We focus on the event-by event preview of the Golden Gala Pietro Mennea, the fourth leg of the IAAF Diamond League on Thursday 4th June. It will be another great athletics night. Each of the 19 competitions of the 35th edition of the Rome meeting feature one or more Olympic, world or European medallist in each age category (from the senior to youth level) or a world record holder. Here are the top stars of each event in chronological order.
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Women’s long jump (17.45) - Diamond Race: Golden Gala record: 7.23 Marion Jones USA 1998 – Italian All-Comers Record: 7.49 Jackie Joyner Kersee USA Sestriere 1994 The show of the beautiful and talented Dariya Klishina, European silver medallist Sostene Moguenara, a German jumper whose country of origin is Chad, new British record holder Shara Proctor (who was born in Anguilla), Malaika Nihambo, European Junior champion in Rieti 2013, another German athlete of African origin and the return of London Olympic slver medallist Yelena Sokolova, who took last year off due to maternity leave. A mix of great athletes on the Olympic stadium runway.
Men’s shot put (17.45) - Diamond Race:Golden Gala record:21.67 Ulf Timmermann GDR 1986 and Christian Cantwell USA 2010 – Italian all-comers record: AlessandroAndrei ITA Viareggio 1987. The puts of twice world champion David Storl could stun his rivals. The German has recently put the implement to 21.51m and 21.72m in just 24 hours after travelling from Qatar to Germany. He lost to US Joe Kovacs, although he put 21.92m in Eugene where the two shot putters engaged an impressive head-to-head battle. The Golden Gala record could be under threat Storl will battle against Ryan Whiting, world indoor champion and third in Eugene. His main rivals are 2012 European Indoor champion Kolasinac from Serbia who put 20.90 three days ago and US Championships second placer Kurt Roberts
Women’s discus throw (17.55) - Diamond Race:Golden Gala meeting record; 68.90 Tsvetanka Khristova BUL 1986, Italian all-comers record: 72.18 Ilke Wyludda GDR Macerata 1989 The Olympic Stadium awaits the dynamism and the power of Sandra Perkovic from Craotia, who won every possible title. She has not turned 25 yet but she has already won three European title, a world title and an Olympic title. She has become the first athlete for the last 20 years to throw over the 70 metres barrier. The Croatian star will take on Cubans Caballero and Perez (69.51 and 66.23 in Avana a few days ago) , Berlin world champion Dani Samuels, Moscow World Championships Dani Samuels, Moscow world silver medallist Melina Robert Michon, US record holder Gea Lewis Smallwood, who is always a tough rival, It will be difficult to challenge German discus throwers Nadine Muller and Julia Fisher, the girlfriend of Robert “Hulk” Harting
Men’s pole vault (19.30) - Diamond Race: Golden Gala record: 5.94 Sergey Bubka URS 1984,, Italian all-comers record: 6.14 Sergey Bubka UKR Sestriere 1994. When “Le Roi” Lavillenie jumps, everything can happen. The Frenchman returns to Rome with the goal to continue his incredible dominance in the Diamond League. He is the only athlet in the world who won all the editions. He returns to Rome two years after his defeat against German Raphael Holzdeppe, who went on to win the world title in Moscow. It will be one of the competitions of the meeting with more medallists at major championships. Besides the Frenchman and the German, the line-up also features former world champion Wojchekowski and world indoor champion Filippidis. After Lavillenie cleared 6.05m in Eugene, another big result is possible. Also in the line-up there are Valentin Lavillenie, the younger brother of Renaud Lavillenie and Kevin Menaldo, who cleared 5.71m a few days ago
Men’s javelin throw (19.55) - Diamond Race:Golden Gala record and Italian all-comers record:Andreas Thordkildsen NOR 2006. It’s like an Olympic final. The most surprising London Olympic gold medallist Keshorn Walcott, Egyptian Abdelrahman El Sayed and Kenyan Julius Yego,who set his personal best with an impressive 86.88m in Ostrava, will try to confrm the ongoing revolution of the geographic hierarchy in the last seasons The line-up in the Rome Olympic stadium will feature specialists from the most traditional countries like Finland’s Tero Pitkamaki (world silver medallist in Moscow 2013, Olympic bronze in Bejing 2008 and world champion in Osaka 2007), reigning world champion Vitezslav Vesely and German Thomas Rohler, winner in the Zurich Weltklasse meeting last year. Africa will be also represented by South African Rocco Van Rooyen, who threw 85.30 two weeks ago.
