Bahrain distance star Winfred Yavi, US shot put legend Ryan Crouser and New Zealand high jump ace Hamish Kerr are the latest Olympic champions to join a star-studded line-up at the Rome leg of the 2026 Wanda Diamond League on June 4.
The three Paris 2024 gold medallists will join the likes of Noah Lyles, Keely Hodgkinson, Julien Alfred and Melissa Jefferson-Wooden in the Stadio Olimpico on what promises to be a night for the ages at the iconic Golden Gala Pietro Mennea meeting.
Yavi returns to Rome two years after she clocked the second fastest time in history there in the women’s 3000m steeplechase in 2024, falling just 0.07 seconds short of the world record.
The 27-year-old will line up in the 5000m this time around, going up against the likes of home hero Nadia Batocletti.
Crouser also won in Rome in 2024, throwing 22.49 to claim the 14th of his 15 career Diamond League wins.
The world record holder and reigning world and Olympic champion Diamond League action for the first time in two years in 2026, having missed much of the 2025 season through injury.
Rome will be his second appearance of the season, with the 34-year-old also set to compete in Xiamen and Eugene on this year’s Road to the Final.
Kerr heads into the season as reigning Diamond League champion, having won his first series title in Zurich last September.
The New Zealand star now holds an impressive triple crown of Olympic, world and Diamond League titles and is currently the world number one in the men’s high jump.
Yet he also has a score to settle in Rome, after finishing just sixth at the Golden Gala last season.
Rome is the fourth leg of the 2026 Wanda Diamond League, which begins in Shanghai/Keqiao on May 16 and ends at the two-day series final in Brussels on September 4-5.
The series unites the biggest names in track and field in some of the world’s most iconic arenas, crossing four continents and 15 cities over the course of the season.
