Four world leads and three home wins
ROME (ITA, Jun 4): Four world leads highlighted the Pietro Mennea Golden Gala, the first European stage of the Wanda Diamond League. Home crowds were excited with three Italian wins and two meeting records. Five of the fifteen winners achieved their first-ever DL victory. In the sprint clashes, Lyles won, but Jefferson-Wooden lost. The next Wanda Diamond League meeting, the BAUHAUS-Galan in Stockholm, is scheduled for Sunday, June 7.
Short event-by-event reviews
Women
200m: Olympic 100m champion Julien Alfred handed treble world champion Melissa Jefferson-Wooden a clear defeat, 21.93 (1.3) to 22.17. Her first loss since early May 2025 at the distance.
400m: Henriette Jaeger made an excellent season’s opener in the 400m with victory in 49.60 EL. First ever sub-50 second clocking for world indoor champion Lurdes Gloria Manuel in second in 49.77 (also a season opener). Keely Hodgkinson was seventh in a 51.14 PB.
1500m: World indoor champion Georgia Hunter-Bell kicked away for a clear win in 3:58.63. Klaudia Kazimierska edged out Nikki Hiltz for second, 3:59.24 to 3:59.26.
5000m: Likina Amebaw timed her sprint finish to perfection, winning her first-ever DL, in a 14:18.41 PB and world lead ahead of Aleshign Baweke (14:18.54 PB) and Freweyni Hailu (14:18.94 PB) as Ethiopians filled the top seven places. National records for Bahrain’s Winfred Yavi (14:30.06) and France’s Sarah Madeleine (14:37.80) in eighth and 11th. Nadia Battocletti faded to 13th in 14:40.05 in her first race since a bout of flu.
100m hurdles: 2020 Olympic bronze medallist Megan Simmonds won in 12.50 (0.8) ahead of Kendra Harrison (12.54) and Nadine Visser (12.58) for her first-ever Diamond League win.
400m hurdles: Despite hitting the final barrier, Emma Zapletalova improved her Slovakian record and world lead to 52.58 (nr. 3 in European all-time list) ahead of Anna Cockrell in 52.77.
Pole vault: World indoor champion Molly Caudery cleared 4.80m on her first attempt to win on countback from Olympic champion Nina Kennedy and European champion Angelica Moser.
Men
100m: 9.88 (0.4) for Noah Lyles in the last race of the evening. Emmanuel Eseme was a surprise second in a Cameroonian record of 9.94, with Letsile Tebogo improving to 9.95 in third. Marcell Jacobs was a promising fifth in 9.99.
800m (non-DL): European champion Gabriel Tual was back to form with victory in 1:43.66 ahead of the fast finishing Mark English in 1:43.80. World 1500m champion Isaac Nader was fifth in 1:44.28.
110m hurdles: Trey Cunningham breaks the 13-second barrier for the first time with a world lead and meeting record of 12.98 (0.5), the first sub-13-second clocking in 2026. Jamal Britt finished last after hitting the ninth hurdle.
High jump: Big win on home soil for Matteo Sioli at 2.28m for his first-ever Diamond League top position.
Long jump: Sixth round fireworks as Miltiadis Tentoglou jumps 8.24m (-0.4)…only for Bozhidar Saraboyukov to better the Greek with 8.26m (-0.1) in the last jump of the competition for his premiere DL win.
Triple jump: Home victory for Andy Diaz with 17.59m (-0.1) over Jamaicans Jordan Scott (17.33m/-0.2) and Jaydon Hibbert (17.02m/-0.8)
Shot put: Victory for Leonardo Fabbri on home soil with 22.14m over his great US rivals Joe Kovacs (21.87m) and Ryan Crouser (21.50m).
Javelin: First 90-meter-plus throw of 2026. Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage extended his world lead to 92.62m, his first 90-meter-plus throw, meeting and national record (8th best ever), to win by almost 10 meters from Grenada’s Anderson Peters (83.91m).