Men’s 400 metres hurdles (20.03) - Diamond Race:Golden Gala record: 47.73 Felix Sanchez DOM 2002; Italian all-comers record: 47.13 Edwin Moses USA Milan 1980. Reigning European champion Kariem Hussein, who has Egyptian origin but was born in Switzerland, will compete for the first time in Rome, The goal of the Swiss hurdler is the national record set by Marcel Schelbert (48.13) in the World Championship final in Seville 1999 won by Fabrizio Mori. The high-quality line-up features world champion Jehue Gordon, world and Olympic silver medallist Michael Tinsley, Portorico’s Javier Culson and US Johnny Dutch, who collected prestigious wins including his first place in Rome two years ago in 48.31 and a few days ago in Eugene in 48.20
Women’s high jump (20.10) - Diamond Race:Golden Gala meeting record: 2.03 Hestrie Cloete RSA 2004, Yelena Slesarenko RUS 2004 and Blanka Vlasic CRO 2010; Chaunte Howard Lowe USA 2010; Italian all-comers record: 2.09 Stefka Kostadinova BUL Rome 1987 It’s the competiton with the highest quality in the entire programme of the 2015 Golden Gala Pietro Mennea. The Olympic Stadium runway where Stefka Kostadinova set the world record 28 years ago with 2.09m., will be in the spotlight with athletes who won an impressive total of 59 medals in major internationals championships at senior and junior level. The line-up features the come-back of Blanka Vlasic, who cleared the 2 metres barrier more than 100 times, European Indoor silver medallist Alessia Trost, who will renew her rivalry against Mariya Kuchina (who cleared 1.95 last week), European Indoor gold medallist only after the jump-off with the Italian jumper, reigning world champion Svetlana Shkolina and reigning Olympic gold medallist Anna Chicherova, Zurich 2014 European champion Ruth Beitia and reigning world indoor champion Kamila Licwinko. You could not ask for more. Rome could feature the first 2 metres jump of the season. Lichwinko set the world seasonal best with 1.97
Women’s 200 metres (20.13) - Diamond Race: Golden Gala record: 22.19 Marion Jones 1999, Italian all-comers 21.74 Silke Gladisch Moller GDR 1987. Would you believe that Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce, twice Olympic champion and twice 100m world champion and the only sprinter in the world to boast such a prestigious collection of four major titles, has never won at the Golden Gala ? It’s true. She has never won in Rome.On 4th June she will try to reverse this trend on the longer sprint distance where she has never raced in the Rome Olympic Stadium. She will face her compatriots Kerron Stewart and Sherone Simpson, reigning US champion Janeba Tarmoh and Great Britain’s Bianca Williams
Men’s triple jump (20.20) - Diamond Race:Golden Gala record: 17.60 Jonathan Edwards GBR 1998 –Italian all-time record: 17.92: Khristo Markov BUL 1987. The display of the triple jump’s runway waits to show the result of Cuban sensation Pedro Pablo Pichardo With his recent 18.08, his 18.06 in Doha and 17.94 at the start of the season, the Moscow silver medallist has shown that he can target Jonathan Edwards’ 18.29m one of the most impressive world records in athletics The Golden Gala record and the Italian all-comers record are seriously under threat. Among the athletes who will try to make the life difficult to Pichardo there are World Indoor Lyukman Adam, former Olympic and world champion and reigning European Indoor champion Nelson Evora, European gold medallist Benjamin Compaoré, European bronze medallist Alexander Fyororov from Russia, who jumped 17.42m a few days ago and two strong Cuban jumpers Ernesto Revé and Alexis Copello.
