Peru's Kimberly Garcia and Brazil's Caio Bonfim captured 20km race walk victories at the 36th Gran Premio Cantones de La Coruna, a World Athletics Race Walking Tour Gold event, held on Saturday (3) in Spain's northwest coastal city.
Taking advantage of a quick circuit and ideal weather conditions, both winners set respective career bests of 1:26:40 and 1:18:29 to also break their own national records. In a contest featuring great depth, a total of seven men ducked under the 1:20 barrier.
<h2>Garcia is ready for double world title defence</h2>
Right from the start, the reigning double (20km and 35km) world champion Garcia injected a brisk rhythm into the women's race, which could only be followed by Mexico&rsquo;s Alegna Gonzalez, the pair opening a five-second gap over the first 1000m covered in 4:23. A large chasing group, headed by Spain&rsquo;s Maria Perez, Ecuador's Glenda Morejon and China&rsquo;s Yang Jiayu, followed in 4:28. 
The Spaniard led the pack to join the leaders midway through the second circuit and by the fifth kilometre the front group featured nine athletes, always with Garcia at the helm walking at a steady 4:23 pace as they reached that point in 21:58. The lead pack included all the favourites, with the exception of the former world record-holder Liu Hong.
Just after passing the eighth kilometre some 36 minutes into the race, local star Perez unleashed a devastating kick to break away from the rest of the group with incredible ease to cover the ninth kilometre in a blistering 4:09 and build an 11-second gap over 800m. She left behind a six-strong group, featuring Qieyang Shijie, Yang, Wu Quanming, Garcia, Gonzalez and the surprise Peruvian Evelyn Inga. Morejon had lost ground and travelled 15 seconds in arrears by halfway, which was reached by Perez in 43:25 to elevate her advantage to 18 seconds over the quality chasing group.
With the newly-minted world 35km record-holder Perez flying on the streets of La Coruna in front of her home crowd, few could have predicted the outcome of the event. While Perez slowed &ndash; to 4:18 for the 11th kilometre and 4:21 for the 12th &ndash; Gonzalez accelerated and managed to catch Perez exactly four kilometres after the Spaniard&rsquo;s break.
The 15km checkpoint was reached in 1:05:15 by the quartet of Garcia, Gonzalez, Qieyang and Wu. The first withdrawal was the defending champion Qieyang, who began to falter in the 16th kilometre. Just before the 18th kilometre, Gonzalez also lost contact with Garcia and Wu. Garcia&rsquo;s relentless pace finally paid off inside the closing kilometre when she finally managed to get rid of Wu to romp home in 1:26:40 with an 18-second improvement on her previous PB, while Wu (1:26:48) and Gonzalez (1:26:59) also achieved respective lifetime bests.
"I&rsquo;ve been working very hard in my base of Ecuador and I was confident of doing a fine race today," said the 29-year-old winner. "This win is extremely important for me as the standard was as high as at a World Championships, so I&rsquo;ll be aiming to defend my world titles in Budapest. 
"I&rsquo;ll now go to Peru to see my relatives but will soon return to Ecuador to continue my build-up for the World Championships. I won&rsquo;t compete any more before Budapest," added Garcia, who is coached by Ecuador&rsquo;s Andres Chocho, the 2015 world 50km race walk eighth-place finisher. Interestingly, the now 39-year-old finished the men&rsquo;s race in La Coruna on Saturday in 1:26:44 - a similar time to his athlete.&nbsp;
Inga also impressed, improving her previous best of 1:33:21 to 1:27:32. Perez had to stop due to sickness with six laps remaining, but she didn&rsquo;t give up and crossed the finish line in fifth place in 1:27:19.&nbsp;
<h2>Ninth time lucky for Bonfim</h2>
Brazil&rsquo;s 2017 world bronze medallist Bonfim started like a bullet and went through the opening 1000m in 3:51. Despite the star-studded line-up, only five athletes managed to stay close to the Brazilian: Ecuador's Brian Pintado and David Hurtado, Spain&rsquo;s Alvaro Martin, China's Zhang Jun and Japan&rsquo;s Yuta Koga.
Bonfim maintained 3:55 pace over the following kilometres and the 5km mark was reached in 19:38. Both Koga and Hurtado began to receive warnings from the judges and they were forced to slow, the lead pack whittled down to four by halfway, which was reached in 39:15 after another 19:37 five-lap split.
World leader Zhang then took command of the race but was always followed in crocodile file by Bonfim, Pintado and Martin as the Chinese athlete clocked 3:52 for the 11th kilometre. The following kilometres were fascinating as Bonfim regained the lead and Pintado also moved to the front to keep the rhythm alive, while the double European champion Martin preferred to remain tucked behind throughout.&nbsp;
With the clock reading one hour, it seemed clear that Bonfim, Zhang and Martin would take the three podium spots as Pintado began to falter. The speed remained in the 3:55/3:57 range and shortly after covering the 16th kilometre, Zhang lost ground and the race became a two-horse battle between Bonfim and Martin. 
The key move came some 1:04:30 into the race with 3600m remaining, when the 28-year-old Spaniard just couldn&rsquo;t follow in Bonfim&rsquo;s footsteps. Over the closing laps the leader maintained his steady and powerful pace to gradually extend his advantage.
At the tape Bonfim &ndash; who was making his ninth appearance in La Coruna after two third places (2014 and 2022) already to his credit &ndash; was rewarded with an 18-second lifetime best of 1:18:29, while Martin dipped under the 1:19 barrier for the first time with a 1:18:49 performance. Surprisingly, the final place on the podium went to Diego Garcia. The 27-year-old Spaniard never featured at the helm, being a distant seventh at halfway, but powerful closing laps led him to third place in a season&rsquo;s best of 1:19:25 ahead of the also fast-finishing German Christopher Linke in 1:19:43.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/647bb9d1382efb4019c8f129.jpg" alt="Diego Garc&iacute;a, Caio Bonfim and Alvaro Martin in La Coruna" />
Diego Garc&iacute;a, Caio Bonfim and Alvaro Martin in La Coruna (&copy; Almudena Miguez (FGA))
</div>
"I&rsquo;m super happy. I&rsquo;ve won for the first time here and have also improved my PB, I can&rsquo;t ask for more," declared a delighted Bonfim. "I went off very determined but the level of the field was awesome, winning has not been an easy task. I now return home and I&rsquo;ll do the Brazil championships over 20km before doubling in Budapest as there&rsquo;s a six-day gap between the 20km and the 35km and I think it will be enough."&nbsp;
Emeterio Valiente for World Athletics
<h3>Leading results</h3>
Women 1 Kimberly Garcia (PER) 1:26:40 2 Quanming Wu (CHN) 1:26:48 3 Alegna Gonzalez (MEX) 1:26:59 4&nbsp;Shijie Qieyang (CHN) 1:27:15 5 Maria Perez (ESP) 1:27:19 6 Evelyn Inga (PER) 1:27:32 7 Erica Sena (BRA) 1:28:53 8 Glenda Morejon (ECU) 1:29:04 9 Li Ma (CHN) 1:30:02 10 Raquel Gonzalez (ESP) 1:30:15
Men 1 Caio Bonfim (BRA) 1:18:29 2 Alvaro Martin (ESP) 1:18:49 3 Diego Garcia (ESP) 1:19:25 4 Christopher Linke (GER) 1:19:27 5 Jun Zhang (CHN) 1:19:36 6 Jose Luis Doctor (MEX) 1:19:41 7 Jose Alejandro Barrondo (GUA) 1:19:42 8 Gabriel Bordier (FRA) 1:20:09 9 Andres Olivas (MEX) 1:20:14 10 Noel Chama (MEX) 1:20:40

Peru's Kimberly Garcia and Brazil's Caio Bonfim captured 20km race walk victories at the 36th Gran Premio Cantones de La Coruna

