Battocletti extends winning form into 2025 at Campaccio – European Athletics

Reigning European cross country champion Nadia Battocletti has maintained her winning form into 2025, taking the tape at the Campaccio, a World Athletics Cross Country Tour Gold meeting, in San Giorgio su Legnano, Italy on Monday (6).

Off the back of a superb 2024 which also saw her win a 5000m/10,000m double at the Roma 2024 European Athletics Championships and win Olympic 10,000m silver in Paris, Battocletti dominated the senior women’s race over three laps of the 2km course, becoming the first Italian winner of the race for 31 years.

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Front running form

Having taken a more measured approach to take gold at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Antalya, Türkiye on 8 December, Battocletti boldly went from the gun in San Giorgio su Legnano.

Her opposition, led chiefly by international teammate Elisa Palmero, Susanna Saapunki of Finland, and Burundi’s Micheline Niyomahoro were left seven seconds adrift by the opening 2km.

The gap had broadened to 28 seconds by the second loop and at the finish she clocked 21:14, a full 44 seconds ahead of Palermo with Saapunki a further eight seconds back.

“Today I felt like I was back to the races I did as a girl, with the rainy and cold weather,” Battocletti said afterwards. “This Campaccio, with the changes to the route of this edition, was even more technical and a higher level of difficulty that made it even more fun. It is an honour to have won this wonderful race, last year I was very close.”

Source: Chris Broadbent for European Athletics