Men’s 800 metres (20.23) - Diamond Race:Golden Gala record: 1:42.79 Wilson Kipketer DEN 1999 – Italian all-comers record: David Rudisha 1:41.01 Rieti 2010. The name of Nijel Amos would be enough to bring back past memories of the Olympic final where he finished second with the world junor record behind Rudisha who broke the world record in the best ever race. While the Italian all-comers record is not a realistic goal, the Golden Gala record is within the reach of a high-quality line-up which features reigning world champion Mohamed Aman, the Polish duo formed by Adam Ksczot and Marcin Lewandowski who showed their very good form in Ostrava, Olympic bronze medallist Timothy Kitum, Kenyans Job Kinyor and Abraham Rotich and Frenchman Pierre Ambroise Bosse. Italian hopes will be carried by Giordano Benedetti, who set his personal best with 1:44.67 in the Olympic Stadium two years ago
Women’s 100 metres hurdles (20.38) - Diamond Race:Golden Gala record: 12.39 Vera Komisova RUS 1980 – Italian all-comers record: 12.34 Ginka Zagorcheva BUL Rome 1987. What a fantastic race ! Looking at the starting-list you can note that an Olympic final could not offer a better line-up: the new generation of the US women’s 100 metres hurdlers led by Moscow 2013 World Champion Brianna Rollins and emerging stars Jasmin Stowers and Sherika Nelvis against reigning Outdoor European champion Tiffany Porter and European Indoor gold medallist Alina Talay, Bejing 2008 Olympic champion Dawn Harper Nelson and the other US hurdler Queen Harrison. Is it enough ? No, there is also Australian Sally Pearson, Olympic gold medallist in London and world champion in Daegu 2011 and world silver medallist in Moscow 2013. She returns to Rome after six years of absence aiming to conquer the throne as the queen of the 100 metres hurdles again. Jasmin Stowers dominates the seasonal list with the three fastest times of the year of 12.40, 12.39 and 12.35 !
Men’s 5000 metres (20.48) - Diamond Race:Golden Gala record and Italian all-comers record: 12:46.53 Eliud Kipchoge KEN 2004. The last 5000m race run in the Golden Gala two years ago confirmed the fantastic tradition of the Rome meeting and produced three times under the 13 minutes barrier set by Ethiopians Yenew Alamirew (12:54.95) and Hagos Gebrehiwet (12:55.73) and Kenyan Isiah Koech (12:58.85). These three runners will return for this year’s edition to strengthen this statistic which makes the Olympic Stadium track so special for middle-distance runners. Most of the best runners in the world will take on the trio. The list of contenders is led by world junior and youth 1500m champion Yomif Kejelcha who has not turned 18 yet and set the fastest time in the world this year in Eugene, former 5000m world junior champion Muktar Edris and other experienced runners like Merga, Tanui, Gebremeskel, Longosiwa and Lalang. Ali Kaya, a Turkysh runner of Kenyan origin, returns to Italy two years after winning the 5000m and the 10000m European Junior titles in Rieti in 2013. He recently broke the European Under 23 record in the 10000m
Women’s 400 metres (21.18) - Diamond Race:Golden Gala record: 49.17 Marita Koch GDR 1986, Italian all-comers record: 48.60 Marita Koch GDR Turin 1979. This is one of the competitions with the highest quality of the 2015 Golden Gala Pietro Mennea. Reigning European champion Libania Grenot, European silver medallist Olga Zemlyak, who are the best European 400 m sprinters at the moment, will line up against world indoor champion Francena McCorory and Jamaican Novlene Williams Mills, who reached the Olympic and world podium with the 4x400 relay seven times. It shapes up as an unpredictable race where everything can happen when runners come off the bend and enter the final straight. Grenot beat all these rivals apart from Jamaican Stephanie McPherson.
Women’s 1500 metres (21.18) - Diamond Race: Golden Gala record: 3:56.54 Abeba Aregawi ETH 2012 – Italian all-comers record: 3:56.18 Maryam Yusuf Jamal BRN Rieti 2006. Dutchwoman Sifan Hassan, European Outdoor champion in Zurich 2014 and European Indoor champion in Prague 2015, will highlight the Rome race. In the first two Diamond League races she was beaten in Doha by Ethiopian junior runner Dawit Seyaum, world junior champion last year, and in Eugene by consistent US runner Jennifer Simpson, world gold medallist in Daegu 2011 and world silver in Moscow 2013. Simpson clinched the Diamond League title taking the decisive win in the final meeting. In her first race on Italian soil Hassan will face both Seyaum and Simpson. The field also features Seyaum’s compatriots Embaye, and Tsegay. Europe will be represented by strong Scottish runner Laura Muir, Ukraine’s Mischchenko, who won three of her four races this year, Albanian Laura Gega, who is able to “read” the races like few other runners and to launch her devastating final kicks.
