European Athletics (EAA) – News – Rutherford and Farah to compete in Great North CityGames

Olympic Gold medallist Greg Rutherford joins a cast of Olympic finalists who will compete for the Aviva Great Britain and Northern Ireland team at the Great North CityGames on Saturday 15 September.

The Games – staged the day before the Great North Run – will once again bring world class athletics to the streets of Newcastle, with Britain's best competing against their rivals from USA in the annual head-to-head match.

Newly crowned Champion Rutherford – who still holds the Great North CityGames long jump record of 8.17m from 2009 – returns to Newcastle-Gateshead to compete alongside fellow Olympic long jump finalist Chris Tomlinson.

After a hectic few weeks in which he lifted double Olympic gold, Mo Farah has decided to step down in distance instead of competing in the Great North Run.

The double Olympic champion was due to compete in the second half-marathon of his career, but instead he will take part in the invitational 2 miles which has been added to the Great North CityGames schedule on Saturday.

Farah has raced just once since the Olympics, which was also over the two-mile distance at the Birmingham Diamond League meeting, where he enjoyed a comfortable victory but failed to break Steve Ovett's long-standing UK record.

Looking to defend her one mile title from last year, Olympic finalist and World silver medallist Hannah England will line up with Team GB compatriot Julia Bleasdale, plus Jemma Simpson and Jessica Judd.

Following on from the race of his life in the 800m final at the Olympic Stadium, Andrew Osagie will run in the men's one mile hoping to improve on last year's finish where he crossed the line third behind the USA's Bernard Lagat and Kyle Miller.

Making his Great North City Games debut, Lawrence Clarke will tackle the 110m hurdles just weeks after his surprise fourth place in the Olympic final. His Olympic teammate Holly Bleasdale returns to Newcastle-Gateshead after a disappointing Olympics. The 2011 Great North City Games crowd saw the youngster jump 4.12m in the pole vault and finish in second place behind USA's Becky Holiday.

Finally, Team GB sprinters Dwain Chambers and James Dasaolu will be of note in the men's 100m, while Anyika Onuroa and Hayley Jones will race in the women's 100m.

 European Athletics (EAA) – News