- Women’s hammer
- Men’s pole vault
- Women’s 400m hurdles
- Women’s 800m
- Men’s 5000m
- Men’s 400m hurdles
- Women’s 200m
- Men’s 200m
Sunday 7 August 2022
10:00 – 13:15 Athletics and Para athletics, Alexander Stadium
- Men’s triple jump
- Men’s 400m
- Women’s 400m
- Men’s 10km race walk
- Women’s javelin
- Women’s 4x100m relay
- Men’s 4x100m relay
18:30 – 21:30 Athletics and Para athletics, Alexander Stadium
- Women’s long jump
- Women’s 1500m
- Men’s javelin
- Men’s 800m
- Women’s 5000m
- Women’s 4x400m relay
- Men’s 4x400m relay
How to watch Commonwealth Games 2022
South Africa: SuperSport
UK: BBC TV, Radio, iPlayer
Canada: CBC Sports, CBC Sports app
Australia: Channel 7, 7Plus
New Zealand: Sky, TVNZ
India: Sony LIV
Further streaming details to be released on the Commonwealth Games website.