Garcia and Bonfim triumph in La Coruna

USA&rsquo;s KC Lightfoot cleared 6.07m to break the North American pole vault record at the Music City Track Carnival, a World Athletics Continental Tour Silver event, in Nashville, USA, on Friday (2).
Lightfoot, the 2021 NCAA champion who finished fourth at the Tokyo Olympic Games, had soared over six metres once before, clearing 6.00m in Lubbock in 2021.
But in Nashville he achieved it twice and added seven centimetres to his previous best to improve the area record of 6.06m that had been set by two-time world champion Sam Kendricks in 2019.
Outdoors, only Sweden&rsquo;s world record-holder Mondo Duplantis and Ukrainian pole vault great Sergey Bubka have ever cleared higher bars than Lightfoot's 6.07m.
Lightfoot opened his competition with a first-time clearance at 5.50m before passing at 5.60m and then clearing 5.70m and 5.80m, also on his first attempts. He needed two tries at 5.92m but soared over six metres at the first time of asking, before having the bar raised to 6.07m.
The&nbsp;23-year-old&nbsp;had the competition won at 5.80m, with Cole Walsh finishing second with his 5.70m vault.
So all eyes were on Lightfoot and he managed the area record height on his second attempt, setting a world lead in the process as the first athlete to clear six metres this season.
Also in Nashville on Friday, Bridget Williams won the women&rsquo;s pole vault with a 4.70m clearance.
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-continental-tour/calendar-results/7200143/result" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Results</a>

USA’s KC Lightfoot cleared 6.07m to break the North American pole vault record at the Music City Track Carnival

Lightfoot clears 6.07m area record in Nashville

The World Athletics Continental Tour Gold series continues on Sunday (4) with the <a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-continental-tour/news/hengelo-fbk-games-hassan-bol-duplantis-holloway">FBK Games in Hengelo</a>.
Dutch distance ace Sifan Hassan is among the stars in action, as she races the 10,000m on Saturday and then the 1500m on Sunday. She will be joined in Hengelo by the likes of world and Olympic 400m hurdles medallist Femke Bol, world pole vault record-holder Mondo Duplantis and two-time world 110m hurdles champion Grant Holloway.
Here&rsquo;s how you can follow the action. 
<h2>Follow and watch</h2>
<a href="https://www.fbkgames.nl/en/live-results" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Schedule and live results</a> | <a href="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/document/647bbc2eaa4901541477dce8.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Media information sheets and athlete biographies</a>
A two-hour live stream of the meeting, on Sunday 4 June, will be available in a number of territories via the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/worldathletics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">World Athletics YouTube channel</a>. The live stream will start at 17:45 local time (15:45 GMT, 16:45 BST). 
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/s1ydEfroTL0" width="100%" height="475" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
 The YouTube stream will be geoblocked in the following territories: Albania, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua &amp; Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bolivia, Bosnia &amp; Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Caribbean Netherlands, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Comoros, Congo - Brazzaville, Congo - Kinshasa, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cura&ccedil;ao, Czechia, C&ocirc;te d&rsquo;Ivoire, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Finland, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Macao, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Martinique, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Mozambique, Namibia, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Rwanda, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, St Barth&eacute;lemy, St Kitts &amp; Nevis, St Lucia, St Martin, St Vincent &amp; the Grenadines, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, S&atilde;o Tom&eacute; &amp; Pr&iacute;ncipe, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad &amp; Tobago, Turks &amp; Caicos Islands, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela, Zambia, Zimbabwe
 Coverage of the meeting will be available in the territories listed below. Be sure to check local listings - some broadcasts may be live while others will consist of highlights.
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; border-color: #333333; border-style: solid; height: 971px; width: 80%;" border="1" width="80%" cellpadding="2">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">OverSport (OverSport 3)</td>
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Albania, Kosovo</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Super Sport (GSL2 / VR4 / VR4A)</td>
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Congo DR, Ivory Coast, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 89px;">
<td style="height: 89px;" valign="top">Flow Sports</td>
<td style="height: 89px;" valign="top">Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Bonaire, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Curacao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guadaloupe, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Montserrat, Netherlands Antilles, Saint Barthelemy, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, Saint Martin, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">DirecTV (VC 614/1614)</td>
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">T Sports</td>
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Bangladesh</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Arena Sport (AS9)</td>
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Bosnia Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">ESPN (STAR+)</td>
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Brazil, Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 44px;">
<td style="height: 44px;" valign="top">SPOTV (SPOTV2)</td>
<td style="height: 44px;" valign="top">Brunei, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Macau, Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">CBC (digital channels)</td>
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Canada</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Arena Sport (AS10)</td>
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Croatia</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 44px;">
<td style="height: 44px;" valign="top">Czech TV (live on www.ceskatelevize.cz/sport and delayed on CT Sport on 5 June at 01:15 CEST)</td>
<td style="height: 44px;" valign="top">Czech Republic</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Viaplay</td>
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Denmark</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">MTV (CMore Sport 1)</td>
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Finland</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 44px;">
<td style="height: 44px;" valign="top">Cosmote (COSMOTE Sport 8 HD)</td>
<td style="height: 44px;" valign="top">Greece</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">AMC (delayed on Sport2 at 23:00 CEST)</td>
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Hungary</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Viaplay</td>
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Iceland</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Viacom 18 (Sports18 - 1 and JioCinema)&nbsp;</td>
<td style="vertical-align: top;">India</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Sport 5 (5 LIVE)</td>
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Israel</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Sky (Sky Sport Arena)</td>
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Italy</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">NOS</td>
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Netherlands</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Viaplay (V sport +)</td>
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Norway</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Polsat (Polsat Sport News)</td>
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Poland</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">SPORT.TV (SPORT.TV3)</td>
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Portugal</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Match TV (ARENA)</td>
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Russia</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">JOJ TV (TV JOJ Sport)</td>
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Slovakia</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Arena Sport (AS4)</td>
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Slovenia</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">TVE (Teledeporte and RTVE Play)</td>
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Spain</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Viaplay (V Sport Extra)</td>
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Sweden</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Swiss Sport TV</td>
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Switzerland</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">ELTA (ELTA SPORTS 3)</td>
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Taiwan</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Poverkhnost (Sport 1)</td>
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Ukraine</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">Viaplay (Viaplay Sports 2)</td>
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">United Kingdom</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top"><a href="https://flosports.link/425Y10a" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FloSports</a></td>
<td style="height: 22px;" valign="top">USA</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
&nbsp;
<h2>Social media</h2>
- World Athletics: <a href="https://twitter.com/WorldAthletics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/WorldAthletics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/worldathletics/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instagram</a>&nbsp;| <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@worldathletics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TikTok</a> - FBK Games: <a href="https://www.fbkgames.nl/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">website</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/FBKGamesHengelo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/FannyBlankersKoenGames" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/fbkgames/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instagram</a>
&nbsp;

Catch all the action from the FBK Games

How to follow and watch the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting in Hengelo

