English
Three more Olympic champions are joining an increasingly exciting lineup for the Golden Gala Pietro Mennea. Italy’s premier athletics meeting, scheduled for the evening of June 4 at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico, will be lit up by American shot put star Ryan Crouser, New Zealand high jumper Hamish Kerr, and Bahrain’s Winfred Yavi, Olympic champion in the 3000m steeplechase, who will compete in the 5000m.
These standout names join those already announced in recent weeks, from sprint sensation Noah Lyles to sprint queens Melissa Jefferson-Wooden and Julien Alfred, as well as Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson in the 400m, and Italian talents Nadia Battocletti, Mattia Furlani, and Andy Diaz.
SHOT PUT – A true legend of athletics arrives in Rome: three-time Olympic champion (Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024) and three-time world champion (Oregon 2022, Budapest 2023, Tokyo 2025). Ryan Crouser has competed in just one edition of the Golden Gala, in 2024, but left his mark with a meeting record of 22.49 metres. Interestingly, his international career began in Italy, with gold at the 2009 World U18 Championships in Bressanone. It will be a special showdown for Italy’s Leonardo Fabbri, who shared the world championships podium with Crouser in Budapest (silver) and Tokyo (bronze), and who can ignite the Stadio Olimpico crowd as he did during the triumphant 2024 European Championships in Rome. Also confirmed among the Italians is 2023 European indoor champion Zane Weir.
HIGH JUMP – Once again, the high jump competition promises to be one of the highlights of the Golden Gala. Olympic and world champion, achieving a personal best of 2.36 metres on both finals, Hamish Kerr is ready for a big performance under the south stand. The Diamond League champion (2.32 in last year’s final in Zurich) is aiming for his first Golden Gala victory after finishing fourth in 2023 and sixth in 2025. Also in the field is rising Italian Matteo Sioli (2.30m), a finalist at the Tokyo World Championships at just 19 years old and European U23 champion.
5000 METRES – A formidable rival for Nadia Battocletti in the 5000m. Winfred Yavi has a special connection with the Stadio Olimpico, where two years ago she came within seven hundredths of a second of the world record in the 3000m steeplechase, clocking 8:44.39, just shy of Beatrice Chepkoech’s mark. This time she will test herself in the 5000m, an event she runs less frequently but where she has posted a time of 14:41.99. Also competing over the distance is Ireland’s Sarah Healy, returning to Rome after winning last year’s 1500m.
TICKETS ON SALE – Tickets for the Golden Gala Pietro Mennea are available through TicketOne, both online and at authorised sales points.