Tirunesh Dibaba and Dayron Robles, two of this season’s new world record breakers respectively in the women’s 5000m and the men’s 110m Hurdles, will attempt to achieve exceptional performances at the Golden Gala Kinder + Sport meeting on Friday 11 July.

The meeting in the Italian capital's Olympic stadium sees the resumption of the six meeting ÅF Golden League 2008, the last event having taken place on 6 June in Oslo, Norway.

This year Rome will welcome, once again, some of the greatest talents of the women's 5000m, one of which is the new World record holder Tirunesh Dibaba.

Just a month since her stunning 14:11.15 in Oslo, Dibaba will again run against the clock at the 5000m. Keeping her company, among others, will be her sisters Ejegayenu and Genzebe, and another strong compatriot Meselech Melkamu. Also do not forget last year’s winner the Moroccan Mariem Alaoui Selsouli.

Dibaba, the reigning double World 10,000m champion and former two-time winner of the 5000m gold, was the victor in Rome in 2005 and 2006 and holds the meeting record of 14:32.57 which will hopefully be improved at the 11 July event.

The high hurdles have always offered prestigious challenges at the Golden Gala, and this year's edition will definitely live up to those past standards.

Dayron Robles, 21, from Cuba, on 12 June at the IAAF World Athletics Tour meeting in Ostrava ran 12.87sec which was a hundredth of a second less than Liu Xiang’s existing World record for the 110m Hurdles.

In Lille on 27 June Robles ran 12.96, so he remains in sharp form which he’ll need in Rome considering his main rival will be the American David Oliver, who clocked 12.95 at the IAAF World Athletics Tour meeting in Doha at the beginning of May.

Oliver has already beaten the Cuban this season at the start of the ÅF Golden League 2008 in Berlin (1 June), 13.19 to Robles’ 13.20.

Therefore, Robles and Oliver will no doubt need to set a great time to take victory in Rome which probably means improving the meeting record belonging to 1996 Olympic champion Allen Johnson (13.01sec – 1999).

One must also mention the participation of last year's winner, the American Anwar Moore, an excellent athlete and a possible contender in the Robles-Oliver challenge.