Coming into the Golden Gala meeting in Florence, Faith Kipyegon said the world 1500m record was in her heart and on her mind. By the end of tonight&rsquo;s race, it was also in her legs and on the clock &ndash; which she stopped in an astonishing 3:49.11*.
The world and Olympic champion delivered a thrilling finale to the third leg of the Wanda Diamond League with a bravura performance in a city that last saw a world record when World Athletics President Sebastian Coe broke the 800m mark here in 1981.
The pacemakers had been asked to take the field through in 3:54 pace, which seemed ambitious on a damp track after early rain. But that pace merely left Kipyegon full of running when she took the lead in the penultimate lap, as she blazed through the final 600m at unprecedented speed.
Her feet barely seemed to touch the track as she flew home in incomparable style to take down the eight-year-old standard of 3:50.07, set by Ethiopia&rsquo;s Genzebe Dibaba in Monaco in 2015.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/12QuG1UXm-U" width="100%" height="475" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Kipyegon came agonisingly close to breaking this record at the Herculis meet in Monaco last year when she set her previous best of 3:50.37, and that seemed only to spur her on to make certain of the mark this season.
Having won both Olympic and world titles, the 29-year-old Kenyan was determined to claim the last great 1500m prize available with the world record.
"I said yesterday that I wanted to run a beautiful race, run my race, and see what is possible, and this was possible," she said.
"There&rsquo;s still more to come. I&rsquo;m still working on running faster than that, faster than 3:49. I&rsquo;m really thankful today that I managed to run 3:49 and I&rsquo;m still heading towards beautiful races in the rest of the season."
Kipyegon will now turn her attention to the 5000m in Paris next week before returning to Kenya to top up her training for another tilt at the record at the Herculis meeting in Monaco in July.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/647a725dcc7eebc6dfedcb28.jpg" alt="Faith Kipyegon celebrates her world record with the 1500m field in Florence" />
Faith Kipyegon celebrates her world record with the 1500m field in Florence (&copy; Chiara Montesano / Diamond League)
</div>
Such was her dominance tonight that world silver medallist Laura Muir finished almost eight seconds behind (3:57.09), while third-placed Jessica Hull (3:57.29) set an Australian and Oceania record.
The elite field of female middle-distance runners was overjoyed for Kipyegon, enveloping her in a group hug soon after the race to celebrate her achievement.
"We have really come along as 1500 women," Kipyegon said. &ldquo;They are really special. We come along together, cheer one another. This is sport, we have to love each other and celebrate one another at our lowest moments and highest moments, and I really thank the ladies for coming along and running together and celebrating this world record together. We were part of this together."
It takes a lot to upstage the fastest man in the world, but Kipyegon managed it tonight.
However, world champion Fred Kerley was well satisfied with his work after he separated himself from the rest of the world&rsquo;s best sprinters to win the 100m commandingly on a damp night in Florence.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/647a54a1c97a0be4e4fd2cee.jpg" alt="Fred Kerley wins the 100m at the Golden Gala in Florence" />
Fred Kerley wins the 100m at the Golden Gala in Florence (&copy; AFP / Getty Images)
</div>
Despite the cool conditions, Kerley triumphed over a world final quality field by a metre. He was the only man to dip under 10 seconds, clocking 9.94 to win from African record-holder Ferdinand Omanyala (10.05) and world bronze medallist Trayvon Bromell (10.09).
Earlier, Marie-Josee Ta Lou claimed the women&rsquo;s 100m title in 10.97, in the absence of Briton Dina Asher-Smith, who withdrew from the race after cramping in her calf during warm up.&nbsp;
It may not have been a night for fast times over 100m, but it was perfect for the distance runners as world leads in both the men&rsquo;s 5000m and women&rsquo;s 3000m steeplechase proved.
Spain&rsquo;s Mohamed Katir upstaged a star-studded 5000m field, defeating Yomif Kejelcha in a sprint to the death, to win by 0.03 in 12:52.09.
Third-placed Luis Grijalva of Guatemala set a national record of 12:52.97, just ahead of Olympic champion Joshua Cheptegei (12:53.81). The Ugandan champion was satisfied with his return to the track after almost 12 months, during which he had to overcome a career-threatening knee injury.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/647a46f2546e57c16ca68f24.jpg" alt="Mohamed Katir holds off Yomif Kejelcha in a 5000m battle in Florence" />
Mohamed Katir holds off Yomif Kejelcha in a 5000m battle in Florence (&copy; AFP / Getty Images)
</div>
In the women&rsquo;s steeplechase, it was Ethiopia&rsquo;s Sembo Almayew who set a new standard for the season, running away from a high-class field to win in 9:00.71 from world U20 champion Jackline Chepkoech of Kenya (9:02.43) and fellow Ethiopian Zerfe Wondemagegn (9:04.61).
The fourth world lead of the night came in the women&rsquo;s 400m hurdles, where Dutchwoman Femke Bol used her ambitious new stride pattern to great effect, setting a meeting record of 52.43 to win by almost a second from USA's Shamier Little (53.38).
"This was my first Diamond League race for this year and it is a great result, it met all my expectations," Bol said, adding that she is aiming for the gold medal at the World Championships in Budapest. &ldquo;I am really, really happy. I executed the race like I wanted. I am looking forward to running in Hengelo in two days because there will be a lot of people from home. And, running the (flat) 400m gives me a different stimulus."
US heptathlete Anna Hall, underlining her credentials as one of the world&rsquo;s most versatile athletes, set a personal best of 54.42 in third, less than a week after winning the heptathlon at the Hypo Meeting in Gotzis with the fifth biggest score in history.&nbsp;
World champion sprint hurdler Grant Holloway was back on top of his game in the 110m hurdles, defying the conditions to win in a sharp 13.05 from Switzerland&rsquo;s Jason Joseph in a personal best of 13.10. Hurdler turned NFL star Devon Allen improved to finish third in a promising 13.19 after returning to track training after this year&rsquo;s Super Bowl.
The brilliant teenaged Erriyon Knighton blasted through his first 200m of the year in an impressive opener of 19.89, the third-fastest time in the world this year. The US sprinter won handsomely, some three metres clear of the experienced Jereem Richards (20.28) and Aaron Brown (20.31) to make an early season statement.
"Now, I am very satisfied with this time - under 20 in the first race of the season," Knighton said.
The jumps were more affected by the slippery conditions underfoot but world silver medallist Woo Sanghyeok and rising US star JuVaughn Harrison staged a thrilling duel in the men&rsquo;s high jump. Harrison took the win with a third-attempt clearance of 2.32m.
World champion Katie Moon&rsquo;s second attempt clearance of 4.71m was good enough to deny Slovenia&rsquo;s Tina Sutej victory, after she cleared the same height at the third attempt.&nbsp;
Italian athletes also stood tall in their home Diamond League meeting, claiming the women&rsquo;s long jump, men&rsquo;s triple jump and men&rsquo;s shot put.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/647a7210cc7eebc6dfedcb25.jpg" alt="Larissa Iapichino competes in Florence" />
Larissa Iapichino competes in Florence (&copy; Christel Saneh / Diamond League)
</div>
European indoor medallist Larissa Iapichino claimed her biggest victory over a world-class field in the long jump, leaping 6.79m to deny US jumper Tara Davis-Woodhall (6.74m) and Ukraine&rsquo;s Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk (6.59m).
Cuban-born Andy Diaz Hernandez, who hopes to represent his adopted home of Italy at the World Athletics Championships this year, needed just one attempt to claim victory in the triple jump, setting a personal best of 17.75m, which bettered the Italian record.
Perennial contender Hugues Fabrice Zango was just seven centimetres behind (17.68m) in second.
Shot putter Leonardo Fabbri added to the Italian celebrations by winning a closely-fought competition with a season&rsquo;s best throw of 21.73m, to pip 2017 world champion Tom Walsh of New Zealand (21.69m) and Czech thrower Tomas Stanek (21.64m).
Olympic champion Valarie Allman won a dramatic women&rsquo;s discus showdown with her fifth throw (65.96m) after world champion Feng Bin had led for much of the competition with 65.50m and then improved to&nbsp;65.91m to consolidate her runner-up finish in the fifth round.
"Today was all about competing," Allman said. "The rain messed with my timing and my technique, I was not able to throw properly, but in the end I managed."
Appropriately for Italy&rsquo;s premier one-day meeting, she planned to celebrate with "spaghetti and gelato".
Nicole Jeffery for World Athletics
*Subject to the usual ratification procedure

Coming into the Golden Gala meeting in Florence, Faith Kipyegon said the world 1500m record was in her heart and on her mind. By the end of tonight’s race, it was also in her legs and on the clock – which she stopped in an astonishing 3:49.11

