Britain’s Olympic athletics heroes have confirmed their participation in the Glasgow and Birmingham indoor legs of the world-class 2013 British Athletics Series, with Olympic  world indoor pole vault bronze medallist Holly Bleasdale (Dan Pfaff) and world indoor long jump bronze medallist Shara Proctor (Rana Reider) and Robbie Grabarz, all set to compete at both events.

All three Olympic finalists will firstly grace Glasgow’s brand new Emirates Arena on Saturday 26th January for the British Athletics International Match.

The Match’s unique five team format will see a Great British squad go head-to-head over an afternoon of world-class athletics with the USA, Russia, Germany and a Commonwealth Selected team in the first international athletics event at the 5,000 seat arena.

The stars will then compete at what is widely regarded as the best indoor meet in the world, the British Athletics Grand Prix at Birmingham’s National Indoor Arena (NIA) on Saturday 16th February.

All three athletes will be keen to repeat the success that they enjoyed at the two events earlier this year. Birmingham’s NIA was a particularly happy stomping ground for Grabarz, Proctor and Bleasdale, all three having beaten strong fields in front of the sell-out West Midlands crowd in February.

Bleasdale made a name for herself last winter when she vaulted to a British record 4.87 m indoors and held the world best mark at one point in early 2012. She followed that up with a first major medal, bronze at the World Indoor Championships in Istanbul in March. Only just having turned 21, the Lancashire native believes that even more is in store for 2013.

“I had a really good indoor season in 2012 so I can’t wait to get back on the runway for the 2013 season,” she said. “With a great new coach in Dan Pfaff and after another hard winter of training, I would love to go even higher than the 4.87 m this season and improve my British record again“

“The support for athletics has gone through the roof since the Olympics so it will be great to entertain the fans again in Glasgow and Birmingham. They should both be brilliant events.”

Long jumper Proctor also enjoyed a stellar indoor season in 2012, breaking the British indoor record on her way to clinching bronze at the World Indoor Championships in Istanbul.

The Olympic finalist, who has recently moved to Loughborough on a full-time basis along with her coach Rana Reider, sees the British Athletics Series meets as a highlight of her winter, in no small part due to the packed houses that greet athletes at every event.

“I’m really excited about competing in Glasgow and Birmingham again this season. Last year I jumped pretty well indoors, especially in Birmingham, and the crowd was really great”

“That’s one thing that you can guarantee about these British indoor meets, the atmosphere is always amazing. Hopefully I can do well again this winter and put on a good show for the British fans at both events.”

Grabarz, Bleasdale and Proctor will be joining Scotland’s three-time Olympian Lee McConnell (Rodger Harkins) in Glasgow, with the hometown hero announced last week as running 200 m for the Commonwealth Select team at the International Match.

The 34-years-old will be taking part in the world-class Glasgow event for the first time since 2006 as she focuses her attention on the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.