Moraa coming face to face with Athing Mu in Rome Diamond League

Kenya’s fast rising 800m star Mary Moraa will battle the best two-lap runner of current generation and reigning Olympic champion Athing Mu of the USA when the duo line up Rome Diamond League on Thursday.

Fresh from punching her maiden Diamond League victory Moraa will face a more formidable start list that also includes Jamaican sensation Natoya Goule and Uganda’s Halimah Nakaayi.

Moraa boasts of a personal best time of 1:58.93 set in Rabat just days ago and the 22-year-old must make improvements to chase down the graceful American who has clocked 1:55.04 PB over the distance. Mu is the race favorite with Jamaican Goule boasting of 1:56.16 PB also ranked higher than the industrious Kenyan.

In the men 3000m steeplechase, six Kenyans will try to contend with frenetic Ethiopian Lamecha Girma. Abraham Kibiwot, Conseslus Kipruto and Lawrence Kipsang will be in sharp focus in the race with Amos Serem, Wilberforce Kones and Leonard Bett also featuring.  

Levy Kibet, Jacob Krop and Nicholas Kimeli will battle the formidable fleet Ethiopian fleet of Muktar Edris, Yomif Kejelcha and Selemon Barega in the men 5000m.

In total, sixteen Tokyo Olympic champions for the star-studded edition of the Golden Gala Pietro Mennea in Rome, Italy. The meeting is 5th on the Wanda Diamond League circuit and is scheduled for Thursday 9 June at the Rome Olympic Stadium.

The first big world athletics stars, who will take part in the 42nd edition of the Golden Gala, have arrived in Rome. Among them are three-time Olympic champion Elaine Thompson Herah (Jamaica), sprint legend Allyson Felix (Usa), Kirani James (Grenada), the 400m sprinter who reached the podium in the past three editions of the Olympic Games.

Olympic silver medallist Kenny Bednarek, who holds a PB of 19.68 obtained in the Olympic final last year, will line-up in the men’s 200 metres. After his win in the Diamond League leg in Rabat, the US sprinter will take on the three 4x100 relay Olympic champions Filippo Tortu, Fausto Desalu, and Lorenzo Patta and 400m world indoor champion Jereem Richards (Trinidad and Tobago).

In the usual turnover, which marks the entry-lists before every meeting, it must be reported that Mutaz Barshim (Qatar) in the high jump, sprinter Trayvon Bromell (USA) and Su Bingtian (China) have pulled out.

The star-studded evening in the Olympic Stadium offers many highlights just one month away from the World Championships in Eugene, which will start on 15 July.

The women’s 200 metres sprint race promises to be a show with the fastest woman in the world (Thompson-Herah), 400 metres Olympic gold medallist Shaunae Miller-Uibo (Bahamas), world champion Dina Asher Smith, the most decorated athlete in history (Felix) and 4x100 relay champion Shericka Jackson (Jamaica).

Olympic silver medallist Fred Kerley will compete again in the 100 metres. James and 4x400 relay Olympic gold medallist Michael Cherry will be the names to watch in the men’s 400 metres.

The hurdles races will feature Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (women’s 100m hurdles) and Femke Bol (women’s 400m hurdles). The field events will feature red-hot competitions: high jump Olympic gold medallist Gianmarco Tamberi is set to get excited in front of the home crowd, jumpers Malaika Mihambo from Germany and Katie Nageotte from the United States can fly in the long jump and in the pole vault.

The throwing events are no less interesting: Slovenia’s Kristjan Ceh faces the three Olympic medallists (including Daniel Stahl). The shot put will be highlighted by US Joe Kovacs, Olympic silver medallist in Japan. Italy’s Olympic champion Massimo Stano will be in the spotlight in the 3000 metres walking race.