Kipyegon breaks world 1500m record with 3:49.11 in Florence

At an event named after a Dutch great, it&rsquo;s appropriate that Sifan Hassan will take centre stage at this year&rsquo;s FBK Games in Hengelo, a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting, on Saturday (3) and Sunday (4).
Fanny Blankers-Koen famously won four gold medals &ndash; three individual, one relay &ndash; at the 1948 London Olympics, and while Hassan came up just shy of that at the Tokyo Games &ndash; winning two golds and one bronze &ndash; the 30-year-old distance star has etched her name alongside her predecessor as one of the all-time greats of Dutch sport.&nbsp;
Less than six weeks after taking victory at the London Marathon in her debut at the distance &ndash; an outing rife with the drama Hassan often brings to her races &ndash; she will be back on the line at 8:30pm local time on Saturday for the women&rsquo;s 10,000m, the sole race that evening, before contesting the 1500m just 20 hours later.&nbsp;
&ldquo;After the London Marathon it was of course a question of how my body would recover and respond to the track training,&rdquo; said Hassan. &ldquo;I would like to run a 10,000m to see how I am doing.&rdquo;
Hassan ran a 10,000m world record of 29:06.82 at this event in 2021, which was broken by Letesenbet Gidey of Ethiopia with 29:01.03 just two days later. The 25-lap race in Hengelo sees Hassan, the reigning Olympic champion, take on a strong cast of East African athletes, including Ethiopia&rsquo;s Tsigie Gebreselama, a silver medallist at the World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, Australia, earlier this year, who ran her PB of 30:06.01 behind Hassan in Hengelo two years ago. Next quickest on paper is Caroline Chepkoech Kipkirui, a former Kenyan now running for Kazakhstan, who ran her PB of 30:17.64 to finish seventh in last year&rsquo;s World Championships.&nbsp;
Hassan&rsquo;s speed will be put to the test on Sunday as she takes on a 1500m field that includes two sub-four-minute athletes: Uganda&rsquo;s Winnie Nanyondo and Australia&rsquo;s Linden Hall.&nbsp;
Another Dutch star, Femke Bol, will draw huge support from the home crowd as she contests her first flat 400m of the outdoor season, having broken the indoor world record with 49.26 at the Dutch national championships in February. Belgium&rsquo;s Cynthia Bolingo and USA&rsquo;s Wadeline Jonathas are among her rivals.&nbsp;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/629e3a1b530039b99ceed76b.jpg" alt="Femke Bol wins the 400m hurdles in Hengelo" />
Femke Bol wins the 400m hurdles in Hengelo (&copy; Dan Vernon)
</div>
The women&rsquo;s 100m should prove a tight contest, featuring Britain&rsquo;s Daryll Neita, US trio Morolake Akinosun, Teahna Daniels and Cambrea Sturgis, along with Trinidad and Tobago&rsquo;s Michelle-Lee Ahye and Switzerland&rsquo;s Ajla Del Ponte.
There will be a strong Dutch presence in the women&rsquo;s 200m through Jamile Samuel and Lieke Klaver, though they&rsquo;ll have it all to do to beat USA&rsquo;s Kayla White, who ran 22.38 into a slight headwind in Botswana last month.&nbsp;
The women&rsquo;s 100m hurdles sees USA&rsquo;s 2019 world champion Nia Ali take on Bahamian Devynne Charlton, with Ali the quicker this year with the 12.53 she ran in April. Home hopes will be carried by Nadine Visser, who will run her first hurdles race of the outdoor season. Switzerland&rsquo;s Ditaji Kambundji and Denmark&rsquo;s Mette Graversgaard are also in the field.&nbsp;
Ukraine&rsquo;s Yaroslava Mahuchikh is the star attraction in the women&rsquo;s high jump. She remains the only athlete to go over two metres in the event this outdoor season, jumping 2.01m to take victory in Rabat last weekend. Her compatriots Yuliia Levchenko and Iryna Gerashchenko could prove her toughest opponents.&nbsp;
The women&rsquo;s shot put will see Maggie Ewen square off against fellow US thrower and reigning world champion Chase Ealey. Ewen tops the world lists with the 20.45m she threw in Westwood, USA, last weekend, while Ealey is close behind with the 20.06m she threw in Halle, Germany, last month. Among their rivals, Jamaica&rsquo;s Danniel Thomas-Dodd is next best this season with the national record of 19.77m she threw behind the US duo last week. Portugal&rsquo;s Auriol Dongmo and Dutch athlete Jessica Schilder are also in the field.&nbsp;
On the men&rsquo;s side, the undoubted star attraction is Mondo Duplantis, who&rsquo;s looking for&nbsp;his third win at the Fanny Blankers-Koen Stadium, having bettered the meeting record with a 6.10m clearance in 2021. Duplantis soared to a world record of 6.22m indoors and he opened his outdoor season with victory last week at the Los Angeles Grand Prix, clearing 5.91m with room to spare.&nbsp;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/629e3a4b530039b99ceed76e.jpg" alt="Pole vault winner Mondo Duplantis in Hengelo" />
Pole vault winner Mondo Duplantis in Hengelo (&copy; Dan Vernon)
</div>
He will take on an eight-strong field, all of whom have cleared 5.80m, with Australia&rsquo;s Kurtis Marschall, a 5.85m vaulter this season, perhaps the leading candidate for the runner-up spot &ndash; which is all that&rsquo;s usually left if the Swede brings his usual brilliance.&nbsp;
The long jump will see USA&rsquo;s JuVaughn Harrison take on compatriot William Williams, with Harrison fresh off a 2.32m high jump victory at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Doha, though he was well off his long jump best of 8.47m in his sole outing in that event this year (7.62m).&nbsp;
Many will be keeping a close eye on rising star Mattia Furlani of Italy to see if the 18-year-old can reproduce the heroics he delivered in Savona, Italy, last week, where he jumped 8.44m with a 2.2m/s tailwind. Namibia&rsquo;s Chenault Lionel Coetzee is also sure to feature, having jumped 8.27m in April.
The men&rsquo;s javelin sees German trio Johannes Vetter, Julian Weber and Andreas Hofmann go up against Trinidad and Tobago&rsquo;s Keshorn Walcott. Weber is the best of them this season via the 88.37m he threw in Rehlingen, Germany, last weekend. Belgium&rsquo;s Timothy Herman should also feature based off the 87.35m PB he threw in Nairobi last month. Finnish duo Oliver Helander and Lassi Etelatalo are also in the field.&nbsp;
On the track, all eyes will be on Grant Holloway in the 110m hurdles to see if the two-time world champion can dip under 13 seconds for the first time this year. He tops the world lists with the 13.01 he ran in Atlanta last month. Fellow US hurdler Devon Allen will be looking to take a chunk off his season&rsquo;s best of 13.25, which he ran to finish fourth last weekend in Rabat, while USA&rsquo;s Freddie Crittenden should also go close given his season&rsquo;s best of 13.19.&nbsp;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/634d35e4cf0108b77b3bc06e.jpg" alt="Grant Holloway and Hungary's Szűcs Vald&oacute; at the Gyulai Istv&aacute;n Memorial - Hungarian Athletics Grand Prix 2022" />
Grant Holloway at the Gyulai Istvan Memorial (&copy; Zsigmond L&aacute;szl&oacute;)
</div>
In the men&rsquo;s 400m hurdles, USA&rsquo;s CJ Allen should prove tough to stop given his recent victory at the Los Angeles Grand Prix in a PB of 47.91, while the next quickest this season is Pablo Andres Ibanez Guevara of El Salvador (48.56) and Dutch athlete Nick Smidt (48.70).
The men&rsquo;s 100m sees USA&rsquo;s Marvin Bracy-Williams arrive in fine form, having clocked 9.93 (0.8m/s) earlier this week in Montreuil, France. Fellow US sprinter Ronnie Baker, Britain&rsquo;s Reece Prescod and Jamaica&rsquo;s Yohan Blake are also in the field.&nbsp;
The men&rsquo;s 400m sees USA&rsquo;s Vernon Norwood head the entries based on season&rsquo;s best with the 44.68 he ran in Nairobi in April. Also in the line-up are Dutch sprinter Liemarvin Bonevacia along with Botswana&rsquo;s Busang Collen Kebinatshipi and Isaac Makwala.
The men&rsquo;s 1500m will see Germany&rsquo;s Robert Farken, a 3:32.10 performer this season, line up against Britain&rsquo;s Elliot Giles, Ireland&rsquo;s Andrew Coscoran and France&rsquo;s Azeddine Habz in a field with no outstanding favourite, but considerable strength in depth.
Cathal Dennehy for World Athletics

At an event named after a Dutch great, it’s appropriate that Sifan Hassan will take centre stage at this year’s FBK Games in Hengelo

