Nadia Battocletti has been one of the most successful European distance runners in recent years, winning a 5000/10,000m double at the 2024 European Athletics Championships in Rome before winning 10,000m silvers at both the Olympic Games and World Athletics Championships.
But did you also know that Battocletti's talents extend far beyond athletics? She also speaks three languages fluently and believes she could have made it as a professional tennis player!
An athletics family
Battocletti is coached by her father Giuliano who won 5000m bronze at the 1994 World Athletics U20 Championships and was part of Italy’s gold medal-winning team at the 1998 SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Ferrara. Her mother Jawhara is also a former middle distance runner.
Not quite a full-time athlete…yet
Despite her significant success, Battocletti is still not a full-time athlete. The 25-year-old has been studying engineering at the University of Trento for the last five years and she sat her final exam just after Christmas.
"I love engineering, especially its ability to be sustainable. I prefer wooden architecture, the study of materials that can make construction less expensive, and technical physics," she said as quoted by Corriere.
A woman for all surfaces
At the time of writing, Battocletti currently holds four European titles across three surfaces. Battocletti is the reigning European 5000m and 10,000m champion as well as the reigning European cross country and 10km road champion.
Mountain running background
Battocletti has also competed for Italy at U18 and U20 level in mountain running. Among her notable victories, Battocletti won the individual title on home soil at the prestigious International U18 Mountain Running Cup in 2017.
Indoor intentions
Battocletti is planning to branch out further and the 25-year-old’s next big goal is the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Kujawy Pomorze (Torun) from 20-22 March.
Promising tennis player: "I could have turned pro"
As if Battocletti’s academic and athletic ambitions weren’t enough, the multi-talented Italian is an accomplished tennis player and believes she could have cut it in the professional ranks.
"I played for five years, and I still play in the off-season. I'm good. Who knows, I could have turned pro, but when I had to choose, I had no doubts," said Battocletti.
A dog named after Federer
Keeping on the tennis theme, Battocletti had a childhood dog called Roger in honour of the 20-time Grand Slam champion. "I named my beloved dog - who is no longer with us - Roger, in honour of Federer," she said.
Proud faith
Battocletti is a proud Muslim and observes Ramadan each year. Speaking to Olympics.com last year, she said: "For one month of the year I observe Ramadan, which I respect and consider very important…it’s not easy to do this as a professional athlete, but it's something I feel and it's good for me."
Polyglot
As well as speaking Italian, Battocletti is also a fluent speaker in both English and Arabic.
Lightning fast finisher
Battocletti has one of the best sprint finishes among active female distance runners. She dropped a 57.60 last lap to win the 5000m at the 2025 European Athletics Team Championships in Madrid and closed with a 57.66 last lap to win 10,000m silver behind Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet at the 2024 Olympic Games.
