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Golden Gala is an annual track and field event normally held at the Olympic Stadium in Rome, Italy. Previously one of the IAAF Golden League events, it is now part of the Diamond League. Following the 2013 death of Italian sprinting legend Pietro Mennea, the organizers added his name to the title of the meet.

The 2021 and 2023 events were temporarily relocated to Florence.

History

Primo Nebiolo, the Italian president of IAAF 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 the NATO countries together after their boycott of the Moscow Olympics in 1980 as a result of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Nebiolo died of a heart attack at age 76 in 1999.

Usain Bolt at the 2011 Golden Gala

At the 2009 edition of the Golden Gala, Kenenisa Bekele, Kerron Stewart, Sanya Richards and Yelena Isinbayeva all remained on target for the 2009 Golden League jackpot. In the 100 m, Tyson Gay equalled his American record and Daniel Bailey set an Antiguan record in the men's race. Antonietta Di Martino brought the sole Italian victory in Rome by beating off favourite Blanka Vlašić in the high jump.

Editions

In 1981 the IAAF World Cup was held in Rome, so no Golden Gala meeting was organized.

Golden Gala editions
Ed.MeetingSeriesDateRef.
1st1980 Golden Gala5 Aug 1980
2nd1982 Golden Gala14 Sep 1982
4th1983 Golden Gala1 Sep 1983
4th1984 Golden Gala31 Aug 1984
5th1985 Golden Gala1985 IAAF Grand Prix9 Jul 1985
6th1986 Golden Gala1986 IAAF Grand Prix10 Sep 1986
7th1987 Golden Gala1987 IAAF Grand Prix22 Jul 1987
8th1988 Golden Gala1988 IAAF Grand Prix27 Jul 1988
9th1989 Golden Gala1989 IAAF Grand Prix19 Jul 1989
10th1990 Golden Gala1990 IAAF Grand Prix18 Jul 1990
11th1991 Golden Gala1991 IAAF Grand Prix17 Jul 1991
12th1992 Golden Gala1992 IAAF Grand Prix9 Jun 1992
13th1993 Golden Gala1993 IAAF Grand Prix9 Jun 1993
14th1994 Golden Gala1994 IAAF Grand Prix8 Jun 1994
15th1995 Golden Gala1995 IAAF Grand Prix8 Jun 1995
16th1996 Golden Gala1996 IAAF Grand Prix5 Jun 1996
17th1997 Golden Gala1997 IAAF Grand Prix5 Jun 1997
18th1998 Golden Gala1998 IAAF Golden League14 Jul 1998
19th1999 Golden Gala1999 IAAF Golden League7 Jul 1999
20th2000 Golden Gala2000 IAAF Golden League30 Jun 2000
21st2001 Golden Gala2001 IAAF Golden League29 Jun 2001
22nd2002 Golden Gala2002 IAAF Golden League12 Jul 2002
23rd2003 Golden Gala2003 IAAF Golden League11 Jul 2003
24th2004 Golden Gala2004 IAAF Golden League2 Jul 2004
25th2005 Golden Gala2005 IAAF Golden League8 Jul 2005
26th2006 Golden Gala2006 IAAF Golden League14 Jul 2006
27th2007 Golden Gala2007 IAAF Golden League13 Jul 2007
28th2008 Golden Gala2008 IAAF Golden League11 Jul 2008
29th2009 Golden Gala2009 IAAF Golden League10 Jul 2009
30th2010 Golden Gala2010 Diamond League10 Jun 2010
31st2011 Golden Gala2011 Diamond League26 May 2011
32nd2012 Golden Gala2012 Diamond League31 May 2012
33rd2013 Golden Gala2013 Diamond League6 Jun 2013
34th2014 Golden Gala2014 Diamond League5 Jun 2014
35th2015 Golden Gala2015 Diamond League4 Jun 2015
36th2016 Golden Gala2016 Diamond League2 Jun 2016
37th2017 Golden Gala2017 Diamond League8 Jun 2017
38th2018 Golden Gala2018 Diamond League31 May 2018
39th2019 Golden Gala2019 Diamond League6 Jun 2019
40th2020 Golden Gala2020 Diamond League17 Sep 2020
41st2021 Golden Gala2021 Diamond League10 Jun 2021
42nd2022 Golden Gala2022 Diamond League9 Jun 2022
43rd2023 Golden Gala2023 Diamond League2 Jun 2023
44th2024 Golden Gala2024 Diamond League30 Aug 2024
45th2025 Golden Gala2025 Diamond League6 Jun 2025
46th2026 Golden Gala2026 Diamond League4 Jun 2026

World records

Over the course of its history, ten world records have been set at the Gala. The 1500 metres and Mile records by Hicham El Guerrouj still stand. In 2014 Joanne Pavey's 15:04.87 in the 5000 metres bettered the existing masters world record in the W40 division by almost 16 seconds.

