The 2025 Diamond League circuit’s fourth stop, the Golden Gala Pietro Mennea in Rome, delivered a stunning night of sprint and field action Thursday, headlined by Jamaican national champion and Olympic medalist Megan Simmonds who notched her first-ever Diamond League race win and opened up about rediscovering her joy for the sport. Simmonds clocked a 2025 season-best time of 12.50 seconds in the women’s 100m hurdles, holding off a star-studded field to claim the top spot despite a 0.8m/s headwind. Former world record holder Kendra Harrison of the United States finished just 0.04 seconds behind to take silver, while the Netherlands’ Nadine Visser rounded out the top three with a 12.58-second run, and Jamaican Danielle Williams notched a season best of 12.69 seconds to finish fifth.
In addition to Simmonds’ breakthrough victory, six other Jamaican athletes earned podium finishes at the iconic Rome Olympic Stadium, capping a strong showing for the Caribbean track powerhouse. Orlando Bennett claimed second place in the men’s 110m hurdles, while Jordan Scott and Jaydon Hibbert took second and third respectively in the men’s triple jump. Nickisha Pryce (women’s 400m), Rushell Clayton (women’s 400m hurdles) and Romaine Beckford (men’s high jump) all secured third-place finishes to add to Jamaica’s medal haul.
Speaking after her win, Simmonds opened up about her mental reset and journey back to her competitive roots, saying she has reconnected with her core identity as an athlete after drifting from the sport early in her career. A training stint ahead of the Tokyo Olympic Games with a high-performance group helped her reset her mindset, she said, and now she is in the best mental place of her career. “Early in my career, the surroundings took me away from who I am but going to Tokyo, training in a fantastic group, I came back to who I am. I am excited and I am winning races. There is no better feeling. I am living a dream right now,” she said.
Simmonds dedicated her 2025 season to fans and used her victory to send a message to critics who doubted her potential. “This is for everybody who have told you that you could not do it and who didn’t believe in you. You need to believe in yourself. This season is for my fans,” she said, adding that she is taking a gradual approach to the long season, with faster times still to come. “The season is long so we are taking it step by step and day by day. Always, when I step to the start line, I think I have ten opportunities to do well and show what I am capable of. This is who I am.”
In the men’s triple jump, world rankings leader Jordan Scott suffered his first loss of the 2025 season, but pushed to a 17.33m mark in the final round to secure second place, while teammate Hibbert landed a season-best 17.02m to take third. Host nation Italy’s Andy Diaz Hernandez claimed his third consecutive Rome Diamond League title with a season-best 17.59m jump. Scott acknowledged it was not his strongest performance, but noted the result gave him clear insight to adjust ahead of upcoming meets. “It took a lot of adjustment today to get to 17.33m, more than I would generally like. I have a bit of an idea where I am now and I know what to work on next. This is a good distance I jumped today, although not where I wanted to be today,” he said.
In the men’s 110m hurdles, reigning Jamaican national champion Orlando Bennett finished second with a 13.31-second run, trailing American Trey Cunningham who set a new world-leading personal best and meeting record of 12.98 seconds. Bennett revealed after the race that he plans to skip the upcoming JAAA National Senior Championships scheduled for June 18-21, and will therefore miss the July Commonwealth Games, as he prioritizes staying on the Diamond League circuit this season. He is set to compete at the next Diamond League stop in Doha on June 19, before returning to Jamaica for rest. “This is an off-season for me so my goals are staying in the circuit and getting good times and good rewards,” he explained, noting that cool temperatures and back-to-back races impacted his performance in Rome. “I do not know if this was a good race, it was not really the best. I just tried to get through the race and through the hurdles. I came here to execute and I really did.”
Other top finishes for Jamaican athletes included Pryce’s third-place 49.80-second season best in the women’s 400m, where Norway’s Henriette Jaeger took gold and Czechia’s Lurdes Gloria Manuel took silver with a personal best 49.77. Clayton lowered her own season best to 53.14 seconds to take third in the women’s 400m hurdles, where Slovakia’s Emma Zapletalova notched a consecutive win, a new national record and world lead of 52.58 seconds. In the men’s high jump, Beckford cleared 2.23m to take third, matching the height of second-place finisher Erik Portillo of Mexico, while Italy’s Matteo Sioli won gold with a 2.28m clearance. Additional Jamaican results saw Tajay Gayle take fourth in the men’s long jump, Rajindra Campbell fifth in the men’s shot put, Ackeem Blake seventh in the men’s 100m—an event won by American Noah Lyles in 9.88 seconds.