Manchester's Great City Games axed after 10 years

Manchester's Great City Games has been cancelled after 10 years of events, organisers have confirmed.

The street athletics show, which started in 2009 and has featured the likes of Usain Bolt and Jessica Ennis Hill, will not take place this year.

Jamaican sprinter Bolt set the world's fastest time for the 150m in 2009, winning the event in 14.35 seconds.

The Great Run Company said they would now focus on developing the Great Manchester Run, Europe's biggest 10k.

Chief executive Paul Foster said the street athletics competition has been "an amazing event"

But he added: "After ten very successful years bringing some of the biggest names in international sport to the city of Manchester, we have decided to retire the event and focus our efforts on building on the extraordinary success of the Simplyhealth Great Manchester Run."

The company declined to elaborate further on the reasons for their decision.

Competing for the first time since giving birth, former Olympic heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis Hill finished third in the 100m hurdles at the 2015 Games.

Olympic long jumper Greg Rutherford won in 2017 in front of a big crowd in Albert Square, with the London 2012 gold medallist recording 8.18m in his final jump to win.