Hassan, Bol and Duplantis on show as strong fields get set for Hengelo

As athletes have been preparing for action on the track, 16 young journalists from 11 European countries have joined them in the build-up to the Wanda Diamond League&rsquo;s Golden Gala meeting in Florence this week, attending a three-day programme as part of the Media Development Project (MDP).
The MDP is a media education programme organised by World Athletics to coincide with one-day events to encourage athletics journalism in particular areas around the world, and bring more young writers into the sport. Last year&rsquo;s edition was organised in Nairobi as an opportunity for young African journalists.
This year&rsquo;s course has been organised in Europe in cooperation with European Athletics, the International Sports Press Association (AIPS) and the Golden Gala organising committee.
The attendees, aged up to 30, have come from 11 countries that are organising events in Europe in the next few years, including Italy, Ukraine, Slovakia, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Poland, Finland, Portugal, France and Turkiye.
The participants attended a number of sessions on writing, editing and media coverage, along with sessions on the ethics of athletics, communications activities of World Athletics and European Athletics, the use of statistics and flash quotes production.
The AIPS was represented by Riccardo Romani, AIPS Young Reporters mentor and an experienced journalist, who spoke about the challenges of the profession, while representatives of World Athletics and European Athletics also briefed the young journalists about the structure of the sport and the resources available to them to assist in their reporting on athletics.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6479d3a3d9188c0b1d4fe40f.JPG" alt="Media Development Project participants with Wilma Murto" />
Media Development Project participants with Wilma Murto
</div>
Presentations about the Wanda Diamond League 2023 Golden Gala event along with the upcoming Rome 2024 European Athletics Championships were also part of the programme. In addition, participants were offered an exclusive opportunity to interview European pole vault champion Wilma Murto, and to cover all aspects of the Diamond League meeting, including the pre-event press conference and athlete interviews in the mixed zone.
The media plays an incredibly important role in our sport, bringing the emotion and excitement of athletics, as well as results, images, interviews and analysis, to the eyes and ears of millions who cannot attend competitions in person. This is why these organisations have committed resources to support the next generation of athletics journalists through the Media Development Project.
World Athletics

As athletes have been preparing for action on the track, 16 young journalists from 11 European countries have joined them in the build-up to the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Florence as part of the Media Development Project.

Young journalists join the stars in Florence

The doyen of athletics statisticians Roberto Luigi Quercetani (1922-2019), along with the Association of Track Field Statisticians (ATFS) of which he was a founder member, have been jointly awarded the World Athletics Heritage Plaque.
The renowned athletics historian Quercetani was ATFS&rsquo;s first president from 1950 until 1968 and the general editor of the ATFS Annual each year to 1969.
The plaque, which has been awarded jointly in the categories of &lsquo;Legend&rsquo; (Quercetani) and &lsquo;Culture&rsquo; (ATFS), was unveiled on Friday (2) by World Athletics President Sebastian Coe at the library at ASSI Giglio Rosso sports club, Florence, Italy, which houses Quercetani&rsquo;s collection.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 500px; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6479bac0e174a57ceaddc39b.jpg" alt="Roberto Quercetani and ATFS Heritage Plaque" />
&nbsp;
</div>
&ldquo;Quercetani was the most prolific of athletics historians. His first major publication in English, A World History of Track and Field Athletics (1864 -1964), was republished many times, taking athletics&rsquo; story right up to the start of the present century. This book is the &lsquo;go-to&rsquo; resource for all budding athletics fans, let alone historians.
&ldquo;The ATFS, which Quercetani helped found in 1950, continues to be responsible for the accurate recording of the performances of our sport to the present day. Today&rsquo;s award honours Quercetani and the ATFS and recognises the huge debt of gratitude our sport owes to them.&rdquo;
The <a href="https://worldathletics.org/heritage/plaque" target="_blank" rel="noopener">World Athletics Heritage Plaque</a> is a location-based recognition, awarded for an outstanding contribution to the worldwide history and development of the sport of track and field athletics and of out-of-stadia athletics disciplines such as cross country, mountain, road, trail and ultra-running, and race walking.
<h2>Foundation of ATFS</h2>
For a sport so dependent on accurate timing and measurement, statistics had always been important and many an individual had laboured away keeping records of performances. But it was not until a group of enthusiasts gathered together on 26 August 1950 in the Caf&eacute; de la Madeleine in the Rue de la Montagne, Brussels, to form the ATFS that their hobby was transformed into a well-coordinated service to the athletics community.
As Quercetani put it: &ldquo;From the very beginning, the ATFS has as its foremost aim that of popularising accurate and competent recording of track and field results on a world-wide basis.&rdquo;
The seeds were sown by Quercetani and the USA's Donald Potts, who in 1947 had combined to compile 100-deep world all-time lists in all the standard men&rsquo;s events with full date and venue details for each performance. The result of their collaboration was a self-financed 70-page booklet entitled A Handbook on Olympic Games Track and Field Athletics, which appeared in 1948.
That modest but hugely valuable publication proved to be a catalyst. The 1924 Olympic 100m champion Harold Abrahams, a prolific writer on the sport and himself a keen statistician, used the book to help with the seeding for the London Olympics of 1948.
Another highly impressed recipient of the booklet was Fulvio Regli from Switzerland, like Quercetani a brilliant linguist. Early in 1950 he wrote to Quercetani suggesting they helped form an international association of statisticians. Potts and others were brought into the discussions about pooling resources and knowledge and the outcome was that historic meeting in Brussels, organised by Belgian sports journalist Andre Greuze during the 1950 European Championships.
The founding members of the ATFS were &ndash; in addition to Quercetani (president), Potts, Regli (secretary general) and Greuze (treasurer) &ndash; Norris McWhirter of future Guinness Book of Records fame from Britain, Bruno Bonomelli of Italy, Erich Kamper of Austria, Ekkehard zur Megede and Wolfgang Wunsche of Germany, Andre Senay of France and Bjorn-Johan Weckman of Finland. Potts and Wunsche were not actually at the meeting but were considered founding members all the same, while among the ATFS's first decisions was to choose Abrahams as honorary president.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qm0zh_X0ap0" width="100%" height="475" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
<h2>Beccali&rsquo;s boy</h2>
Born in Florence in May 1922, Quercetani was only 10 when athletics entered his life. He was out walking with his father in August 1932 when he caught sight of a large cinema screen on top of a building announcing that Luigi Beccali had won the Olympic 1500m title in Los Angeles the previous day. That fired his imagination and he started collecting newspaper clippings relating to athletics. It was the start of a lifetime's obsession with the sport's facts and figures. Among his earliest treasured memories was seeing Beccali set an Italian 800m record during halftime at a football match in his native city in 1933.
From schooldays Quercetani became a student and master of foreign languages, skills that helped him to establish contacts and friendships worldwide and that enabled him to become an interpreter with the Allied armies in Italy by 1944. During his teens he avidly read Italian, French, German, Swedish and American sports newspapers and magazines as he subscribed to and contributed to publications in several countries from the late 1930s.
Soon after the war, he started corresponding with US mathematician Potts in California. They formed a famous partnership that produced the first detailed world all-time lists and led to the extensive documentation of athletics to which we are accustomed, but which was exceptionally poor when Roberto and his associates started their work. He also started the prestigious and authoritative annual World Merit Rankings for Track &amp; Field News in 1947.
Quercetani led the compilation and publication of four volumes of Track &amp; Field Performances Through the Years that covered world lists from 1921 to 1950, the years before the annual ATFS lists.
A freelance journalist, Quercetani covered most of the world&rsquo;s major athletics events for many years, especially from 1951 for La Gazzetto dello Sport and contributed to a wide range of publications. A lover of trivia, his final offering &ndash; written in his nineties &ndash; was entitled Intriguing Facts &amp; Figures from Athletics History 1860-2014 and dedicated to his beloved wife Maria Luisa &ldquo;for her untiring support and understanding&rdquo;.
World Athletics Heritage With thanks to the late Mel Watman

The doyen of athletics statisticians Roberto Luigi Quercetani and the Association of Track Field Statisticians have been jointly awarded the World Athletics Heritage Plaque.

