The Wanda Diamond League arrives in Europe this week with the Golden Gala Pietro Mennea in Rome boasting one of the strongest fields assembled so far this season.
British fans will have plenty to focus on at the Stadio Olimpico on Thursday (June 4), with Olympic 800m champion Keeley Hodgkinson and world indoor 1500m champion Georgia Hunter Bell the main attractions as they continue to build towards major championships later this summer.
Hodgkinson goes the distance, at least on paper, as she competes against a world-class field in the women’s 400m. The Olympic champion and indoor world record holder faces a huge challenge against European indoor champion Liek Claver, Poland’s Natalya Bukowiecka, American Aliyah Butler and British record holder Amber Anning.
Hodgkinson is easily the slowest in the field but will be hoping for a big PB against the specialist single lap racers. It will be an intriguing indication of where Hodgkinson’s speed goes as the season gathers momentum and ahead of the 800m in Stockholm in a few days.
Hunter Bell, meanwhile, lines up in the women’s 1500m. The Briton enjoyed a breakthrough campaign in 2025 and added world gold earlier this year. In Rome, she will face Ethiopia’s Birke Hailom, winner of the Diamond League opener in Shanghai, plus Britain’s Laura Muir and Reeve Walcott-Nolan.
Another British athlete with podium ambitions is Molly Codery in the women’s pole vault. The world indoor champion faces Olympic champion Nina Kennedy and former world champion Sandi Morris in a high-profile contest that should produce some impressive heights.
With Hodgkinson, Hunter Bell and Codery in action, it means the trio of Britons who won world gold in half an hour on the final day in Torun earlier this year are all in action in Rome.
The women’s 200m also has a strong British flavour. Amy Hunt and Dina Usher-Smith are in attendance alongside two of the fastest women on the planet, world champion Melissa Jefferson-Wooden and Olympic 100m champion Julienne Alfred. The American Anavia Battle adds more depth to what looks like a championship-caliber sprint showdown.
One of the most anticipated events away from the British contingent is the men’s 100m. The field features Olympic champions Noah Lyles and Marcel Jacobs, as well as Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo. Britain’s Jeremiah Azu, the reigning 60m indoor world champion, is also among the participants and is looking to test himself against some of the biggest names in global sprinting.
The men’s 800m promises to be another fascinating event. Former world champion Donavan Brazier continues his comeback and will face Portugal’s Isaac Nader, who arrives in Rome as the reigning world champion over 1500m.
In field events, men’s ball is loaded with talent. Three-time Olympic champion Ryan Kruser leads the bids, while world medalists Joe Kovacs, Tom Walsh and Italy’s Leonardo Fabbri are confident there will be little margin for error. Kovac is in great form after clearing a world-leading 22.58m at the Diamond League in Rabat on Sunday.
The men’s long jump also looks particularly strong. Two-time Olympic champion Miltiadis Tentoglu will face world indoor champion Gerson Balde, Jamaica’s Wayne Pinnock and Tajai Gale, as well as rising Bulgarian talent Bozhidar Saraboykov.
Italy will have plenty of interest at home throughout the evening. World triple jump champion Andy Diaz is among the favorites for her race, while Olympic and world medalist Nadia Battocleti is expected to receive huge support when she competes in the women’s 5,000m. Battocletti faces world-class opposition, including Bahrain’s Olympic sprint champion Winfred Yawi and Ethiopia’s Freweini Hailu.
The women’s steeplechase events are similarly loaded. Danielle Williams, Kendra Harrison, Nadine Visser and Sirena Samba-Mayela compete in the 100m hurdles, while Dalila Muhammad, Anna Cockrell and Jasmine Jones lead the way in the 400m hurdles.
Rome traditionally provides one of the highlights of the Diamond League calendar, and this year’s match is no exception. Organizers have assembled a cast that includes more than 40 Olympic and world champions and more than 80 world medalists, underscoring the Golden Gala’s status as one of athletics’ premier one-day events.
With Hodgkinson, Hunter Bell, Cowdery, Hunt, Usher-Smith, Anning and Azu all in the mix, there is no shortage of British interest as the Diamond League season heads into its European phase.
The schedule and results can be found here here.
Television coverage. Live coverage is expected to be available on BBC platforms, with final broadcast details available via BBC Sport listings closer to the match.
