Host more events to inspire the next generation, says Neita

Powys County Times

a day ago

Daryll Neita has called for the UK to host more world-class sporting events to inspire the next generation.
The European Athletics Championships come to the UK for the first time next summer with Alexander Stadium in Birmingham playing host.
It will mark the first time that the UK has hosted a standalone major athletics championships since the 2017 World Championships in London, with Neita among more than 100 signatories of an open letter released this week calling for the showpiece event to return to the capital in 2029.
Racing in front of a home crowd at Birmingham 2026 is an opportunity that Neita is relishing as she plays her part in trying to give athletics a spotlight in non-Olympic years.
"I'm all for inspiring the next generation," she said.
"I have an athletics community where I plan sports days and it's super important for me that young kids have the opportunity to be inspired by sport and see it live.
"For people who watch us on television, to have the opportunity to come down and see us in person is brilliant.
"That's what we need as a sporting country. We need this legacy of putting on top events more often."
The past two London Athletics Meets have drawn in sell-out crowds and the 2025 event is no different, which Neita feels is part of a wider boom in interest.
"This sport has been growing in the past few years and it's been great to be part of that evolution,' she added.
"For so long there was this talk of athletics needing to be picked up and needing help to get more eyes on it, so it's great to see the amount of opportunities that are now coming through.
"People are interested in it, we just need the exposure."
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The Birmingham 2026 ticketing information and timetable has now been unveiled, with 250,000 tickets to go on sale in September, and prices starting from just £10 for adults.
Neita won 100m European bronze at Munich 2022 before adding 200m silver to her name two years later in Rome.
But even with two relays golds from the continental championships in 2018 and 2024, the sprinter is still eager for her first-ever individual major title and feels confident she will finally bring it home in Birmingham.
"It feels to be like it's meant to be," she said.
"I've done the bronze in the 100m and silver in the 200m, so the only other option is for me to win double gold.
"That's how I see it and there's no better place to do it than at home.
"That British cheer is definitely what can get me onto the podium again.
"I've made an adjustment in terms of my training set up and the plan is that by next summer I will be raring and ready to go. I'm feeling really confident."