Quercetani and ATFS honoured with World Athletics Heritage Plaque

The Gran Premio Cantones de La Coru&ntilde;a Trofeo Sergio Vazquez &ndash; the Spanish Gold leg of this year&rsquo;s World Athletics Race Walking Tour &ndash; returns on Saturday (3) and looks to be one of the key 20km competitions of the season.
As is often the case, the race organisers have assembled a plethora of international medallists and top race walkers for both 20km events.
Spain&rsquo;s local star Maria Perez set a 35km world record in Podebrady barely two weeks ago with her 2:37:15 victory at the European Race Walking Team Championships. The 27-year-old is also the current world leader over 20km with the 1:25:30 Spanish record she set in March.
Following a disappointing 2022 season when she suffered disqualifications over 20km at both the World and European Championships, P&eacute;rez took a sabbatical from race walking.
&ldquo;Those DQs were a huge setback for me and I needed to disconnect for some time and do different things, so I spent the whole autumn just running instead of walking,&rdquo; said the 2018 European champion. She even took part in the famous &lsquo;San Silvestre Vallecana&rsquo;, the 10km road race held on New Year&rsquo;s Eve in Madrid where she recorded a respectable 34:08.
&ldquo;I only resumed race walking training at the end of 2022 and have been working very hard on my technique in recent months to do it safer.&rdquo;
Judging by her 2023 outings, P&eacute;rez&rsquo;s new technique has paid off and she will be aiming for her first victory in Cantones after her third place last year. On a statistical note, she covered the final 20km in Podebrady in a terrific 1:28:23 &ndash; a time only bettered by nine women this year. The big question is whether she will have recovered properly during those 13 days.
P&eacute;rez&rsquo;s main danger should come from China&rsquo;s world record-holder Yang Jiayu. The 2017 world champion recently won the Madrid 10km (43:20) and boasts a season&rsquo;s best of 1:26:41. She will be joined by compatriot Qieyang Shijie, the defending champion and a three-time victor in Cantones. The 32-year-old is still rounding into form having placed second in Rio Maior with 1:29:11 only behind Yang.
The powerful Chinese squad also includes Liu Hong, who broke the world record here in 2015 with 1:24:38. The 36-year-old holds a season&rsquo;s best of 1:27:35 and shouldn&rsquo;t be ruled out. Watch out also for Yang Liujing, the 2019 world bronze medallist, as she finished third in Rio Maior (1:29:31) and boasts a PB of 1:25:59 set in 2021.
In addition to her Chinese challengers, P&eacute;rez will also face tough opposition from three Latin-American specialists: Peru&rsquo;s double world champion Kimberly Garcia, Ecuador&rsquo;s Glenda Morejon and Mexico&rsquo;s Alegna Gonzalez.
The 29-year-old Garcia set a world 35km record in Dudince with 2:37:44 in March but her reign was short-lived as P&eacute;rez sliced 29 seconds from that mark just 57 days later. The Peruvian, runner-up last year here, finished fourth in Rio Maior with a season&rsquo;s best of 1:29:31.
The 23-year-old Morejon made a major breakthrough in La Coruna in 2019 when she won in a world U20 best of 1:25:29. Meanwhile, the in-form Gonzalez placed seventh at the Tokyo Olympics and fifth at last year&rsquo;s World Championships over 20km. She recently won the 20km in Dudince before taking third at the Madrid 10km in 43:35.
<h2>Wide open men&rsquo;s contest</h2>
The men&rsquo;s event also features the world leader &ndash; China&rsquo;s Jun Zhang, who clocked 1:17:38 earlier this year &ndash; but the 24-year-old had to settle for 12th place in Rio Maior in 1:23:46. He will be accompanied by three other compatriots who have dipped inside 1:20 this season: Xingfu Li (1:19:52), Xing Liu (1:19:58) and Wenchao Niu (1:19:59).
Japanese duo Yuta Koga and Yutaro Murayama should also be in contention.
Despite holding a modest 1:21:44 season&rsquo;s best, Spain&rsquo;s &Aacute;lvaro Mart&iacute;n should be regarded as one of the athletes to beat following his strong display over 35km at the European Team Championships when he won in a national record of 2:25:35. The 28-year-old will be looking for a hat-trick of 20km wins here after his victories in 2017 and 2022. The two-time European champion has confirmed on the eve of the competition he feels well recovered from his effort in Podebrady and he is hoping to break his PB of 1:19:11.
Other leading Spaniards include Diego Garc&iacute;a, Alberto Amezcua and Paul Mc Grath. Garc&iacute;a is the European bronze medallist, boasts a career best of 1:18:58, won here in 2021 and finished runner-up last year. Amezcua was fourth at the 2022 European Championships and more recently in Podebrady where he clocked a season&rsquo;s best of 1:20:24 just ahead of world U20 bronze medallist Paul Mc Grath, fresh from a 1:21:15 PB for fifth on that occasion.
The Ecuadorian tandem of Brian Pintado and Daniel Hurtado shouldn&rsquo;t be discounted for podium places. The former was a commanding victor in Rio Maior four weeks ago in a massive PB of 1:19:05 while Hurtado has walked even faster with a 1:18:45 clocking set in Taicang. He will be delighted to improve on his fourth-place finish from last year just behind Brazil&rsquo;s Caio Bonfim, one of the world&rsquo;s most consistent race walkers, who will also be on show on Saturday having placed first or second on his five outings this year, topped by a solid win in Warsaw in a season&rsquo;s best of 1:19:42.
The hard-to-break course records belong to Japan&rsquo;s world champion Toshikazu Yamanishi, who won here in 2019 in 1:17:41, and Liu Hong with her stunning 1:24:38 performance eight years ago, a world record then and still the third quickest ever athlete.
No fewer than 199 race walkers &ndash; 84 women and 115 men &ndash; will take part in the event, representing up to 25 different countries.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe awarded a World Athletics Heritage Plaque to the organisers of the event in March 2019 to recognise the event&rsquo;s rich 34-year history.
Weather forecasters are predicting a cloudy day with a light breeze, some rain likelihood and temperatures in the 17-20C range at race time.
Emeterio Valiente for World Athletics

One of the highest quality 20km races on the circuit

Perez, Garcia, Liu and Yang set to clash in La Coruna

The 2023 Wanda Diamond League continues in Florence on Friday (2), with the likes of Fred Kerley, Faith Kipyegon, Grant Holloway, Katie Moon and Joshua Cheptegei all in action at the Stadio Luigi Ridolfi.
The action will start at 18:30 local time (GMT+1) with the women's discus and the main programme will kick off at 20:00 local time with the women's 400m hurdles.
<a href="https://rome.diamondleague.com/en/programme-results/programme-results-rome/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Results, programme and entry lists</a> | <a href="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/document/64799c8f4a5960db10f0924c.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Media information sheets and athlete biographies</a> 
<div class="bodytext">
<h2>Where to watch</h2>
The meeting will be streamed in a number of territories on the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@diamondleague/streams" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Wanda Diamond League YouTube page</a> from 20:00 local time (GMT+1).
The livestream will&nbsp;NOT&nbsp;be available in all territories.
To find out the broadcast rights holder in your country, check the list below. If your country does not appear on the list, please check local listings. The list is&nbsp;subject to change, and some broadcasters may only show highlights coverage, while others will show the meeting live.&nbsp;Please check your local listings to find out more information.&nbsp;
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; border-color: #333333; border-style: solid;" border="1" width="90%" cellpadding="2">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Territories</td>
<td>Broadcaster/ rights holder</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Africa (English language):&nbsp;Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Comoros, Congo, Democratic republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Reunion, Sao Tome &amp; Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Seychelles, Socotra, South Africa, St. Helena and Ascension, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Zanzibar, Chad, Djibouti, Madagascar, Mauritania, Mauritius, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan&nbsp;</td>
<td>Supersport (English)&nbsp;</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Africa (French language):&nbsp;Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritius, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Togo</td>
<td>NWTV+</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Argentina</td>
<td>TeleRed</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Baltics: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania</td>
<td>TV3 (SIA)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Balkans:&nbsp;Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia</td>
<td>Sportklub</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Belgium</td>
<td>VRT</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Brazil</td>
<td>Globo / Newco - Band Sport / COB</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Bulgaria</td>
<td>A1 - Sport Max</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Canada</td>
<td>CBC</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Caucasus/Central Asia:&nbsp;Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Georgia, Moldova, Armenia.</td>
<td>Saran</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Caribbean: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Caribbean Netherlands (Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba), Cayman Islands, Cuba, Cura&ccedil;ao, Dominica, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, Saint Barth&eacute;lemy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sint Maarten, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, United States Virgin Islands</td>
<td>Flow Sports</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Central America:&nbsp;Mexico, Panama, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Dominican Republic</td>
<td>Sky Mexico</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>China</td>
<td>CCTV</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Chinese Taipei</td>
<td>Elta</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Czech Republic</td>
<td>Ceska Televize</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Denmark</td>
<td>Viaplay</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Finland</td>
<td>MTV</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Germany</td>
<td>Sky Deutschland</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Greece / Cyprus</td>
<td>ERT</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Hungary</td>
<td>MTVA</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>India</td>
<td>Viacom 18</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Israel</td>
<td>Charlton</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Italy and the Vatican City</td>
<td>Sky / Rai</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Macau</td>
<td>TDM</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Malaysia</td>
<td>Measat</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Mongolia</td>
<td>Premier Sports Network</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Netherlands</td>
<td>Ziggo Sports / NOS</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>New Zealand</td>
<td>TVNZ</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Norway</td>
<td>NRK</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Philippines</td>
<td>TAP</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Poland</td>
<td>Polsat</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Portugal</td>
<td>Sport TV Portugal</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Slovakia</td>
<td>RTV</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Singapore</td>
<td>Starhub</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Spain</td>
<td>Movistar</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>South Korea</td>
<td>KBS</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>South America: Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela</td>
<td>Panam Sports</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Sweden</td>
<td>C More-TV4 / SVT</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Switzerland</td>
<td>SRG</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Thailand</td>
<td>Cineplex / Mono / JKN</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Turkey</td>
<td>TRT/ Ssport</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>United Kingdom, Guernsey, Northern Ireland, Channel Islands and Isle of Man- audio BBC Service overseas</td>
<td>BBC</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Ukraine</td>
<td>Setanta</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>USA</td>
<td>NBC Sports</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Australia, Bhutan, Cambodia, France, Indonesia, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Myanmar, North Korea, Romania, Sri Lanka, Vietnam
</td>
<td>Wanda Diamond League YouTube / Facebook</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h2>Social media</h2>
- World Athletics: <a href="https://twitter.com/WorldAthletics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/WorldAthletics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/worldathletics/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instagram</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@worldathletics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TikTok</a> - Wanda Diamond League: <a href="https://twitter.com/diamond_league" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DiamondLeague/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/diamondleagueathletics/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instagram</a> - Golden Gala Pietro Mennea: <a href="https://rome.diamondleague.com/en/home/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Website</a> | <a href="http://twitter.com/goldengala_roma" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/goldengala" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook</a>
&nbsp;
</div>

