Fly in the Olympic Stadium. Pole vault star Armand Duplantis is set to take off in Rome. He is one of the first big world stars signed up for the 40th edition of the Golden Gala Pietro Mennea, the Italian leg of the Wanda Diamond League scheduled on Thursday 17th September. The Swedish pole vaulter, who will turn 21 next November, is one of the most popular international athletics stars thanks to the sensational results achieved last winter, when he smashed the pole vault world record twice with 6.17m in Torun and, one week later, with 6.18m in Glasgow on 15 February. He broke the previous world record held by France’s Renaud Lavillenie (6.16m) and improved the heights reached by pole vault legend Sergey Bubka, who clashed in a memorable world record battle against Thierry Vigneron. “Mondo” Duplantis, who grew up in Lousiana (the place of his father and coach Greg), and still living in the United States, set the world outdoor seasonal best in 2020 by clearing 6.07m in the Diamond League city event in Lausanne, before making an unsuccessful attempt at 6.15m, showing that these heights are within his reach. In the Diamond League he will compete again in Brussels on Friday evening. The eyes of all athletics fans will be set on Duplantis on 17 September at the Olympic Stadium. On Italian soil Duplantis won the European Under 20 gold medal in Grosseto 2017, one of the many junior or youth titles of his career. One year later he was already on the top of European pole vault among the seniors at the Berlin Olympic Stadium, where he cleared 6.05m. At world level he won the silver medal in Doha behind Sam Kendricks. His outstanding 2020 indoor season made him one of the greatest pole vaulter in history. His technique is very close to perfection and he has still room of improvement.
Thompson to highlight women’s sprint, Muir is the star in middle-distance
Two weeks before the Italian capital’s meeting, scheduled in late afternoon from 18 to 20.25, one of the fastest sprinters in history can be also announced. Reigning olympic 100m and 200m Elaine Thompson from Jamaica, who won the 100m in the past edition of the Golden Gala with 10.89, will run again on the track of the Olympic Stadium. This year the 28-year-old Jamaican sprinter clocked the world class time of 10.88 in Kingston in her country, and expects to sprint very fast on the Rome straight. Middle distance also offers a great show. The programme features the women’s 800 metres with European outdoor and indoor 1500 metres champion Laura Muir. The 27-year-old Scottish middle distance runner, who is graduated in veterinary, has already won the 1500m in the Diamond League in Stockolm setting the fastest time in the world in 2020 with 3:57.86. In the 800 metres she has already run on Italian soil in Trieste on 1st August (1:59.54).
MANY ITALIAN STARS ON SHOW: TORTU, JACOBS, TAMBERI, FABBRI
The Golden Gala named Pietro Mennea, who won the 200m in the inaugural edition 40 years ago, will also feature many Italian stars, especially four Italian record holders: Filippo Tortu, Marcell Jacobs, Gianmarco Tamberi and Leonardo Fabbri. In the 100m sprint race the clash between Italian 100m record holder and Doha world championships seventh placer Filippo Tortu and 4x100 Italian record holder Marcell Jacobs, who won the Italian 100m title and is the fastest Italian sprinter this year with 10.10. The all-Italian clash is becoming a classic rivalry in Italian athletics and is raising the interest of athletics fans. Tortu and Jacobs have already clashed in Rome in 2018. Tortu prevailed over Jacobs in 10.04, just a few weeks before breaking the 10 seconds barrier in Madrid with 9.99. He became the first Italian sprinter to achieve this feat.
Another eagerly-awaited for Italian athletics fans is the men’s high jump with Gianmarco Tamberi, who won the Italian title again with 2.28m in Padua, missing his 2.30m outdoor seasonal best performance by 2 cm and his 2.31m indoor seasonal best set in Siena by 3 cm. The European Indoor champion said many times that the high jump at the Olympic Stadium is the “World Championships” in 2020. He is always able to find the extra motivation in the Rome Olympic Stadium.
The Golden Gala will be also a launchpad for Leonardo Fabbri, who won the Italian shot put title in Padua with 21.99m, the best Italian put since 1987, when Alessandro Andrei set the former world record with 22.91m. The shot putter from Florence, who set the Italian indoor record with 21.59m last winter, will clash against some of the top rivals, against whom he will have to battle in the next seasons to aim at prestigious international results. There are just some of the top names of a line-up which is taking shape and will be fully unveiled in the next few days. Despite all, the athletics show does not stop. The Golden Gala meeting will be broadcast Live on Rai 2 on Thursday 17 September on Rai 2 from 18.40 to 20.25
