The eve of Golden Gala: top athletes quotes

Meeting Director Luigi D’Onofrio and Fidal President Alfio Giomi talked with the press giving the latest details of what promises to be another memorable athletics night. “We will offer another star-studded meeting. Most of the medallists from the London Olympic Games, the Moscow World Championships and the Sopot World Indoor Championships will compete in Rome. Thirty thousand tickets have already been sold but we are confident that people are going to come to the Olympic Stadium at the last minute. The absence of Usain Bolt will not have a major impact on the number of spectators in the stadium. The only problem is the clash with the Kenyan Trials for the Commonwealth Games but we are confident that we are going to find a solution”, said Golden Gala Meeting Director Luigi D’Onofrio. The problem has been solved and three top Kenyan athletes Asbel Kiprop, Eunice Sum and Collins Cheboi got the green light to take part in the Golden Gala this morning and will compete tomorrow evening in the Olympic Stadium.

“The Golden Gala is the start to an important season for Italian athletics which will build up to the European Championships in Zurich. The meeting will offer an impressive field with a lot of stars in every event. Twenty-four Italian athletes will compete in the Golden Gala. It’s a very busy period for athletics. We are confident for the future of Italian athletics The results of the European Trials in Baku for the Olympic Games in Nanjing have been encouraging as they show the strength of Italian athletics and the good work made by National Junior and Youth Technical Director Stefano Baldini”, said Alfio Giomi, the President of the Italian Athletics Federation FIDAL. 

The men’s high jump is expected to be the highlight of the 34th edition of the Golden Gala Pietro Mennea tomorrow night at the Olympic Stadium in Rome.

IMPRESSIVE HIGH JUMP FIELD
The world-class competition features one of the best ever fields in recent years with all the five jumpers who have cleared 2.40 or more since June 2013. Last year’s World Outdoor champion Bohdan Bondarenko from the Ukraine, London 2012 Olympic champion Ivan Ukhov, who won in Doha with 2.41 and broke the European Indoor record with 2.42 last Februardy, and 2014 World Indoor champion Mutaz Barshim, three of the super- stars of tomorrow’s competition, talked to the media from all over the world during the press conference of the Rome Diamond League meeting. The press conference with the high jumpers was attended by Italian high jump legend Sara Simeoni, Olympic champion in Moscow 1980 and former World record holder with 2.01 in Moscow. The three stars will face two other jumpers who cleared 2.40 this year: Canadian Derek Drouin, who broke this magic barrier on 25th April in Des Moines, and Aleksey Dmitrik, who jumped 2.40 in Arnstadt Indoors last February. The field also features Olympic silver medallist Erik Kynard, who cleared 2.37m in the first leg of the IAAF Diamond League in Doha

High Jump: Bohdan Bondarenko and Mutaz Barshim
A question to all of you: “What do you expect from the Rome competition tomorrow ?
Mutaz Barshim: “So far I have had a good season. I don’t think I could jump higher at the beginning of the season. It’s going to be a good competition. Hopefully we will have a great support from the crowd and good weather".
Bohdan Bondarenko: “I think we will have a great competition. It will be good for the crowd, the organizers and for all athletes. My form is improving but I need two or three more competitions to reach my best form”.

Do you think that the record is possible and who will be able to break the world record?
Mutaz Barshim: “Many people ask us the same question, The world record is possible but we cannot predict who is going to break it”
Bohdan Bondarenko: “The world record is possible but it’s wide open who will be able to break the world record. Bondarenko acted as a translator for Ukhov during the press conference. Ivan Ukhov said during the press conference: “I think the record is possible with a springboard under the feet…I think that a jump ove 2 metres will be enough to win…

What technical changes have contributed to make the high jump so competitive this year?
Mutaz Barshim:  “I think the  competition between very talented athletes has contributed to make the high jump very competitive. We push each other to a very high level. Before you could win with 2.35 or finish second with 2.30. Now we cannot content with 2.39 because the level is so high. A 2.39m could not be enough to win or reach the top-three”
Bohdan Bondarenko: “There are many great jumpers and this helps to make the high jump very competitive. We push each other all the time.

