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It’s now official: Gianmarco Tamberi will compete on Friday, 6 June, at the Golden Gala Pietro Mennea – Presented by IP, fifth leg of the Wanda Diamond League. The Olympic high jump champion from Tokyo, current world and European title holder, is set to make his season debut at the Stadio Olimpico – 265 days after his last competitive outing in Brussels last September, where he claimed his third Wanda Diamond League crown. On Friday evening, Tamberi will return in Rome jumping beneath the Curva Sud, one year on from his glorious 2.37m triumph at the European Championships – in a stadium he cherishes, and that adores him in equal measure. His participation follows a poll he posted on Instagram last Saturday, asking fans whether he should compete in Rome. Unsurprisingly, the response was a resounding yes.
THE COMPETITION – Friday, 9:01 PM
With the roar of the Olimpico behind him, the high jump contest will get underway featuring Tamberi and three fellow Italians: Stefano Sottile, Matteo Sioli, and Manuel Lando. Gimbo will face a world-class field including Paris Olympic champion Hamish Kerr (New Zealand, 2.36m PB), reigning world indoor champion and last year’s Golden Gala winner Woo Sang-hyeok (South Korea), current world silver medallist JuVaughn Harrison (USA), and world leader Oleh Doroshchuk of Ukraine (2.34m in Apeldoorn this March). Other notable names include Jamaican duo Raymond Richards and Romaine Beckford, as well as Czech jumper Jan Stefela – all will be potential rivals at the World Championships in Tokyo this September.
GIMBO’S SEVENTH GOLDEN GALA
Tamberi has won it all: Olympic gold, world indoor and outdoor titles, three European outdoor championships, one indoor crown, and three Diamond League trophies. But one goal still eludes him – victory at the Golden Gala. Despite six previous appearances in Rome and Florence, he’s never managed to top the podium at the home meeting. His best result was second place in 2020 and his best clearance 2.33m in Florence 2021. He also placed third in 2016, 2022, and 2024, and finished fourth in 2019. However, he did triumph at the Stadio Olimpico last year, with an unforgettable 2.37m at the European Championships – cheered by none other than President of the Italian Republic Sergio Mattarella.
11 OLYMPIC CHAMPIONS, 62 GLOBAL MEDALLISTS
Tamberi’s confirmed presence adds even more star power to the 45th edition of the Golden Gala Pietro Mennea, Italy’s most prestigious athletics meet, established in 1980 by Primo Nebiolo. The line-up now includes 11 Olympic champions from Paris and previous Games. Among the individual gold medallists from the 2024 Games: Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet (5000m and 10,000m – competing in the 5000m in Rome), Greece’s Miltiadis Tentoglou (long jump), Americans Valarie Allman (discus throw) and Quincy Hall (400m), Dominica’s Thea LaFond (triple jump), and the aforementioned Hamish Kerr (high jump). With Tamberi joining the field, the men’s high jump features two Olympic champions.
Other major names include: Croatia’s Sandra Elkasevic (formerly Perkovic), gold medallist in the discus in both London and Paris; Grenada’s Kirani James, 400m gold medallist in London; Italy’s Filippo Tortu (200m), and the USA’s Vernon Norwood (400m) – both Olympic relay champions in the 4×100 and 4×400 respectively.
A total of 21 Italians will feature, including fellow Paris Olympic medallists Nadia Battocletti (silver in the 10,000m – competing the 5000m) and Mattia Furlani (bronze in the long jump and recently crowned world indoor champion), as well as European champions Leonardo Fabbri (shot put) and Lorenzo Simonelli (110m hurdles).
About the Wanda Diamond League
The Wanda Diamond League is the elite one-day meeting series in global athletics. It comprises 15 of the most prestigious events in global track and field. Athletes compete for points at the 14 series meetings in a bid to qualify for the two-day Wanda Diamond League Final, which will be held in Zurich on 27 and 28 August 2025.