It will be once again a great athletics night with no less than fifty olympic, world or european medallists or Diamond League winners. We present our event-by-event preview in chronological order.
Men’s discus (17.45)
Golden Gala record: 68.78 Piotr MALACHOWSKI POL 2010 – Italian all-comers record: 70.26 Imrich Bugar TCH 1984.
Robert Harting and Piotr Malachowski have clashed for eleven years. Harting leads 53-18 in their head-to-head matches. The German Olympic and multi-world champion is coming back from an injury and is not in good shape yet. The Polish athlete won in Doha and Rabat before losing to Harting’s brother Christoph in Dessau. Belgium’s World silver medallist Phillip Milanov and 22-year-old Jamaican thrower Fedrick Dacres, world junior and youth champion, make the debut on Italian soil and have a good chance to perform well
Women’s shot put (18.25)
Golden Gala Record: 21.03 Valerie ADAMS NZL 2012 – Italian all-comers record: 21.24 Natalya Lisovsakaya URS 1987
Valerie Adams is bidding to take her third consecutive win at the Golden Gala, but she will face a very competitive field. Adams came back to the podium at the World Indoor Championships in Portland where she won the bronze medal behind Carter and Hungary’s Anita Marton, who also competes at the Rome Olympic Stadium. It will be a preview of the Olympic final. In the 2016 Diamond League the first two legs were won by Tia Brooks in Doha and Valerie Adams in Rabat. Brooks will compete in Rome.
Women’s 800m B race (18.45)
Women’s triple jump (18.50)
Golden Gala record and Italian all-comers record: 15.29 Yamilé ALDAMA CUB 2003
The best triple jumpers in the world will compete in Rome. Colombia’s Caterine Ibarguen has remained unbeaten since London 2012. She has won 33 consecutive competitions in four years, including the 2014 Golden Gala. She won the last three editions of the Diamond Race and two world titles in Moscow and Beijing. She will face the flying Venezuelan Yulimar Rojas, who won the world indoor gold medal and has an unlimited potential, reigning Olympic gold medallist Olga Rypakova and Ukraine’s Olha Saladukha. The Golden Gala could be under threat. With all these stars in the competition everything is possible.
Men’s 1500m Under 20 race (18.55)
Under 20 Men’s 100m race (19.05)
Women’s 100m under 20 race (19.12)
Women’s pole vault (19.15)
Golden Gala and all-comers record: 5.03 Yelena ISINBAYEVA RUS 2008
The last two winners of the Golden Gala Yarisley Silva from Cuba, world gold medallist in 2015 , and Fabiana Murer from Brazil, who wants to end her career at the Olympic Games in Rio on a high note. The entire Beijing World Championships podium will be at the Golden Gala including bronze medallist Nikoleta Kiriakopoulou. The top-two best specialists at the moment Ekaterini Stefanidi, also from Greece and Swiss Nicole Buchler and World Under 20 record holder Wilma Murto will compete in Rome. Who will be able to spoil Yarisley’s Silva’s 29th birthday, which will fall on the eve of the Golden Gala ?
Women’s 100m C Race (19.20)
Women’s 100m B Race (19.27)
Men’s 100m C Race (19.35)
Men’s 100m B Race (19.42)
European Under 23 champion and Italian Championships second placer Giovanni Galbieri will take on 2014 European champion James Dasalou
Women’s javelin throw (19.55)
Golden Gala and Italian all-comers record: 68.66m Barbora SPOTAKOVA CZE 2010
Reigning olympic champion Barbora Spotakova will open her 2016 season at the Rome Olympic Stadium, where she has already won three times with record-breaking throws. She clinched four Diamond Race wins and is aiming at regaining this title after her maternity leave in 2013. The Beijing World Championships podium will be represented by German Katarina Molitor and South African Sunette Viljoen. Other star in the line-up will be Moscow 2013 world champion Christina Obergfoll, who is returning to her best form. In the 2016 Diamond League season Sunette Viljoen won in Doha, Madara Palameika, who will also compete in Rome, finished first in Rabat.
