Pegaso Meeting: Nene, Fabbri and Battocletti shine with meeting records and strong early-season form
South African quarter-miler Zakithi Nene delivered one of the standout performances at the Pegaso Meeting on Saturday, storming to a meeting record of 44.44 in the men’s 400 metres at the Stadio Luigi Ridolfi in Florence. The performance came just one week after Nene helped South Africa finish second in the men’s 4x400 relay at the with a national-record 2:55.07. Italy’s Lapo Bianciardi finished second in a personal best of 46.01 as the meeting produced a series of high-quality performances across the sprints, middle distances and field events.
Zakithi Nene: “Italy has a special place in my heart. I made my Diamond League debut in Florence in 2021. My favourite meetings take place in Italy because of the atmosphere and the support from the crowd. I feel in the best shape of my career. I want to run consistently under the 45 seconds to compete at the highest level against the best athletes in the world.”
Men’s shot put
European champion and world bronze medallist Leonardo Fabbri won the men’s shot put with 21.43m in the sixth round in front of his home fans. Fabbri backed up the victory with throws of 21.17m and 21.00m in the third and fourth rounds respectively. His training partner Zane Weir placed second with 20.24m.
Leonardo Fabbri: “I threw very well technically, but it was too warm today and I felt dizzy. I want to be at a very high level this year in the Diamond League. I am planning to compete in Savona, Xiamen, Rabat and Rome.”
Women’s 1500 metres
World indoor 3000 metres champion Nadia Battocletti won the women’s 1500 metres in 4:03.75 on her outdoor seasonal debut.
Nadia Battocletti: “It was a good test before the 5000 metres at the Golden Gala in Rome on 4 June. I trained very hard in the past two weeks in Tuscany and I knew that I could not be in my best shape. It was nice to receive the support from the crowd.”
Women’s 100 metres
Amy Hunt, world silver medallist in the 200 metres, improved the meeting record twice in the women’s 100 metres by clocking 11.20 in the heats into a headwind of -0.8 m/s and 11.17 into a headwind of -1.5 m/s in the final. Aimara Nazareno finished second in 11.46 ahead of Joy Eze (11.53).
Amy Hunt: “I am so happy to win in Florence. I love this city. Italy has been my home for three years. I will compete in the Diamond League in Keqiao, Xiamen and Rome. My goal is to win the European gold medal in Birmingham in front of my home fans.”
Men’s 100 metres
Colombian record holder Ronald Longa won the men’s 100 metres final in a meeting record of 10.04 after clocking the fastest qualifying time of 10.11 in the heats. Cuba’s Jenns Fernandez placed second in 10.20 ahead of 2024 Olympic 4x100 relay silver medallist Akani Simbine, who finished third in 10.28.
Women’s 800 metres
Jemma Reekie, world indoor silver medallist in Glasgow 2024, won the women’s 800 metres in 2:01.26 ahead of 21-year-old Italian runner Gloria Kabangu (2:01.79).
Jemma Reekie: “I am a bit disappointed with my time but I am happy that I came away with the win.”
Men’s 800 metres
David Barroso won the men’s 800 metres in a seasonal best of 1:44.56 ahead of Alex Botterill (1:45.24) and Abdelati El Guesse (1:45.71). Alessandro Casoni finished fourth in 1:46.59, improving the Italian under-20 record previously held by Francesco Pernici.
Men’s 110 metres hurdles
Louis François Mendy won the men’s 110 metres hurdles in a meeting record of 13.37. Spain’s Angelo Diaz finished second in 13.60, narrowly ahead of compatriot Daniel Cisneros (13.61).
Men’s javelin throw
Dawid Wegner, ninth at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, won the men’s javelin throw with 79.49m in the sixth round ahead of Michael Allison (77.25m).
Women’s hammer throw
Aleksandra Smiech won the women’s hammer throw with 69.84m.
Women’s high jump
Idea Pieroni, a world indoor finalist in Nanjing 2025, cleared 1.85m on her second attempt to claim a surprise victory over two-time NCAA champion and Olympic finalist Elena Kulichenko, who cleared 1.83m on her first attempt.