Here's how you can catch all the action from the Golden Gala Pietro Mennea

How to follow and watch the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Florence

World Athletics has been recognised for world-leading innovation in the &lsquo;best digital technology&rsquo; category at The Sports Technology Awards for its Web Competition Information System (WebCIS).
<a href="https://player.vimeo.com/video/637775119?h=0a446df665" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WebCIS </a>&ndash; developed by World Athletics and content marketing agency Wonderly &ndash; is a ground-breaking, online solution that offers real-time event data, video, athlete profiles, infographics and automated commentary to content producers such as broadcasters, commentators and journalists, increasing accessibility while reducing carbon footprint.
The bespoke technology solution is currently being used for all World Athletics Series events, including the World Athletics Championships, and was also available for the athletics competition during the Tokyo Olympic Games.
Replacing a legacy system of physical hardware (VLAN cables) and tablets, the new system is accessible anywhere in the world in real time.
&ldquo;The team is very pleased that the sport industry awarded our Web Competition Information System in the very disputed category of &lsquo;best digital technology&rsquo;,&rdquo; said An Dang Duy, Chief Information Officer at World Athletics.
&ldquo;It has been a truly transversal project, taking input from communications, competition and broadcast. It also leverages the great work from the statistics team and the new performance data we are collecting.
&ldquo;We are still at the beginning of our digital journey, but we are already proud that features such as live generation of sport commentaries and data infographics have been acknowledged as world premier innovations with a bright future for upcoming major championships.&rdquo;
Recognised as the leading, international mark of excellence, <a href="https://www.sportstechgroup.org/sports-technology-awards/winners/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Sports Technology Awards</a> celebrates tech-led innovation in sports. The judging panel includes more than 50 industry experts.
&ldquo;This entry is exciting for many reasons, but its sustainability impact alone is highly commendable,&rdquo; the judges concluded. &ldquo;This is clever and provides a smart and sustainable solution to a challenge which all events face. We look forward to seeing its growth.&rdquo;
Six nominees &ndash; World Athletics and Wonderly, Bayes Esports, Kiswe, SponsorUnited, ViewLift, and WSC Sports &ndash; were shortlisted in the best digital technology category, before World Athletics and Wonderly were announced as the winners during the awards ceremony in New York.
World Athletics

World Athletics has been recognised for world-leading innovation in the ‘best digital technology’ category at The Sports Technology Awards for its Web Competition Information System (WebCIS).

