Rome Diamond League : Kenyans in action tonight under European lights

Several Kenyan athletes will be in action tonight as the Diamond League continues in Rome, with high-octane action expected to fill the Roman air.

The Rome meeting is the fifth in the Prestigious Diamond League Calendar.

Meeting one was held in Xiamen, China, on 16 April, with meeting two taking place on 3 May 2025 in Shanghai, China.

Qatari capital Doha played host to the third meet held on 16 May.

The Moroccan city of Rabat hosted race number four on 25 May, leading to Rome.

Kenyans expected to include Ferdinand Omanyala, who will compete in his usual 100-metre sprint. He will be looking to move on from a disappointing display on home ground last weekend at the KipKeino Classic in Nairobi, where he could only muster third place.

The event is set to kick off at around 8 pm Kenyan time.

World record-holder Gudaf Tsegay and Olympic champion Beatrice Chebet will go head-to-head over 5000m at the Golden Gala Pietro Mennea in a race that looks set to provide one of the highlights of the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Rome on Friday (6).

Chebet is one of six Olympic champions who’ll be in action in the Italian capital, and the Kenyan heads there in sensational form.

At the recent Diamond League meeting in Rabat, she cruised to an 8:11.56 African record over 3000m, going to second on the world all-time list.

Prior to that, Chebet had won over 5000m in Xiamen, beating Tsegay by one second.

But Tsegay is the last woman to beat Chebet in a Diamond League race, doing so at the Diamond League Final in Eugene in 2023 and with a world record to boot (14:00.21).

Chebet finished second on that occasion in a PB of 14:05.92, but her recent form suggests it’s ready for revision.

The meeting record of 14:12.59 is a slightly easier but still lofty target.

Two-time world indoor champion Freweyni Hailu is also entered, as is home favourite Nadia Battocletti, the Olympic 10,000m silver medallist, along with USA’s Karissa Schweizer.

Less than a week after running a world-leading 43.76 in Nairobi, all eyes will be on Zakithi Nene in the men’s 400m.

The South African will take on Olympic champion Quincy Hall, 2024 world indoor champion Alexander Doom, European silver medallist Charlie Dobson and Olympic relay silver medallist Busang Collen Kebinatshipi of Botswana.

In the women’s discus, two-time Olympic champion Valarie Allman takes on the winners of the past four world titles: Laulauga Tausaga, Feng Bin, Yaime Perez and Sandra Elkasevic.

Meanwhile, in the women’s triple jump, the three medallists from the Olympic Games, Thea Lafond, Shanieka Ricketts and Jasmine Moore, take on the podium finishers from the World Indoor Championships: Leyanis Perez Hernandez, Liadagmis Povea and Ana Peleteiro-Compaore.

All three world indoor medallists will be present in the men’s high jump as Woo Sanghyeok takes on Olympic champion Hamish Kerr and Jamaica’s Raymond Richards, as well as world champion Gianmarco Tamberi.

Another leading Italian jumper, world indoor champion Mattia Furlani, will take on Olympic champion Miltiadis Tentoglou in the men’s long jump. 2022 world indoor silver medallist Thobias Montler, 2024 world indoor heptathlon champion Simon Ehammer and in-form Australian Liam Adcock are also in the high-quality line-up.

Almost one year to the day since he won European gold in front of a home crowd, Italy’s Leonardo Fabbri will be hoping for another victorious display at the Golden Gala in the same Stadio Olimpico.

The world silver medallist won’t have it easy, though, as he takes on world indoor champion Tom Walsh, two-time world champion Joe Kovacs, Olympic bronze medallist Rajindra Campbell, world indoor silver medallist Roger Steen, world indoor bronze medallist Adrian Piperi and world leader Payton Otterdahl.

Three weeks after stepping up in distance to win the 5000m at the Diamond League meeting in Doha, Kenya’s Reynold Cheruiyot moves back down to his specialist distance, the 1500m.

The 2022 world U20 champion takes on 2019 world champion Timothy Cheruiyot, African champion Brian Komen, European indoor silver medallist Azeddine Habz and Commonwealth champion Ollie Hoare.

In the women’s event, Ethiopia’s Birke Haylom takes on compatriot Hirut Meshesha, Kenya’s Susan Ejore and Ireland’s European indoor 3000m champion Sarah Healy.

World leader Cordell Tinch leads a 110m hurdles field that includes Olympic silver medallist Daniel Roberts, European champion Lorenzo Simonelli, world indoor silver medallist Wilhem Belocian and Spain’s Enrique Llopis.

Elsewhere in the sprints, 2022 Fred Kerley goes in the men’s 100m while fellow US sprinter Anavia Battle leads the women’s 200m.

In the women’s pole vault, European champion Angelica Moser takes on USA’s Sandi Morris, world indoor silver medallist Tina Sutej and Italy’s Roberta Bruni.