Pathirage and Cunningham break meeting records in Rome

Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage produced the best javelin throw of his career to smash the Golden Gala Pietro Mennea meeting record with a world-leading 92.62m at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Rome on Thursday (4).

The Sri Lankan opened with 84.49m – a mark that would have been good enough to win – before launching his second-round effort way beyond 90 metres. His 92.62m added more than two metres to the meeting record of 90.34m set by Andreas Thorkildsen 20 years ago, moved Pathirage to eighth on the world all-time list and made him the second-best Asian thrower in history.

It was also the best throw in the world since the 2024 Olympic final, and secured him a clear victory over two-time world champion Anderson Peters, who was second with 83.91m, and world bronze medallist Curtis Thompson, who was third with 83.89m.

“I tried my best today to set a national record and I managed to improve it by three metres,” said Pathirage. “Even though I had only two valid attempts today, I am very stable mentally. It was very hot in Rabat, but the weather in Rome is good and felt like ideal conditions in which to throw far. Winning today felt like a Sri Lankan festival.”

There was another meeting record in the men’s 110m hurdles, where Trey Cunningham became the 29th member of the sub-13-second club.

The 2022 world silver medallist won in a world-leading PB of 12.98, breaking the meeting record set by Allen Johnson in 1999. Jamaica’s world silver medallist Orlando Bennett was a distant second in 13.31.

“This was a long time coming,” said the US hurdler, who lost his luggage on the way to Rome but thankfully had an extra pair of spikes and kit in his hand luggage. “Beating the meeting record set 27 years ago by Allen Johnson, who is an all-time great, is special.

“I am very excited for the World Ultimate Championship,” he added. “It’s going to be the 16 fastest people and only one winner. My motto this year is to enjoy what is happening right now.”

Zapletalova and Amebaw add world leads

Emma Zapletalova improved her own world lead and Slovakian record to win the women’s 400m hurdles in 52.58.

The world bronze medallist’s performance moved her to third on the European all-time list, and gave her victory over Olympic silver medallist Anna Cockrell, who was second in a season’s best of 52.77. Jamaica’s Rushell Clayton finished third in 53.14.

Likina Amebaw led an Ethiopian sweep of the top seven places in the women’s 5000m, winning in a world-leading PB of 14:18.41.

Amebaw improved her best by six seconds and was followed by Aleshign Baweke, who clocked 14:18.54, Freweyni Hailu, who ran 14:18.94, and Senayet Getachew, who finished fourth in 14:22.37. The top four all set PBs.

Olympic steeplechase champion Winfred Yavi had led through 3000m in 8:41.17 and continued to lead at 4000m, but faded from contention in the final kilometre. She finished eighth, though was rewarded with a Bahraini record of 14:30.06.

Olympic champions Lyles and Alfred impress in sprints

Noah Lyles produced his fastest 100m since the 2024 Olympic final, beating a quality field to win in 9.88 (0.4m/s).

The US sprinter ran out a comfortable winner as Cameroon’s Emmanuel Eseme set a national record of 9.94 in second. Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo was third in a season’s best of 9.95, world indoor champion Jordan Anthony fourth in 9.96 and Marcell Jacobs fifth in a season’s best of 9.99.

Julien Alfred came within 0.02 of the meeting record in the women’s 200m, winning comfortably in 21.93.

World champion Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, contesting her first individual race since the 2025 World Championships, was second in 22.17. USA’s Anavia Battle finished third in 22.39 and world silver medallist Amy Hunt fourth in 22.52.

Henriette Jaeger won a high-quality women’s 400m in a season’s best of 49.60. World indoor champion Lurdes Gloria Manuel of Czechia was second in a big PB of 49.77, her first time inside 50 seconds, while Nickisha Pryce was third in 49.80 and Aaliyah Butler fourth in 49.83.

Olympic 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson finished seventh in 51.14, improving her PB by half a second.

Fabbri and Diaz delight home crowd

Leonardo Fabbri gave the Italian crowd a popular home victory in the men’s shot put, winning with 22.14m.

He was the only man in the field to throw beyond 22 metres, beating two-time world champion Joe Kovacs, who threw 21.87m, three-time Olympic champion Ryan Crouser, who reached 21.50m, and world indoor champion Tom Walsh, who threw 21.49m.

Andy Diaz also delivered an Italian victory, winning the men’s triple jump in his first competition since retaining his world indoor title.

Diaz took the lead in the second round with 17.58m, then improved by one centimetre to 17.59m in round five. Jamaica’s world leader Jordan Scott finished second with 17.33m.

Miltiadis Tentoglou appeared to have done enough to win the men’s long jump after moving into the lead with 8.20m in the fifth round and then improving to 8.24m in the final round.

But Bulgaria’s Bozhidar Saraboyukov produced the winning leap with the final jump of the competition, reaching 8.26m (-0.1m/s). Cuba’s Jorge Hodelin was third with 8.18m.

The women’s pole vault was even closer, as two-time world indoor champion Molly Caudery won on countback from Olympic champion Nina Kennedy and Switzerland’s Angelica Moser. All three cleared 4.80m; Caudery and Kennedy managed it on their first attempts, while Moser got over on her second.

Caudery’s British compatriot and fellow world indoor champion Georgia Hunter Bell won the women’s 1500m comfortably in 3:58.63, ahead of Poland’s Klaudia Kazimierska, who ran 3:59.24, and USA’s Nikki Hiltz, who clocked 3:59.26.

Elsewhere, European champion Gabriel Tual won a close men’s 800m in a season’s best of 1:43.66, holding off Mark English, who was second in a season’s best of 1:43.80. Jamaica’s Megan Simmonds won the women’s 100m hurdles in a season’s best of 12.50 from USA’s Kendra Harrison, who ran 12.54, and Nadine Visser of the Netherlands, who clocked 12.58. Italy’s Matteo Sioli won the men’s high jump with 2.28m.