WDL Classics Rome 2010: Vlasic and Spotakova make history

Live from the archive every single Sunday on the Wanda Diamond League YouTube channel, the WDL Classics series revisits historical Diamond League meetings with a re-live stream of the full two-hour TV broadcast. This week: a flood of meeting records in Rome in 2010.

The Pietro Mennea Golden Gala celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2010, and it marked the occasion with a flood of meeting records, two of which still stand today.

The Rome meeting was the fourth leg of the Diamond League season, and the 30,000 who turned up to the Eternal City’s Stadio Olimpico were treated to a flurry of fantastic performances on the track and in the field.

Jamaican star Asafa Powell set the tone as he continued his fine form in a non-Diamond League men’s 100m, clocking 9.82 to take one of five world leads set on the night.

Another world leader was US hurdler Lashinda Demus, who streaked to 52.82 in the women’s 400m hurdles, claiming her second successive win on the new Diamond League circuit.

Demus’ was one of five meeting records, two of which are still standing today.

In the women’s high jump, Croatia’s Blanka Vlasic equalled the meeting record with 2.03m, while in the women’s javelin, Czech star Barbora Spotakova swept to victory with an impressive 68.66m.

Rewatch the whole meeting in full on the Wanda Diamond League YouTube channel from 15:00 GMT this Sunday.