Ryan Crouser in Diamond League action (© Matthew Quine / Diamond League AG)
Fresh off their success at the Paris 2024 Games, nine Olympic champions – including shot put victor Ryan Crouser, pole vault gold medallist Nina Kennedy and 200m title winner Letsile Tebogo – have been announced for the Golden Gala Pietro Mennea in Rome on 30 August.
Returning to Wanda Diamond League action, world record-holder Crouser will go up against his fellow Paris Olympic medallists – Joe Kovacs and Rajindra Campbell – plus their fellow Olympic finalists Payton Otterdahl, Leonardo Fabbri, Chukwuebuka Enekwechi, Jacko Gill and Zane Weir.
That third consecutive Olympic shot put gold wasn’t the only success for Crouser in Paris as he also coached Roje Stona to the discus title in an Olympic record. Stona joins coach Crouser in Rome and again the competition will include the whole Olympic podium and four more Olympic finalists.
Stona will renew his rivalry with world record-holder Mykolas Alekna and Matthew Denny, plus Lukas Weisshaidinger, Daniel Stahl, Clemens Prufer and Kristjan Ceh, who holds the Rome meeting record of 70.72m set in 2022.
Tebogo will race the 100m in Rome after making history for Botswana by winning the 200m in Paris, while Quincy Hall is back in 400m action after his one-lap triumph at the Olympics.
Kennedy won pole vault gold in Paris and is now working towards regaining the Diamond League title she claimed in 2022.
Tara Davis-Woodhall jumped 7.10m to take the long jump title in Paris and will be seeking her first Diamond League win in Rome, where she will be joined by other fellow Olympic champions Hamish Kerr (high jump), Masai Russell (100m hurdles), and Winfred Yavi (3000m steeplechase).
Several Italian stars will be competing in front of a home crowd, including Gianmarco Tamberi and Stefano Sottile in the high jump, Olympic 10,000m silver medallist Nadia Battocletti in the 1500m, Olympic bronze medal Andy Diaz in the triple jump, Lorenzo Simonelli in the 110m hurdles and Elisa Molinarolo and Roberta Bruni in the pole vault.
