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The countdown has begun for the Golden Gala Pietro Mennea – Presented by IP, the Italian leg of the Wanda Diamond League, set for the evening of Friday, June 6, at the Stadio Olimpico, starting at 7:15 PM. Italy’s top track and field meeting, now in its 45th edition, was presented at the Olimpico by FIDAL president Stefano Mei, Sport e Salute president Marco Mezzaroma, and meeting director Marco Sicari. Among the standout attendees was long jump world indoor champion and Olympic bronze medallist Mattia Furlani.
A high-quality lineup has been announced, featuring 10 Olympic champions (from Paris or previous Games) and 62 medal winners from the world’s top competitions (Olympics and World Athletics Championships). This promises an unforgettable evening of sport and entertainment at the Olimpico. Tickets are on sale via TicketOne.
Alongside the previously announced stars, the American sprinter Fred Kerley will run the 100 meters, lining up against Italy’s Filippo Tortu and Chituru Ali. From the Paris Olympics come gold medallists Miltiadis Tentoglou (Greece, long jump), Furlani’s biggest rival, and double Olympic champion Beatrice Chebet (Kenya), who will challenge Italy’s Nadia Battocletti in the 5000 meters – a field now joined by Ethiopian world record holder Gudaf Tsegay. Other Olympic gold medallists competing include Hamish Kerr (New Zealand, high jump), Valarie Allman (USA, discus throw), Quincy Hall (USA, 400m), and Thea LaFond (Dominica, triple jump). Fourteen events will be contested, with points at stake for qualification to the Wanda Diamond League Final in Zurich (August 27–28).
The presentation was also attended by Flavio Siniscalchi (Head of the Department for Sport), Alessandro Onorato (Rome’s Sports Councillor), and Gianpiero Strisciuglio (CEO of Trenitalia).
FURLANI: A MAGIC NIGHT AWAITS
Mattia Furlani is ready for takeoff at the Stadio Olimpico. The home crowd favourite, who claimed world indoor gold in Nanjing in the long jump, now boasts five consecutive medals at major championships, including his Olympic bronze in Paris. The Olimpico, where Furlani set the U20 world record (8.38m), will host another showdown with Greek star Miltiadis Tentoglou, the dominant force in the event in recent years (two Olympic golds, three World titles, six European titles indoor and outdoor). It’s a preview of the upcoming World Championships in Tokyo this September. Also competing are Jamaica’s Carey McLeod and Australia’s Liam Adcock (last two indoor world bronze medallists), European indoor champion Bozhidar Saraboyukov (Bulgaria), who beat Furlani in Apeldoorn, American Marquis Dendy, and other top Europeans like Simon Ehammer (Switzerland), Thobias Montler (Sweden), Lester Lescay (Spain), and Simon Batz (Germany). Furlani currently leads the world rankings with his 8.37m jump in Torun and came close again last weekend in Atlanta (8.28m).
BATTOCLETTI: WORLD-CLASS DUEL WITH CHEBET AND TSEGAY
Two global middle- and long-distance superstars will face Italy’s own Nadia Battocletti, who has risen to the top of world athletics and dominates Europe across all terrains (track, cross-country, road). The 5000 meters promises to be a stellar event, with Battocletti – Olympic silver medallist in the 10,000m in Paris and four-time European gold medallist in the past year – taking on Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet (double Olympic champion in Paris over 5000m and 10,000m) and Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay, the world record holder (14:00.21 in Eugene, 2023). The Ethiopian contingent also includes Freweyni Hailu and Likina Amebaw, making this race even more unpredictable and exciting.
ON THE TRACK: KERLEY RETURNS FOR THE 100M
Fred Kerley has already triumphed at the Golden Gala three times (400m in 2018, 100m in 2022 and 2023). The American sprinter, with a personal best of 9.76, is a two-time Olympic medallist (silver in Tokyo, bronze in Paris) and world champion in Eugene. He returns to Rome in the 100 meters, featuring only sub-10-second runners. The competition includes Ferdinand Omanyala (Kenya, 9.77 PB), Diamond League champion Ackeem Blake (Jamaica), Courtney Lindsey (USA), and Italian Filippo Tortu. In the 400m, Olympic champion Quincy Hall (USA) will face Grenada’s Kirani James and USA’s Vernon Norwood, both past Olympic gold medallists. In the women’s 200m, look out for Olympic bronze medallist Brittany Brown (USA) and two-time Golden Gala winner Marie-Josée Ta Lou-Smith. The 110m hurdles features Olympic silver medallist Daniel Roberts (USA), world leader Daniel Tinch (USA, 12.87), and Lorenzo Simonelli (Italy). The women’s 400m hurdles will star world bronze medallist Rushell Clayton (Jamaica). In the 1500m, the top times belong to Ethiopia’s Birke Haylom and Kenya’s Brian Komen.
JUMPS: FROM KERR TO LAFOND, OLYMPIC DREAM
Rome will host a top-tier men’s high jump contest featuring Olympic champion Hamish Kerr (New Zealand), world indoor champion Woo Sang-hyeok (Korea), world silver medallist JuVaughn Harrison (USA) and Italian Stefano Sottile (4th at the Olympics). The women’s triple jump includes Olympic gold medallist Thea LaFond (Dominica), world indoor champion Leyanis Perez Hernandez (Cuba), and Olympic silver medallist Shanieka Ricketts (Jamaica). In the pole vault, Olympic bronze medallist Alysha Newman (Canada), Britain’s Molly Caudery, and American Sandi Morris join Italy’s Roberta Bruni and Elisa Molinarolo.
THROWS: FABBRI AND KOVACS IN SHOT PUT, ALLMAN IN DISCUS THROW
Expect full power in the men’s shot put. European champion and 2024 Diamond League winner Leonardo Fabbri will thrill the home crowd. Still, he faces fierce competition: Joe Kovacs (USA – three Olympic silvers, two indoor world titles, second-best throw ever at 23.23m), New Zealand’s Tom Walsh (three indoor world titles), Jamaica’s Olympic bronze medallist Rajindra Campbell, and fellow Italian Zane Weir. The women’s discus throw will be outstanding, featuring the world’s top 10 ranked throwers, including Olympic champion Valarie Allman (USA – gold in Tokyo and Paris), Olympic silver medallist Feng Bin (China), and Croatia’s Sandra Elkasevic (Perkovic), a two-time Olympic and World champion who holds the meeting record (68.93m in 2018).
GOLDEN GALA PARTNERS
The Golden Gala Pietro Mennea, the Italian leg of the Wanda Diamond League, is organised by the Italian Athletics Federation (FIDAL) and Sport e Salute, with support from World Athletics, partners including IP, Frecciarossa, Joma, Wanda, Omega, Uliveto, Felicetti, Consorzio DOC delle Venezie, public institutions World Food Programme, Ministero degli Affari esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale, Regione Lazio, and Camera di Commercio di Frosinone e Latina.