ROME, Italy CMC – Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson will be among the elite sprinters lining up in Rome on August 30 for the prestigious Golden Gala Pietro Mennea, part of the Wanda Diamond League circuit.
The race will be a thrilling rematch of the 100m final from the Paris Olympics. Olympic silver medalist Thompson will showcase his skills against United States’ Fred Kerley, who secured bronze in Paris with a time of 9.81 seconds.
The seasonal World leader Thompson, who ran 9.77 seconds in June this year, lost by just five-thousandths of a second to USA’s Noah Lyles after both clocked 9.79 seconds in Paris.
Adding further intrigue is the presence of Italy’s Marcell Jacobs, the Tokyo 2021 Olympic champion, who finished fifth in Paris, and Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo, who claimed sixth before winning the 200m final.
In addition to these heavyweights, the Rome lineup will feature other sprint sensations such as the USA’s Christian Coleman, Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala, Japan’s Abdul Hakim Sani Brown, Jamaica’s Ackeem Blake, and Italy’s rising star Chituru Ali.
The race in Rome will bring together six men who have all run under 9.86 seconds this season.
The Golden Gala holds special significance for Fred Kerley, having won the 100m title in Rome in 2022 and Florence in 2023. Meanwhile, Marcell Jacobs returns to the Stadio Olimpico less than three months after capturing gold at the European Championships with a time of 10.02 seconds.
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