110m HURDLES MEN
Grant Holloway, three times world champion (Doha, Eugene and indoors in Belgrade) is coming to Italy for the first time. Lost the Olympic gold due to a mistake at the last hurdle, he appears as the favourite in the outstanding cast set up for the Golden Gala which also includes the European indoor champion, Swiss Jason Joseph, gold medallist at 60hs in Istanbul. The 110hs are part of the meeting program for the 32nd time: the record belongs to the American Allen Johnson (1999) and the Jamaican Omar McLeod, who ran 13.01 in Florence just two years ago. For Holloway - 12.81 in career, only one hundredth from the world record of Aries Merritt - is a wonderful opportunity to reaffirm the supremacy against the top opponents of the discipline and bring the Golden Gala record to the first sub-13.
With Grant Holloway, also Devon Allen and the other top US hurdlers Freddie Crittenden and Jamal Britt. On the starting blocks the Polish Damian Czykier, fourth in Oregon, and the Italian Lorenzo Simonelli, expected to improve his time (13.59 the personal best) after the great indoor season, fourth in Istanbul.
World record 12.80 Aries Merritt (Usa) | Bruxelles | 7 September 2012
Meeting record 13.01 Allen Johnson (Usa) | Rome | 7 July 1999 - Omar McLeod (Jam) | Florence | 10 June 2021
World lead 13.03 Grant Holloway (Usa) | Gainesville | 15 aprile 2023
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400m HURDLES WOMEN
At just 23 years old, the Dutch Femke Bol already boasts seven European gold medals, four world silver medals and an Olympic bronze, all conquered in about two years, from 2021 winter to 2023. She holds the European record in 52.03 and the world record for the 400m indoors, brought to an incredible 49.26 last February. Back to Florence for the fourth participation in the Golden Gala and aiming for the poker of victories. With a personal best of 53.02 in Italy, last year at the Olimpico, she has her sights set on the meeting record, held by the American Lashinda Demus with 52.82.
Two Ukrainians, two Americans, one Jamaican, one Panamanian, one Italian, challenging with Femke Bol. Ayomide Folorunso runs for the sixth consecutive year at the Golden Gala (best result is a fourth place), this time after the Italian record on her trophy board (54.34) established in the world semifinal in Eugene. Alongside, the USA world silver medallist Shamier Little (in 2015), the Jamaican bronze from Doha 2019 Rushell Clayton, the pair of big Ukrainian silver and bronze at the European Championships in Munich, Viktoriya Tkachuk and Anna Ryzhykova, the South American record holder Panama’s Gianna Woodruff, Olympic and world finalist, and the other American Anna Hall, one of the best in the world in heptathlon, bronze medal in Eugene, with an amazing personal best of 6988 points last weekend in Gotzis.
World record 50.68 Sydney McLaughlin (Usa) | Eugene | 20 July 2022
Meeting record 52.82 Lashinda Demus (Usa) | Roma | 10 June 2010
World lead 53.12 Femke Bol (Ned) | Oordegem | 27 May 2023