World Athletics wins award for online competition platform

A rematch of the full men&rsquo;s 100m podium from last year&rsquo;s World Championships in Oregon is on the menu at the Golden Gala in Florence on Friday night, after the eleventh-hour addition of silver medallist Marvin Bracy to the stellar line-up for the third meeting of this year&rsquo;s Wanda Diamond League.
The Italian organisers might have been deflated by the late withdrawal of Olympic 100m champion Marcell Jacobs from his home Diamond League meeting last night &ndash; which put on hold a high-anticipated duel with Kerley &ndash; but they immediately took the opportunity to turn lemons into lemonade by inviting Bracy to fill the vacant lane.
Kerley (gold), Bracy (silver) and Trayvon Bromell (bronze) completed a memorable US shutout of the podium in front of their home crowd in Oregon last year and will go again in Florence.
Jacobs has now withdrawn from his past two scheduled starts, in Rabat and Florence, due to an ongoing back problem. However, Italy will be represented by the surprise European indoor 60m champion Samuele Ceccarelli, who defeated Jacobs in that race and will be hoping to carry his career-best indoor form to the outdoor track this year.
Kerley offered sympathy to his rival Jacobs in the Golden Gala press conference, saying: "I&rsquo;m not upset that he&rsquo;s not competing, I just wish him health and he gets back to competing at 100 percent."
The top two African sprinters &ndash; Kenya&rsquo;s Ferdinand Omanyala and South Africa&rsquo;s Akani Simbine &ndash; will add further interest to the showdown.
Omanyala currently tops the performance list for this year with his 9.84 clocking at the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi, just ahead of Kerley&rsquo;s 9.88 at the Seiko Golden Grand Prix in Yokohama, but Kerley won their first direct meeting for the year in Rabat last weekend.
The women&rsquo;s 100m will features two world medallists in the short sprint, Great Britain&rsquo;s Dina Asher-Smith and Ivory Coast&rsquo;s Marie-Josee Ta Lou, while the brilliant teenager Erriyon Knighton heads the men&rsquo;s 200m field.
At the other end of the Diamond League track spectrum, Florence will present a trio of exciting middle and distance races in the men&rsquo;s 5000m, women&rsquo;s 1500m and women&rsquo;s 3000m steeplechase.
The men&rsquo;s 5000m sees the return of Uganda&rsquo;s world 10,000m and Olympic 5000m champion Joshua Cheptegei to the track for the first time since his triumph in Oregon, and an extraordinary challenge awaits him, including an all-star Ethiopian quartet of Olympic 10,000m champion Selemon Barega, 2021 Diamond League champion Berihu Aregawi, Yomif Kejelcha and Samuel Tefera, as well as Kenya&rsquo;s world silver medallist Jacob Krop and last year&rsquo;s Golden Gala winner Nicholas Kipkorir.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6238b509f74fd745cca6c77b.jpg" alt="Joshua Cheptegei races at the 2021 Prefontaine Classic" />
Joshua Cheptegei races at the 2021 Prefontaine Classic (&copy; Getty Images)
</div>
The queen of middle distance Faith Kipyegon returns to Florence eager to make amends for a rare loss at her last start at the Stadio Luigi Ridolfi, in 2021, when Sifan Hassan had her measure. However, after narrowly missing the 1500m world record in Monaco last year, Olympic and world champion Kipyegon has declared her intent to attack it again at every opportunity this year, which may well start in Florence. However, British Olympic silver medallist and natural front-runner Laura Muir is certain to keep the race honest.
Kipyegon said that her first ambition in Florence was to improve on her season-opening performance to win the 1500m in Doha last month, where she clocked an impressive 3:58.57, but she would not rule out an attempt on the world record this week.
&ldquo;Everything is possible,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;The record is in my heart and on my mind and I hope this will be a perfect year for me."
Current world record-holder in the women&rsquo;s 3000m steeplechase Beatrice Chepkoech has looked more like her old self in the early part of the season and has the opportunity to take a strong win in Florence, against a field that includes Ethiopia&rsquo;s world bronze medallist Mekides Abebe, USA&rsquo;s 2017 world champion Emma Coburn, and the talented Kenyan duo of world U20 champion Jackline Chepkoech and Fancy Cherono.
Also going over the barriers in Florence will be the indomitable Dutchwoman Femke Bol, who will line up for the 400m hurdles in an intriguing match-up with Anna Hall. The newly-crowned winner of the heptathlon at the legendary Hypo Meeting in Gotzis is clearly unafraid of a challenge.
In Gotzis last weekend, Hall fell just short of tallying 7000 points, her total of 6988 lifting her to fifth on the world all-time list to underline her quality.
World silver medallist Bol opened her season with a world-leading 53.12 in Oordegem, Belgium four days ago and the presence of competitors like Hall, Shamier Little and Rushell Clayton should surely push her through the 53-second barrier for the first time this year.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/630921562c05591d9fbbfaef.jpg" alt="Femke Bol on her way to a 400m hurdles win at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Lausanne" />
Femke Bol on her way to a 400m hurdles win at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Lausanne (&copy; AFP / Getty Images)
</div>
Bol is introducing a new stride pattern to her race this year as she tries to reach the standard set by world and Olympic champion and world record-holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.
The Dutchwoman has moved from 15 strides between each hurdle, to 14 strides to the seventh hurdle and 15 strides to the last three barriers, to make best use of her height advantage over the American.
She set her fastest-ever season opener trying out her new strategy in Oordegem, and expects to be faster again in Florence.
&ldquo;I learned quite a lot because it was the first time with 14 strides &ndash; I have to take bigger steps and change from the (take-off) leg so it was nice to try it out,&rdquo; Bol said.
&ldquo;I wanted to go to hurdle seven and it was nice to do that so now I have a bit more confidence to go out faster and also make the switch to 15 after the seventh hurdle.&rdquo;
Meanwhile, world champion Grant Holloway will have plenty of motivation going into the 110m hurdles, after he was upset by Jamaica&rsquo;s Rasheed Broadbell in Rabat last weekend. Holloway will renew acquaintance with his domestic rival turned NFL star Devon Allen. Others in the mix include Freddie Crittenden and Switzerland&rsquo;s Jason Joseph.
Holloway revealed he had made adjustments to his training regime after his loss in Rabat, saying he needed to learn not to be distracted by noise in the crowd at the start.
&ldquo;It threw me off my A game but that was a moment I had to learn from,&rsquo;&rsquo; he said.
&ldquo;So what I have been doing in practice, I have my team playing loud, blaring music, and it&rsquo;s my goal to focus on the gun. So maybe that was what I needed in Rabat to get a little bit more focussed on that.&rdquo;
The women&rsquo;s long jump and pole vault should both provide highlights in the field.
The pole vault features another full Oregon podium in Katie Moon (nee Nageotte), Sandi Morris and Australia&rsquo;s Nina Kennedy, while world and Olympic champion Malaika Mihambo faces an all-star field in the long jump.
Among those lining up are world indoor champion Ivana Vuleta, Ukraine&rsquo;s world silver medallist Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk, European indoor champion Jazmin Sawyers and the US pair of Tara Davis-Woodhall (7.07m this year) and Quanesha Burks, who have taken their rivalry to social media this season. Home hopes rest with Italy&rsquo;s Larissa Iapichino.
The men&rsquo;s high jump will miss Italy&rsquo;s Olympic champion Gianmarco Tamberi but does have the equally expressive Korean world indoor champion Woo Sanghyeok, world medallist Andriy Protsenko of Ukraine and rising American JuVaughn Harrison to hit the heights.
Four-time world champion Christian Taylor continues on his comeback journey in the men&rsquo;s triple jump, taking on world silver medallist Hugues Fabrice Zango and Cuba&rsquo;s Andy Diaz Hernandez.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/63a0b7e0131dd1c47a49f862.jpg" alt="Joe Kovacs celebrates at the Wanda Diamond League Final in Zurich" />
Joe Kovacs celebrates at the Wanda Diamond League Final in Zurich (&copy; AFP / Getty Images)
</div>
In the throws, two-time world shot put champion Joe Kovacs gets his first chance to respond to long-time rival Ryan Crouser&rsquo;s world record of 23.56m in Los Angeles last weekend. New Zealand&rsquo;s Tom Walsh finished second to Crouser there with a big throw of his own (22.12m) and will look to build on that in a stadium where he won in 2021.
Kovacs said he had been more focussed on the gym than grooving his technique since the birth of his twins seven months ago but would use this competition to &ldquo;get back into throwing shape."
He expects that Crouser&rsquo;s early season world record will inspire all of the world&rsquo;s best shotputters to lift their game this year.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think 23.50 is in any way the limit, I think 24 (metres) is probably right around the corner for a lot of us," he said." I think (Crouser&rsquo;s world record) is a stepping stone and we are all excited to be part of that journey.&rdquo;
The women&rsquo;s discus will feature a clash between the world champion Feng Bin of China and Olympic champion Valarie Allman of the USA.
Nicole Jeffery for World Athletics

A rematch of the full men’s 100m podium from last year’s World Championships in Oregon is on the menu at the Golden Gala in Florence

Kerley ready to take on fellow world medallists in Florence

In-form world medallists Ryan Crouser, Kristjan Ceh and Marileidy Paulino will look to continue their strong seasons when they compete at the Ostrava Golden Spike, the 11th Gold meeting in this year&rsquo;s World Athletics Continental Tour, on 27 June.
Using his new technique, Crouser improved his own world shot put record at the most recent World Athletics Continental Tour Gold event in Los Angeles. Throwing 23.56m, the US Olympic and world champion added 19cm to the previous world record he recorded in 2021.
The 30-year-old has already competed twice in Ostrava, first in 2018 when he finished fourth and then in 2020 when he won with a meeting record throw of 22.43m.
For this year&rsquo;s competition the shot put sector will have a new position, in the direction of the 100m run near the pole vault. Among those going up against Crouser will be Czech record-holder Tomas Stanek.
Joining them in throws action in Ostrava is Slovenia&rsquo;s world discus champion Ceh. The 24-year-old has surpassed 70 metres in two competitions so far this season, throwing 70.89m and 70.32m to win the Diamond League meetings in Doha and Rabat, respectively. He will surely have his eye on the long-standing Golden Spike record of 68.06m set by Cuba&rsquo;s Luis Delis in 1983.
"I am looking forward to Ostrava and I believe that I will show some long throws," said Ceh.
Paulino has also impressed already this season. The Olympic and world 400m silver medallist is unbeaten so far this year and most recently improved her Dominican Republic record to 48.98 to win at the USATF Los Angeles Grand Prix.
&ldquo;I have only positive news about Ostrava, about the audience and the fast track,&rdquo; said Paulino, who will target the meeting record of 49.67, also set in 1983. &ldquo;It will be an honour for me to try to break one of the oldest meeting records.&rdquo;
Sweden&rsquo;s world pole vault record-holder Mondo Duplantis has already been announced for the Golden Spike and will also have a meeting record in his sights as he looks to better the 5.93m set by Sam Kendricks and soar over six metres yet again.
Organisers for World Athletics

In-form world medallists Ryan Crouser, Kristjan Ceh and Marileidy Paulino will look to continue their strong seasons when they compete at the Ostrava Golden Spike

Hines, first man to officially break 10 seconds for 100m, dies

With world 1500m record, Kipyegon adds to her already impressive legacy

Strong sprints in store and hammer stars resume battle in Bydgoszcz

Duplantis vaults world-leading meeting record of 6.11m in Hengelo

Lyles, Jackson and Van Niekerk impress in Kingston