Golden Gala, star-studded parade with four more Olympic champions
Four more Olympic champions for a dream Golden Gala. The Paris 2024 gold medalists grow in the cast of the Italian leg of the Wanda Diamond League, scheduled for Friday, June 6, at the Olympic Stadium in Rome: Valarie Allman in the discus, Hamish Kerr in the high jump, Quincy Hall in the 400, and Thea LaFond in the triple. Four Olympic Games stars joining the already announced Beatrice Chebet (5000) and Miltiadis Tentoglou (long), respectively challenging Nadia Battocletti and Mattia Furlani.
Four outstanding athletes for the Golden Gala Pietro Mennea-Presented by IP. U.S. Valarie Allman, winner of the last two Olympic gold medals in Tokyo and Paris, will return to the Golden Gala after her success in the 2023 edition held in Florence. Last Saturday in Ramona, Oklahoma, she impressed with a personal best of 73.52 (fifth all-time), a performance that has been missing in the women’s discus even since 1989. It also promises to be a fantastic high jump competition with New Zealand’s Hamish Kerr, a gold medalist in Paris with 2.36 and three consecutive times on the podium at the World Indoor Championships (gold in Glasgow last year). This will be his second time at the Golden Gala after placing fourth in Florence in 2023. Instead, US Olympic 400-meter gold medalist Quincy Hall, author of a sensational 43.40 at the Stade de France and former world champion in Budapest in 2023 with the US 4×400 relay, is expected to make his debut at the Italian meeting. First participation in the Golden Gala also for Thea LaFond (Dominica), who in the triple jump exceeded fifteen meters in golds at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow (15.01) and the Paris Olympics (15.02).
“Four more top names are added to the Golden Gala cast – the words of Meeting Director, Marco Sicari – for what is sure to be an evening to remember. With three of them we had a substantial agreement already since last year, and it will be a pleasure to see them competing on the track and on the platforms of the Olympic. Participation in all competitions is practically defined: only a few pieces are missing to the composition of the mosaic, windows deliberately left open to assess the start of the outdoor season.” Rome awaits the return of great athletics: “After the 2024 European Championships, and an edition of the Golden Gala awarded the best technical result since the birth of the Diamond League (since 2010, ed.), the meeting returns to its early June location. Unique opportunity for the public from all over Italy to see live the greatest Italian and international champions, in a moment of absolute grace for athletics.”
In the coming weeks, the full cast of the Pietro Mennea Golden Gala will be announced for all specialties: men’s 100, 400, 1500, 110 hurdles, high, long, weight; women’s 200, 1500, 5000, 400 hurdles, pole, triple, discus.
