| Golden Gala | |
|---|---|
.jpg) TheStadio Olimpico hosts the event | |
| Date | May – September |
| Location | Rome,Italy |
| Event type | Track and field |
| World Athletics Cat. | GW[1] |
| Established | 5 August 1980; 44 years ago (1980-08-05) |
| Official site | Diamond League Rome |
Golden Gala is an annualtrack and field event normally held at theOlympic Stadium in Rome, Italy. Previously one of theIAAF Golden League events, it is now part of theDiamond League. Following the 2013 death of Italian sprinting legendPietro Mennea, the organizers added his name to the title of the meet.
The 2021 and 2023 events were temporarily relocated toFlorence.[2]
Primo Nebiolo, the Italian president ofIAAF since 1981, was the founder of the Golden Gala and had the idea to bring the athletes and the people from the United States and theNATO countries together after their boycott of theMoscow Olympics in 1980 as a result of theSoviet invasion of Afghanistan. Nebiolo died of a heart attack at age 76 in 1999.
At the 2009 edition of the Golden Gala,Kenenisa Bekele,Kerron Stewart,Sanya Richards andYelena Isinbayeva all remained on target for the2009 Golden League jackpot.[3] In the 100 m,Tyson Gay equalled his American record andDaniel Bailey set anAntiguan record in the men's race.[4]Antonietta Di Martino brought the sole Italian victory in Rome by beating off favouriteBlanka Vlašić in the high jump.[4]
In 1981 theIAAF World Cup was held in Rome, so no Golden Gala meeting was organized.[5]
Over the course of its history, tenworld records have been set at the Gala. The 1500 metres and Mile records byHicham El Guerrouj still stand. In 2014Joanne Pavey's 15:04.87 in the5000 metres bettered the existingmasters world record in theW40 division by almost 16 seconds.
| Year | Event | Record | Athlete | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Pole vault | 5.83 m | Thierry Vigneron |  France |
| 1984 | Pole vault | 5.94 m | Sergey Bubka |  Soviet Union |
| 5.91 m | Thierry Vigneron | France | ||
| 1987 | 5000 m | 12:58.39 | Saïd Aouita |  Morocco |
| 1995 | 5000 m | 12:55.30 | Moses Kiptanui |  Kenya |
| 1998 | 1500 m | 3:26.00 | Hicham El Guerrouj | Morocco |
| 1999 | Mile | 3:43.13 | Hicham El Guerrouj | Morocco |
| 2000 | Javelin throw | 68.22 m | Trine Hattestad |  Norway |
| 2008 | Pole vault | 5.03 m | Yelena Isinbayeva |  Russia |
| 2023 | 1500 m | 3:49.11 | Faith Kipyegon | Kenya |
| Event | Record | Athlete | Nationality | Date | Meet | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 m | 10.75(+0.6 m/s) | Marion Jones |  United States | 14 July 1998 | 1998 | |
| 10.75(+0.4 m/s) | Kerron Stewart |  Jamaica | 10 July 2009 | 2009 | [62] | |
| 200 m | 21.91(+1.3 m/s) | Shericka Jackson | Jamaica | 9 June 2022 | 2022 | [53] |
| 400 m | 49.17 | Marita Koch |  East Germany | 10 September 1986 | 1986 | |
| 800 m | 1:55.69 | Pamela Jelimo | Kenya | 11 July 2008 | 2008 | |
| 1500 m | 3:49.11 | Faith Kipyegon | Kenya | 2 June 2023 | 2023 | [63][64] |
| Mile | 4:21.38 | Paula Ivan |  Romania | 19 July 1989 | 1989 | |
| 3000 m | 8:23.96 | Olga Yegorova | Russia | 29 June 2001 | 2001 | |
| 5000 m | 14:12.59 | Almaz Ayana |  Ethiopia | 2 June 2016 | 2016 | [65] |
| 100 m hurdles | 12.24(−0.4 m/s) | Ackera Nugent | Jamaica | 30 August 2024 | 2024 | [66] |
| 400 m hurdles | 52.43 | Femke Bol |  Netherlands | 2 June 2023 | 2023 | [67] |
| 3000 m steeplechase | 8:44.39 | Winfred Yavi |  Bahrain | 30 August 2024 | 2024 | [68] |
| High jump | 2.03 m | Yelena Slesarenko | Russia | 2 July 2004 | 2004 | [69] |
| Hestrie Cloete |  South Africa | 2 July 2004 | 2004 | [69] | ||
| Blanka Vlašić |  Croatia | 10 June 2010 | 2010 | |||
| Chaunté Howard-Lowe | United States | 10 June 2010 | 2010 | |||
| Pole vault | 5.03 m | Yelena Isinbayeva | Russia | 13 July 2007 | 2007 | |
| Long jump | 7.23 m(−0.3 m/s) | Marion Jones | United States | 14 July 1998 | 1998 | |
| Triple jump | 15.29 m(+0.3 m/s) | Yamilé Aldama |  Cuba | 11 July 2003 | 2003 | |
| Shot put | 21.03 mDLR | Valerie Adams |  New Zealand | 31 May 2012 | 2012 | [70] |
| Discus throw | 68.93 m | Sandra Perković | Croatia | 31 May 2018 | 2018 | [71] |
| Javelin throw | 68.66 m | Barbora Špotáková |  Czech Republic | 10 June 2010 | 2010 | |
| 4 × 100 m relay | 43.64 | Nataliya Strohova Yelizaveta Bryzgina Olesya Povh Natalia Pohrebniak |  Ukraine | 2 June 2016 | 2016 | [72] |
