Five 2.40m-plus high jumpers in Rome Diamond League field, while Brits Adam Gemili and Richard Kilty contest the 100m at fourth meet in the 2014 series

A total of five men with high jump personal bests of 2.40m or above are among those set to compete at the Rome leg of the Diamond League series on Thursday evening.

Russia’s Olympic champion Ivan Ukhov – who cleared a world-leading 2.41m to win the Doha Diamond League last month – goes up against last year’s No.1 and world champion Bohdan Bondarenko of Ukraine, while Olympic bronze medallist Derek Drouin of Canada – who has also cleared 2.40m this season – is also in action. Qatar’s world indoor champion Mutaz Essa Barshim and Russia’s 2011 world silver medallist Aleksey Dmitrik are the other 2.40m-plus jumpers in the field, with the group also joined by the likes of Olympic silver medallist Erik Kynard of the US and Russia’s 2008 Olympic champion Andrey Silnov.

A number of British athletes are in action at this fourth meeting of the 2014 Diamond League series. Adam Gemili – who was just off his 10.05 100m PB when winning at the Bedford International at the end of last month – will line up to contest that distance alongside world indoor 60m champion Richard Kilty, while the fastest man in the world this year over 100m Justin Gatlin is also among those entered, the American having recently clocked a wind-assisted 9.76 to win in Eugene. Long jump specialist Tori Bowie, who sped to a surprise 200m victory in Eugene, is entered for the 100m as is the likes of Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.

Jo Pavey set a world masters W40 record over 5000m last month after having won the British 10,000m title in a UK W40 record time and she returns to world-class track action in Rome. She will be joined in the 5000m by fellow Olympic finalist Julia Bleasdale, who moved to third on the UK all-time 5km list with her winning time at the Carlsbad 5000. They will face the likes of Ethiopia’s world indoor 3000m champion Genzebe Dibaba, who set world bests over 1500m, two miles and 3000m indoors this year. Dibaba was beaten by Mercy Cherono, Viola Kibiwot and Almaz Ayana over 3000m in Doha, however, and the trio are also in action in Rome.

Eilidh Child is to run the 400m hurdles, while Tiffany Porter is to race the shorter distance over the barriers where she will line up alongside world indoor champion Nia Ali and Olympic silver medallist Dawn Harper-Nelson as world champion Brianna Rollins and Olympic champion Sally Pearson also go head-to-head. Brett Morse features in the discus, while Nigel Levine and Conrad Williams are to run in the 400m.

New Zealand shot put star Valerie Adams will be looking to continue her unbeaten streak, while back on the track Mohammed Aman will look to turn the tables on Nijel Amos who beat him over 800m in Eugene and Asbel Kiprop will aim to maintain his winning ways in the 1500m after he finished seventh over the mile in Eugene.

A full timetable with entry lists can be found here, with the meeting to be televised on BBC Three from 7pm in the UK

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