Women’s 400m hurdles (20.04)
Golden Gala and Italian all-comers record: 52.82 Lashinda Demus USA 2010
US hurdler Georganne Moline will come back to Rome after winning two years ago. She leads the world seasonal list. Barhain’s Kemi Adekoya warmed up by winning the world indoor title in the 400m, but Jamaican hurdlers Kaliese Spencer (twice winner in Rome) and Janieve Russell could be serious challengers to everyone. Great Britain’s Elidh Doyle, US Cassandra Tate, South African Wanda Nel Theron will be also in the line-up. Marzia Caravelli will face her first international 400m hurdles race at international level
Men’s high jump (20.10)
Golden Gala and Italian all-comers record: 2.41 Mutaz Essa BARSHIM QAT 2014
World Indoor champion Gianmarco Tamberi will compete for the first time at the Golden Gala after his sixth place in Rabat. Marco Fassinotti will compete for the third time in the 2016 Diamond League after finishing third in Doha and seventh in Rabat. The star-studded field will feature meeting record holder Mutaz Barshim, Bohdan Bondarenko, world champion in Moscow 2013 and European champion in Zurich 2014, world silver medallists Zhang Guowei and Robbie Grabarz, who won at the Olympic Stadium in 2012. The 2.40m barrier, which has not not been broken yet this year, could be under threat. In 2016 Bondarenko won in Shanghai and Rabat.
Men’s 200m (20.15)
Golden Gala record: 19.86 Walter DIX USA 2010 – Italian all-comers record: 19.82 A Carl Lewis USA 1988 Five sub-20 seconds sprinters will be in the line-up: Asian record holder Femi Ogunode, US Ameer Webb, Panama’s Alonso Edward, a favourite of the Rome crowd Christophe Lemaitre and Turkey’s Ramil Gulyev. Trayvon Bromell, world indoor champion in the 60m and world bronze in the 100m, is aiming at breaking the 20 seconds barrier. The first Golden Gala winner was Pietro Mennea. Edward won at the Olympic Stadium in 2014 and holds the fastest time among the entrants
Women’s 800m A race (20.25)
Golden Gala record: 1:55.69 Pamela JELIMO KEN 2008 – Italian all-Comers record: 1:55.26 Sigrun Wodars GDR 1987
South African Caster Semenya will run at the Golden Gala for the third time in her career. This time she will be the favourite. She dominated her rivals in Doha and Rabat setting very fast times. In Rome she will face an array of medallists: the entire podium of Beijing 2015 with Marina Arzamasova, Melissa Bishop and Eunice Sum, the top-two of the World Indoor Championships in Portland Francine Nyonsaba and Ajée Wilson and European champions Linsey Sharp and Selina Buchel. There are good chances to watch the best 800 metres of the season.
Men’s 400 metres (20.35)
Golden Gala and Italian All-Comers record: 43.62 Jeremy WARINER USA 2006
Wayde Van Niekerk, world champion in the men’s 400 in 43.48, will compete in Rome; he is the only sprinter in the world able to run the men’s 100 under 10.00, the 200m under 20.00 and the 400m under 44.00. In his first race at the Golden Gala he will face Qatar’s Abdelalelah Haroun, world indoor silver medallist, Botswana’s Isaac Makwala and Grenada’s second fastest 400m sprinter Bralon Taplin
Men’s long jump (20.40)
Golden Gala record: 8.61 Dwight PHILLIPS USA 2009 – Italian All-Comers record: 8.67 Carl LEWIS USA 1987
British long jumper Greg Rutherford, who won every international title including the Olympic Games, the European Champions and the Commonwealth Games, will be in the spotlight in Rome. The indomitable British star will chase his second win at the Golden Gala after the victory in 2012 and will face the top-five jumpers of the season, US Marquise Goodwin and Mike Hartfield, South African Ruschwal Samaai and Luvo Manyonga and Australian Fabrice Lapierre. Rutherford vs the World, a preview of the Olympic final, will be in the spotlight at the Rome Olympic Stadium
Women’s 5000m (20.45)
Golden Gala record: 14:32.57 Tirunesh DIBABA ETH 2005 – Italian all-comers record: 14:23.46 Tirunesh Dibaba ETH 2008.
