IEUAN Thomas rounds off his year of firsts tomorrow with a Diamond League bow in Birmingham – and the steeplechaser is determined to make the last race of the season for him a special one.

The 28-year-old lines up alongside Olympic, world, Commonwealth and European medallists at Alexander Stadium, hoping to run and hurdle his way to a new personal best.

For Pontypool’s Thomas, the Muller Grand Prix brings the curtain down on an action-packed track and road campaign that has featured Commonwealth Games and European Championships debuts.

Those came on the back of a maiden appearance at the World Championships in August 2017.

Thomas will enjoy a well-earned rest from Sunday but he can’t wait to mix it with some of the best steeplechasers in the world first.

“This is my first Diamond League meeting so I am pretty excited,” he said. “I’m really looking forward to it because the field is pretty amazing.

“Conseslus Kipruto is the Olympic, world and Commonwealth champion, Soufiane El Bakkali has run under eight minutes this year, and there are loads of other good Africans and Europeans.

“You’ve also got British number one Zak Seddon and Matthew Hughes from Canada who just missed out on bronze at the Commonwealths – it’s an incredible field.

“It’s a really good opportunity for me and I won’t get a better chance to run a new personal best.

“It’s 100% possible and it’s my goal, and I’ll be really disappointed if I don’t do it because it’s my last race of the season and I want to make the most of the situation.

“But I feel really good about how the weekend could go.”

He added: “It has been a long year with the build-up to the Commonwealth Games in April and then racing through the summer.

"It has all taken its toll on the body and I’m ready for a rest.

“The last 12 months have been very pleasing. I have always been on the cusp of teams for major championships but now I finally have that consistency.

“It’s nice to have that consistency because it gives me extra confidence going into the next major championships.

“Next year it’s the World Championships in Doha and they are later in the season so I don’t need to be in a massive rush like I was this year.

“I’ll have a few weeks off now to recover physically and mentally, then I’ll get in a few cross-country races and hopefully a full indoor season over the winter.”

Thomas failed to make the 3000m steeplechase final in Berlin last Thursday after finishing 10th in his heat 48 hours earlier.

And while he was gutted not get the chance to run again at the Euros, there was still a lot he could take from the experience.

“I came off the track slightly disappointed, but the more I focused on it the more positive I was about it," he stated.

“It was an incredibly high quality race and I would’ve had to run a personal best to make the final.

“Hindsight is a wonderful thing and I’m not sure I could have done much different.

“I think my strategy and tactics played out really well, I just didn’t have the legs when the kick came.”

He continued: “It’s always nice to step outside my normal comfort zone and experience what it’s like to be a full-time athlete for a week.

“The Berlin stadium is one of the most amazing places I’ve ever been to, there is so much history there.

“It’s like stepping back in time and you get a good sense of what happened there, but then there’s also a great track and arena for spectators.”

Thirteen of Great Britain's medal winners from Berlin are competing in Birmingham.

Dina Asher-Smith goes in the women's 200m, Zharnel Hughes, Reece Prescod and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake line up in a stacked men's 100m and 1500m ace Laura Muir bids to break the British women's 1000m record.