Beatrice Chebet to feature in Rome Diamond League

After storming to the second-fastest time ever in the women’s 3000m in Rabat on May 25, 10,000m world record holder Beatrice Chebet is tonight expected to fire another warning shot at the Rome Diamond League meet.

Chebet is in a stellar field assembled perhaps for a strong contest in the women’s 5000m at today’s Golden Gala in Rome, Italy.

A cutthroat competition pitting Chebet and world record holder Gudaf Tsegay of Ethiopia is expected.

Chebet and Tsegay renewed their rivalry from the 2023 Diamond League final in Eugene, where the Ethiopian star set the world record of 14:00.21 and Chebet ran 14:05.92, the third-fastest in history.

She will have the company of compatriot Margaret Akidor in a race that also features Ugandan Winnie Nanyondo.

Also in the women’s 5000m mix tonight are Ethiopians Freweyni Hailu (3000m World Indoor Champion), Marta Alemayo, Asayech Ayichew, Aleshign Baweke, and Chaltu Dida as well as Burundi’s Francine Niyomukunzi and top European stars including Maureen Koster (Netherlands), Marta Garcia (Spain), Megan Keith (Great Britain), and Sarah Madeleine (France).

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Home girl, Italian record holder Battocletti will be looking to impress at Stadio Olimpico.

Former world champion Timothy Cheruiyot is leading the charge in the men’s 1500m.

The star-studded 1500m field comprises his namesake Reynold Cheruiyot, a former World Under-20 champion who surprisingly claimed victory in the 5000m race at the Doha Diamond League meet in May.

It was in Rome where Moroccan Hicham El Guerrouj set the 3:26.00 world record in 1998, a time that still stands 27 years later.

Timothy Cheruiyot and Reynold will be competing alongside African champion Brian Komen, who clinched the Diamond League trophy last year.

With the exception of New Zealander Oliver Hoare, American Vincent Ciattei, and Moroccan Anass Essayi, the other milers competing are all European. Among the entrants are Spain’s 2023 European indoor 800m champion Adrián Ben, France’s European indoor 1500m silver medallist Azeddine Habz, Britain’s 2016 European 800m bronze medallist Elliot Giles, Italy’s national champion Federico Riva — who debuted last Friday in Bydgoszcz with 3:33.79 and followed up with a swift 1:44.80 in the 800 meters in Rovereto — Germany’s European finalist at Rome 2024 Robert Farken, Sweden’s European and World indoor finalist Samuel Pihlström, Poland’s Filip Rak, and Slovenia’s Zan Rudolf.

Kenya's Susan Ejore-Sanders and Purity Chepkirui are eyeing for glory in the women’s 1500m as they line up alongside their Ethiopian counterparts – Under-20 African record holder Birke Haylom and world indoor bronze medallist Hirut Meshesha.

Africa’s fastest sprinter in the 100m Ferdinand Omanyala is once again facing the bigwigs.

He takes on American sprinter Fred Kerley, two-time Golden Gala winner (2022 and 2023), the Tokyo Olympic silver medallist and Paris 2024 bronze winner will be joined by his compatriots Trayvon Bromell (9.91 in Florida before crossing the Atlantic), two-time World bronze medallist and World Indoor Champion in the 60m; Courtney Lindsey, fresh off a 200m win in Rabat; and Brandon Hicklin, one of the first sub-10s this season (9.93).

Representing Italy are crowd favourites Filippo Tortu—Olympic and European 4×100 champion and 200m European silver medallist in 2024 on this same track—and Chituru Ali, 2024 European silver medallist,  Abdul Hakim Sani Brown (Japan/U23 Asian record holder), and Emmanuel Eseme