Men’s 100 metres - Diamond Race (21.28) - Golden Gala record: 9.76 Usain Bolt JAM 2012; Italian all-comers record: 9.74 Asafa Powell JAM Rieti 2007. Justin Gatlin returns to Rome with the goal to chase his third consecutive win in the Olympic Stadium. He won in 2003 and 2005 but he achieved his most prestigious win in 2013 when he beat Usain Bolt. Gatlin recently clocked a jaw-dropping 9.74 in the opening leg of the Diamond League in Doha and won the 200m in Eugene in 19.68. The lie-up also features former European Indoor champion Jimmy Vicaut who clocked 10.02 last week, 2003 world champion Kim Collins (9.99 in Eugene), 4x100 world record holder Nesta Carter. Also to watch out is US sprinter Mike Rodgers, a great starter who clocked 9.90 in Eugene
Women’s 3000m steeplechase (21.38) - Diamond Race:Golden Gala record and Italian all-Comers record: 9:11.58 Gulnara Galkina RUS 2009. It will be the second Diamond League race of the season after Doha. It is expected to be a hard-fought battle between Kenyan and Ethiopian runners. The line-up is led by Virginia Nyambura, the Kenyan revelation who won in Doha, and her compatriots Kiyeng, Kirui, Chepkurui and Jepkemei and Ethiopian runners Assefa, Alayewu, Adam and Fente. A prominent outsider is Moroccan El Quali. The meeting record, which is also the Italian all-comers record, is under threat under the attack of one of the African runners
Men’s 110 metres hurdles (22.03) - Golden Gala record: 13.01 Allen Johnson US 1999; Italian all-comers record: Kingdom US Sestriere 1988 and Colin Jackson GBR Sestriere 1993. The high-quality line-up features reigning European champion Sergey Shubenkov, former world junior record holder Wayne Davis and US Jeff Porter (PB 13.06), the husband of British hurdler Tiffany Porter, who won the European title last year, Cuba’s O’Farrill and Jamaican Riley . France, which dominates at European level, will be represented by Garfield Darien and Dimitri Bascou.
Men’s 200 metres (22.10): Golden Gala record: 19.86 Walter Dix USA 2010; Italian all-comers record: 19.82 Carl Lewis Sestriere 1988. It’s enough to mention the name of Christophe Lemaitre to evoke memories of the fantastic 2010 European Championships where he won three gold medals and was the first white sprinter in history to dip under 10 seconds. Last year he lost to Panama’s Alonso Edward. He has never won an individual race in the Golden Gala. He won only a 4x100 relay race with the French national team in 2010, the best year of his career so far. He holds the second fastest European time in the 200m with 19.80 behind Pietro Mennea, to whom the Golden Gala is dedicated. There is plenty of interest for Kenyan record holder Carvin Nkanata, US Curtis Mitchell, world bronze medallist in Moscow,and Canadian Aaron Brown. Representing Italy will be Eseosa Desalu and Diego Marani, fifth at the European Championships and reigning Italian champion
Women’s 400 metres hurdles (22.20):Golden Gala record and Italian all-comers record: 52.82 Lashinda Demus USA 2010. Lashinda Demus, Italian all-comers and meeting record holder, will make her return to the Olympic Stadium. The US hurdler reached the podium in the last three global events: gold in Daegu 2011, silver in London 2012 and bronze in Moscow 2013. She will take on the first two of last year’s European Championships in Zurich, gold medallist Great Britain’s Elidh Child and silver medallist Hanna Titimets, Olympic finalist Georganne Moline and Italian record holder Yadisleidy Pedroso, who will make her seasonal debut over the distance where she won the Italian title in the last two years. Another hurdler to watch out is Janeive Russell, world junior gold medalliist in 2012, who is ready to come to the fore on the international stage.
Marco Buccellato
