Gatlin, Stowers Key Americans to Follow at Golden Gala

By Scott Bush

With the Nike Prefontaine Classic in the books, the IAAF Diamond League jumps back overseas, as the best track and field athletes in the world travel to Italy to take part in the Rome Golden Gala.

With a tremendous amount of talent ready to compete for Diamond League points, world leading marks and international bragging rights, we take a look at the top athletes to follow Thursday.

Justin Gatlin (USA) – Mr. Gatlin dominated at the Nike Prefontaine Classic Saturday, running a world best, and equaling his personal best, as he won the 200m event in 19.68. While he currently owns a world leader in the men’s 100m (9.74 from Doha), he’s looking to go even faster. He’ll face competition from countryman Michael Rodgers and Jamaica Nesta Carter, but unless he false starts himself out of the competition, Gatlin continues to seem unbeatable.

Jasmin Stowers and Sharika Nelvis (USA) – No hurdlers in the world have had a hotter start to their seasons than Americans Stowers and Nelvis. The 23 and 25-year olds are on fire. Stowers owns the top three best marks in the world this season, with big wins at the Doha Diamond League, Jamaica Int’l Invitational and the Drake Relays. She’s run 12.40 or faster in each of those three contests and is the early favorite to take home gold later this year in Beijing. For Nelvis, she’s run 12.54 and 12.55, finishing second to Stowers in Doha and continues to show that youth has arrived in the event.

Yomif Kejelcha (ETH) – One of the most shocking moments of the Pre Classic last weekend was the surprise performance of Kejelcha. The 17-year old Ethiopian outkicked Edwin Soi (ETH) and Galen Rupp (USA) to win the men’s 5,000m in a world-leading time of 13:10.94. The young star takes on perhaps his biggest test of his career in Rome, where he’ll face seven sub-13 5,000m runners.

Gia Lewis-Smallwood (USA) – The American record holder in the discus is back competing after being very quiet over the past many months. Last month in Doha, Lewis-Smallwood shook off the rust to place seventh in the discus, well off her usual consistent high-level performances. Lewis-Smallwood broke the American record last year with a toss of 69.17m (226-11.25) and proved to be one of the top three throwers in the world. If she can find her form in Rome, do not be surprised if she challenges for top two and once again positions herself among the very tip-top elite in her event.

David Storl (GER) – While American Joe Kovacs has dominated the early season in the men’s shot put, where he holds the top three throws in the world this season, Storl is having a nearly impressive start to his 2015 campaign. Storl owns the 4-5-6 best throws in the world, finished a close second to Kovacs at the Pre Classic and continues to show he can be the world’s best putter on any given day.

Francena McCorory (USA) – While Allyson Felix and Sanya Richards-Ross were battling over 400 meters at the Pre Classic Saturday, McCorory was busy preparing to test herself in Rome. McCorory ranks third in the world at the moment with her 50.13 performance at the Drake Relays her seasons best. She beat Richards-Ross and Jamaican Novlene Williams-Mills in Des Moines and she’ll see Williams-Mills again in Rome. Do not be surprised if McCorory sets a world’s best and dips under 50 seconds.

Renaud Lavillenie (FRA) – The Frenchman put on a show in Eugene, eclipsing his outdoor best and winning with the best mark in Diamond League history, taking home the Pre Classic pole vault title with a height of 6.05m (19-10.25). Fans in Eugene were praying for a world record vault but it was not to be, however, things could come out differently in Rome. Lavillenie clearly was not feeling the effects of his arm injury suffered in Doha. As long as he’s healthy, the watch to see if he can break his world record mark of 6.16m (20-2.50) is on.

Jenny Simpson (USA) – Simpson continued building her small, but impressive 2015 resume with a huge win at the Nike Prefontaine Classic this past weekend. She outkicked a loaded field to win the 1,500m in the second best time in the world, 4:00.98. Simpson takes to the track again in Rome, this time eyeing Diamond League points, but finds plenty of competition from world-leader Dawit Seyaum (ETH), Sifan Hassan (NED) and Viola Kibiwot (KEN).