Bolt and Rudisha stars of Compeed Golden Gala 2011

The Organizing Committee of the Compeed Golden Gala, third leg of the Samsung Diamond League, to be held at the Olympic Stadium of Rome on Thursday, 26 May, announces the participation of Usain Bolt (JAM), the Olympic and World champion (and World record holder) of 100m, 200m and 4x100m. Phenomenal Bolt will open in Rome his European and Samsung
Diamond League campaign, running the 100m race. The participation of Bolt to the Compeed Golden Gala has been communicated today in a press conference held in Rome, by CONI (the Italian Olympic Committee) President, Gianni Petrucci, by FIDAL President, Franco Arese and by
CONI General Secretary, Raffaele Pagnozzi.

“This will be my first time competing in Italy – said Usain Bolt, commenting his participation to the Italian meeting – and I’m looking forward to test the reaction of the Roman crowd, whose’ love for sports is well known worldwide. I know that the Olympic stadium has a very fast track, as some of the best sprinters ran remarkable times there in the last ten years. I hope to put my name on that list, hopefully somewhere on the top…I am working hard to be ready for 26 of May: it will be my first European and Samsung Diamond League competition, in a season leading to the IAAF World Championships in Daegu. I am fully recovered, after the injury I suffered the last summer, and the training has been going according to the plans of my coach. I am confident I
will be able to get the best shape at the right time in the summer. I only want to say to the people in Italy: come to the Rome Olympic Stadium on 26 May, we will enjoy a great athletics party there”.

FIDAL President Franco Arese (a former European Champion at 1500m, in 1971) announced then the participation of another fantastic champion to the Roman night of 26 May: the 800m World record holder and IAAF athlete of the year, David Rudisha (KEN). The elegant Kenyan runner ran the second of two world records (1:41.01) last year in Rieti, during the traditional international meeting held in the historical town not far from the capital of Italy.
The 2011 edition of the Golden Gala will be the first of three with a new title sponsor: Compeed, prestigious brand from Johnson & Johnson (Managing Director of J&J Gaetano Colabucci was part of the press conference), that will add its name to the Golden Gala until 2013.

As already happened in 2010, also in 2011 the Golden Gala will be the focus of a week dedicated to athletics at the Parco del Foro Italico of Rome, the very well-known sports area including the most important (and fully renovated) Olympic facilities of 1960. The Farnesina stadium will host the final leg of Nations Students Athletics Championships (organized by FIDAL, CONI and Ministry of Education, supported by major sponsor Kinder+Sport), involving hundreds of students between 12 and 18 years coming from all over the country. They will all be living the magical atmosphere of the Golden Gala on the night of 26 May.

Tickets for the Compeed Golden Gala 2011 are for sale by the internet website of TickeOne (www.ticketone.it), the ticketing partner of the Organizing Committee.