A question to Bondarenko: “You travelled a lot this winter. In Zurich you talked about your passion for fishing. Did you find time to go fishing this winter?"
“I travelled to many places to Spain, Italy, South Africa and Estonia. My favourite place is South Africa because I had to chance to go fishing during my spare time. The only problem is that the weather in South Africa in December is very hot. It’s better to go there in May”.

Sprint events: Gatlin, Lemaitre and Merritt
What do you expect from tomorrow’s competition ?
Justin Gatlin: “It’s a good feeling to return to Rome. Last year the win in Rome against Usain Bolt was the turning point of my season. I ran a great race and then I performed well during the rest of the season. It’s a new phase in my career. I try to stay light and relaxed and I enoy more than at the start of my career. but I have to be focused. I had a good start to my season in which I clocked 9”92 in Shanghai and 9.87 in Bejing) and I am in good shape.  I had a long but comfortable journey from Eugene. I am used to long travels. The only problem is to recover from the jet-leg. I have worked on technique to be more aggressive and more dynamic in the middle of the race. I have to stay focused because there is no margin for errors". 

Lashawn Merritt: “I am happy to be back to Rome. I had a very good race in Eugene where I ran under 44 seconds. I feel in good form. Hopefully we will have good weather tomorrow. I am looking forward to competing in Rome. I had long journey from Eugene and I have to adjust my body to the time-zone but I have travelled for many years around the world and I am used to it. The most important thing is to be ready to compete head-to-head against the best athletes in the world and offer a great show to the crowd. I want to compete in such a beautiful place. I have always enjoyed competing in Rome in front of amazing fans in a city with a lot of beautiful places".

Christophe Lemaitre: “I expect to run near 20 seconds. I am in good shape. I worked very well. It will be an important test before the European Championships in Zurich where I will run the 100m and the 200m and the 4×100 relay. The French relay has a good potential to do well

Justin, what kind of track and field do you like more?
“I enjoy competitions against the best sprinters in the world. I enjoy running head-to-head against Usain Bolt because it’s something that thrills the crowd. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose  but the most important thing is to learn".

Women’s 100 metres hurdles: Brianna Rollins and Sally Pearson:
What do you expect from tomorrow’s head-to-head race?
Sally Pearson: “It will be my first big hurdles competition since the Australian Championships last April. I expect we will push each other to running a fast time”
Brianna Rollins: “It will my first time in Rome. I am looking forward to running a  good race against Sally".

Sally, what is the most difficult challenge of being a world class hurdler?
“One of the hardest things is to get injuries. I tend to get me let down and to be hard with myself. It can tough sometimes and it’s difficult to relax but I love what I am doing.

Brianna, when did you start with  hurdles?
“I started hurdling during the high school period, first with shorter hurdles and then with higher hurdles".

Women’s shot put: Valerie Adams
How do you feel competing in Rome?
“The last time I competed here was in 2012 before the London Olympic Games. It was the last summer in which I put over the 21 metres barrier. I will face again German Christina Schwanitz".

You mentioned about your passion for shopping in New York. Will you have time to spend time going shopping?
“I will not have a lot time to go shopping. Athletes’ life is all about hotel and airport. After Rome I will compete in Marrakesh and New York"

 Why did you choose the shot put?
“I started with shot put at the age of 14. My first International competition was the World Youth Championships in Poland in 1999. This was the springboard for future success. I chose shot put because I prefer individual sports where I have not the responsibily toward my teammates".

PRESS CONFERENCES – PHOTOS (by Colombo/FIDAL)

TICKETS  – GOLDEN GALA "Pietro Mennea" 2014 – ENTRY LISTS/Timetable

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