AW Magazine

13 July 2023

With world class athletics returning to London for the first time in four years, the July issue of AW is centred around the city’s relationship with the sport. We look ahead to this month’s Diamond League meeting at the Olympic Park through the eyes of British sprint star Dina Asher-Smith, whose links to that renowned stadium are both deep and personal. The Londoner talks us through her formative experiences on the fabled track and how they helped to shape her top-level career. We also examine the rich athletics history which runs through London, how it helped track and field athletics to evolve into the sport we know it as today and select some of the most significant moments to have happened in the capital down the years. Crystal Palace Stadium has played a key role in that history and, though the famous venue has been allowed to fall into disrepair, there are shoots of hope beginning to grow that it could be brought back to life. Our special report speaks to those who are closely linked to the facility and know what needs to be done, while there is also an exclusive interview with the man who has been placed in charge of the regeneration project. Dave Bedford is a man inextricably linked with Crystal Palace, too, and he takes a trip down memory lane on the 50th anniversary of the 10,000m world record he set there in 1973. Another packed issue also features an interview with American sprint hurdler Devon Allen, a look back at the second edition of the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships, plus exclusive columns from Katharine Merry and Ben Bloom. Our panel of experts answers your questions in our new-look performance section, too.