The Wanda Diamond League arrives in Europe this week with the Golden Gala Pietro Mennea in Rome boasting one of the strongest fields assembled so far this season.

British fans will have plenty to focus on at the Stadio Olimpico on Thursday (June 4), with Olympic 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson and world indoor 1500m champion Georgia Hunter Bell among the headline attractions as they continue their build-up towards the major championships later this summer.

Hodgkinson steps down in distance terms – at least on paper – as she contests the women’s 400m against a world-class field. The Olympic champion and world indoor record-holder faces a huge test against European indoor champion Lieke Klaver, Poland’s Natalia Bukowiecka, American Aaliyah Butler and British record-holder Amber Anning.

Hodgkinson is easily the slowest in the field but is hoping for a big PB to get into the mix against the specialist one-lap racers. It will provide an intriguing indication of where Hodgkinson’s speed is heading as the season gathers momentum and ahead of an 800m race in Stockholm a few days later.

Hunter Bell, meanwhile, lines up in the women’s 1500m. The Briton enjoyed a breakthrough 2025 campaign and added world indoor gold earlier this year. In Rome she takes on Ethiopia’s Birke Haylom, winner of the opening Diamond League meeting in Shanghai, plus fellow Brits Laura Muir and Revee Walcott-Nolan are in the line-up.

Another British athlete with podium ambitions is Molly Caudery in the women’s pole vault. The world indoor champion faces Olympic champion Nina Kennedy and former world champion Sandi Morris in a high-quality contest that should produce some impressive heights.

With Hodgkinson, Hunter Bell and Caudery in action it means the trio of Brits who won world indoor gold in the space of half an hour on the final day in Torun earlier this year are all in action in Rome.

The women’s 200m also has a strong British flavour. Amy Hunt and Dina Asher-Smith are entered alongside arguably the two fastest women on the planet right now – world champion Melissa Jefferson-Wooden and Olympic 100m champion Julien Alfred. American Anavia Battle adds further depth to what looks like a championship-calibre sprint showdown.

Away from the British contingent, one of the most eagerly anticipated events is the men’s 100m. The field features Olympic champions Noah Lyles and Marcell Jacobs, plus Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo. Britain’s Jeremiah Azu, the reigning world indoor 60m champion, is also among the entries and will be keen to test himself against some of the biggest names in global sprinting.

The men’s 800m promises to be another fascinating contest. Former world champion Donavan Brazier continues his comeback and faces Portugal’s Isaac Nader, who arrives in Rome as the reigning world champion over 1500m.

In the field events, the men’s shot put is stacked with talent. Three-time Olympic champion Ryan Crouser leads the entries, while fellow global medallists Joe Kovacs, Tom Walsh and Italy’s Leonardo Fabbri ensure there will be little margin for error. Kovacs is in great form after a world lead of 22.58m at the Diamond League in Rabat on Sunday.

The men’s long jump also looks particularly strong. Two-time Olympic champion Miltiadis Tentoglou faces world indoor champion Gerson Baldé, Jamaica’s Wayne Pinnock and Tajay Gayle, plus rising Bulgarian talent Bozhidar Saraboyukov.

Italy will have plenty of home interest throughout the evening. Triple jump world indoor champion Andy Diaz is among the favourites in his event, while Olympic and world medallist Nadia Battocletti is expected to receive huge support when she competes in the women’s 5000m. Battocletti faces world-class opposition including Bahrain’s Olympic steeplechase champion Winfred Yavi and Ethiopia’s Freweyni Hailu.

The women’s hurdles events are similarly loaded. Danielle Williams, Kendra Harrison, Nadine Visser and Cyrena Samba-Mayela feature in the 100m hurdles, while Dalilah Muhammad, Anna Cockrell and Jasmine Jones lead the entries for the 400m hurdles.

Rome traditionally provides one of the highlights of the Diamond League calendar and this year’s meeting is no exception. Organisers have assembled a cast featuring more than 40 Olympic and world champions and over 80 global medallists, underlining the status of the Golden Gala as one of the premier one-day meetings in athletics.

With Hodgkinson, Hunter Bell, Caudery, Hunt, Asher-Smith, Anning and Azu all in action, there is no shortage of British interest as the Diamond League season heads into its European phase.

Timetable and results can be found here.

TV coverage: Live coverage is expected to be available on BBC platforms, with final broadcast details available via BBC Sport listings closer to the meeting.