EUGENE, Ore. – As the 2022 World Athletics Championships gets underway at Hayward Field, two Virginia Tech alumni, Neil Gourley '18 and Marek Barta '18, will take on the world's best in the pinnacle of track & field.
Set to run from Friday, July 15 to Sunday, July 24, the World Athletics Championships will feature the greatest track & field athletes on the planet competing at Oregon's Hayward Field. Two of those athletes are former Hokies: Neil Gourley, who will compete for Great Britain, and Marek Barta, who will represent Czechia.
Broadcasts for the championships will be provided by the NBC family of networks and on Peacock, with live results available at World Athletics' website.
Gourley takes on the 1500m after finishing in second at the UK Athletics Championships. The 27-year-old from Glasgow has seen a surge in form across his middle-distance season, setting lifetime bests in the 800m, 1500m, and mile in 2022. Oregon will mark the third World Championships appearance of his career (Doha 2019, Belgrade Indoors 2022).
Oregon will be the first World Championships appearance for Barta, who has won the Czech national title in discus three times in his career. Barta recently threw a lifetime best in June, and looks keen to leave a mark at Hayward Field.
Both athletes begin their hunt for world titles this weekend, as Gourley will race in the 1500m heats at 9:30 PM ET on Saturday, and Barta will compete in discus qualifying at 8:05 PM ET on Sunday.
ATHLETE SCHEDULES (All Times Eastern)
Neil Gourley
1500m heats (July 16, 9:30 PM)
1500m semifinals (July 17, 10 PM)
1500m final (July 19, 10:30 PM)
Marek Barta
Discus qualifying (July 17, 8:05 PM)
Discus final (July 19, 9:33 PM)