World records set at the Golden Gala
YearEventRecordAthleteNationality
1983Pole vault5.83 mThierry VigneronFrance
1984Pole vault5.94 mSergey BubkaSoviet Union
5.91 mThierry VigneronFrance
19875000 m12:58.39Saïd AouitaMorocco
19955000 m12:55.30Moses KiptanuiKenya
19981500 m3:26.00Hicham El GuerroujMorocco
1999Mile3:43.13Hicham El GuerroujMorocco
2000Javelin throw68.22 mTrine HattestadNorway
2008Pole vault5.03 mYelena IsinbayevaRussia
20231500 m3:49.11Faith KipyegonKenya

Meeting records

Men

Men's meeting records of the Golden Gala
EventRecordAthleteNationalityDateMeetRef.
100 m9.75 (+0.9 m/s)Justin GatlinUnited States4 June 20152015
200 m19.70 (+0.7 m/s)Michael NormanUnited States6 June 20192019
400 m43.62Jeremy WarinerUnited States14 July 20062006
800 m1:42.79Wilson KipketerDenmark7 July 19991999
1500 m3:26.00 WRHicham El GuerroujMorocco14 July 19981998
Mile3:43.13 WRHicham El GuerroujMorocco7 July 19991999
2000 m4:54.02Vénuste NiyongaboBurundi8 June 19951995
3000 m7:26.64Jacob KiplimoUganda17 September 20202020
5000 m12:46.33Nicholas KimeliKenya9 June 20222022
10,000 m28:59.82Mark DonahueUSA10 September 19861986
110 m hurdles12.98 (+0.5 m/s)Trey CunninghamUnited States4 June 20262026
400 m hurdles47.07Karsten WarholmNorway17 September 20202020
3000 m steeplechase7:54.31Paul Kipsiele KoechKenya31 May 20122012
High jump2.41 mMutaz Essa BarshimQatar5 June 20142014
Pole vault6.15 mArmand DuplantisSweden17 September 20202020
Long jump8.61 m (±0.0 m/s)Dwight PhillipsUnited States10 July 20092009
Triple jump17.96 m (−0.4 m/s)Pedro PichardoCuba4 June 20152015
Shot put22.49 mRyan CrouserUnited States30 August 20242024
Discus throw70.72 mKristjan CehSlovenia9 June 20222022
Hammer throw84.88 mSergey LitvinovSoviet Union10 September 19861986
Javelin throw92.62 mRumesh TharangaSri Lanka4 June 20262026
3000 m (walk)10:57.77Francesco FortunatoItaly9 June 20222022
4 × 100 m relay38.31Santa Monica Track Club: Michael Marsh Leroy Burrell Floyd Heard Carl LewisUnited States8 June 19941994
4 × 400 m relay3:01.76 DLRNigel Levine Conrad Williams Chris Clarke Jack GreenGreat Britain31 May 20122012

Women

Women's meeting records of the Golden Gala
EventRecordAthleteNationalityDateMeetRef.
100 m10.75 (+0.6 m/s)Marion JonesUnited States14 July 19981998
10.75 (+0.4 m/s)Kerron StewartJamaica10 July 20092009
200 m21.91 (+1.3 m/s)Shericka JacksonJamaica9 June 20222022
400 m49.17Marita KochEast Germany10 September 19861986
800 m1:55.69Pamela JelimoKenya11 July 20082008
1500 m3:49.11Faith KipyegonKenya2 June 20232023
Mile4:21.38Paula IvanRomania19 July 19891989
3000 m8:23.96Olga YegorovaRussia29 June 20012001
5000 m14:03.69Beatrice ChebetKenya6 June 20252025
100 m hurdles12.24 (−0.4 m/s)Ackera NugentJamaica30 August 20242024
400 m hurdles52.43Femke BolNetherlands2 June 20232023
3000 m steeplechase8:44.39Winfred YaviBahrain30 August 20242024
High jump2.03 mYelena SlesarenkoRussia2 July 20042004
Hestrie CloeteSouth Africa2 July 20042004
Blanka VlašićCroatia10 June 20102010
Chaunté Howard-LoweUnited States10 June 20102010
Pole vault5.03 mYelena IsinbayevaRussia13 July 20072007
Long jump7.23 m (−0.3 m/s)Marion JonesUnited States14 July 19981998
Triple jump15.29 m (+0.3 m/s)Yamilé AldamaCuba11 July 20032003
Shot put21.03 mValerie AdamsNew Zealand31 May 20122012
Discus throw69.21 mValarie AllmanUnited States6 June 20252025
Javelin throw68.66 mBarbora ŠpotákováCzech Republic10 June 20102010
4 × 100 m relay43.64Nataliya Strohova Yelizaveta Bryzgina Olesya Povh Natalia PohrebniakUkraine2 June 20162016

See also

External links