There is also Jenn Suhr to delight the Olympic Stadium crowd on 6th June at the Rome Olympic Stadium. The London 2012 Olympic pole vault champion is the latest big star to a star-studded line-up, that could not be more impressive. Suhr, a 37-year-old vaulter from New York, who was born under her maiden name Stuczynsky and married to her coach, will compete in Italy for the first time since her only appearance in Lignano Sabbiadoro in 2006. She has enjoyed a very impressive career highlighted by the Olympic gold medal in London 2012 and the world indoor title in Portland 2016. She reversed her decision to retire from pole vaulting two years ago and set her outdoor PB with 4.93m last season at the age of 36. Indoors she cleared her best two impressive performances of 5.03m and 5.02m. The Olympic Stadium will have a competition featuring Suhr and her compatriot Sandi Morris, the only two active vaulters able to jump over 5.00 metres. Morris cleared 5.00m during the IAAF Diamond League final in Brussels in 2016. The other 5 metres jumper is Russian Yelena Isinbayeva, who has retired from athletics.
The cast featured a total of 38 olympic, world or European medals, indoors or outdoors. The most decorated athlete is Katerina Stefanidi, who won nine medals including five gold and won the past three editions of the Diamond League and is the reigning world and olympic champion. The fabulous line-up also features other gold medallists: Cuba’s Yarisley Silva, Russia’s Anzhelika Sidorova, and Great Britain’s Holly Bradshaw. The other medallists in the field are Greece’s Nikoleta Kiriakopoulou, and world bronze medallist Robeilys Peinado. The Golden Gala opens the doors to local pole vaulter Sonia Malavisi, the only Italian vaulter in the field, who cleared 4.46m in Padua in her first outdoor competition of the season.