Ethiopian runner Almaz Ayana returns to the Golden Gala after finishing second in 2014, when she lost to Genzebe Dibaba. She returns to Rome as the reigning world champion after beating Dibaba in Beijing. She won two outstanding competitions in Doha and Rabat. The Golden Gala record held by Genzebe’s sister Tirunesh Dibaba is under threat. The focus will be on the clock: with pacemakers or without them Ayana is able to run at a pace, which her rivals cannot keep up with. The list of her rivals features seven Ethiopian runners, including Beijing world silver medallist Senbere Teferi.
110m hurdles (21.05)
Golden Gala record: 13.01 Allen JOHNSON USA 1999 – Italian All-Comers record: 12.97 A Roger Kingdom USA 1988 and 12.97 A Colin Jackson GBR 1993
Former cuban Orlando Ortega, who has recently become Spanish citizen, will not be able to comete in Rio. His Olympic Games are the Diamond League. He will compete in Rome for the third consecutive DL meeting this year. He will chase the win after setting the national record of 13.12 in Doha and clocking 13.13 in Rabat. He will face four French “mosqueters” Pascal Martinot Lagarde, Dimitri Bascou, Garfield Darien and Wilhelm Belocian.
Men’s 1500m (21.15)
Golden Gala and Italian All-Comers Record: 3:26.00 Hicham EL GUERROUJ MAR 1998 (World record)
After the win in 2014 Silas Kiplagat will return to the Golden Gala with the goal to chase another victory. He finished third in Doha and second in Rabat in the fastest races of the season. Kiplagat will be aiming at clinching Kenya’s fifth consecutive win at the Golden Gala. He won two editions of the Diamond Race in 2012 and 2014, the world silver medal in Daegu and set the fifth fastest time in history with 3:27.64. His strongest rival will be Beijing 2015 world silver medallist Elijah Manangoi.
Women’s 100m (21.25)
Golden Gala record: 10.75 Marion JONES USA 1998 and 10.75 Kerron STEWART JAM 2009 – Italian All-Comers record: 10.74 Merlene OTTEY JAM 1996
US sprinter English Gardner, who crushed all her rivals in the Eugene Diamond League meeting in 10.81, is going to run ver fast on the Olympic Stadium track after winning the Eugene Diamond League 100 metres in a super-fast 10.81. Another athlete coming from Eugene is Jamaican sprinter Elaine Thompson, who won the 200m world silver medallist in Beijing in the greatest race in the history of this discipline. Barbara Pierre, world Indoor 60m gold medallist in Portland, will also line up. Thompson won the Diamond League leg in Rabat and is ready to set a fast time over the short sprint distance.
Men’s 100m A Race (21.35)
Golden Gala record: 9.75 Justin GATLIN 2015 – Italian all-Comers record: 9.74 Asafa POWELL JAM 2007
Last year Justin Gatlin tied Maurice Greene’s record of four wins at the Golden Gala and broke Usain Bolt’s meeting record with 9.75. This year he is aiming at winning for the fifth time after his latest good results and his good race last Saturday in Eugene. The line-up also features Asian record holder Femi Ogunode, European record holder Jimmy Vicaut and South African record holder Akani Simbine.
Men’s 3000m steeplechase (21.45)
Golden Gala record and Italian All-Comers record: 7:54.31 Paul Kipsiele KOECH KEN 2012
The entire Beijing world podium will be in Rome: four-time world champion and reigning olympic champion Ezekiel Kemboi, Brimin Kipruto, Conseslus Kipruto plus Golden Gala record holder Paul Kipsiele Koech. Add Jairus Birech, winner of the two last editions of the Diamond Race, and you will get an explosive mix. Mix, shake and serve. It’s going to be a very fast race.
Women’s Paralympic 100 metres (22:03)
Women’s 4x100 relay (22:10)
Golden Gala record: it was never run; Italian All-Comers record: 41.58 USA 1987
Men’s 4x100 race (22:20)
Golden Gala record: 38.31 Santa Monica Track Club 1994 – Italian All-Comers records: 37.90 USA 1987
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