European 5000m and 10,000m champion Nadia Battocletti achieved her objective of breaking the Italian 1500m record at the GalAthletics Bellinzona, a World Athletics Continental Tour Silver meeting, on Sunday (30) evening.
After producing sub-60 second last laps to defend her 5000m and 10,000m titles in Birmingham, Battocletti produced her trademark kick in the last 200 metres to take victory in 3:57.54 by a clear margin from the United States' Addison Wiley (3:58.96) and Ethiopia’s Aster Areri (3:59.54).
Switzerland’s Joceline Wind also broke the 4:00-barrier for the first time in her career in fourth with 3:59.79 to become just the fourth Swiss athlete in history to break this notable barrier.
Battocletti just missed the Italian 1500m record by 0.04 last year but the all-conquering 26-year-old slashed more than half-a-second from Sintayehu Vissa's mark of 3:58.11 which was set at the 2024 Olympic Games with a 3:57.54 clocking in the Swiss-Italian town.
"I'm very happy. It's great to run with such a clear mind as I did here. I knew the race was perfectly organised, and from the last lap I could feel the finish line approaching; I was starting to feel more energised. I saw a lot of chaos with 300 meters to go then I saw a gap to escape, and I told myself it was the right time," said Battocletti as quoted by FIDAL.
Battocletti is planning to conclude her track season on home soil with another outing over 1500m in Rovereto on 8 September before she turns her focus to the cross country season including the SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Belgrade on 13 December.
Close to 72 metres for Alekna in the discus
World record-holder Mykolas Alekna amassed another excellent series in the men's discus, including two throws over 71 metres.
The Lithuanian opened his campaign with a massive effort of 71.70m to break Lars Riedel's 30-year-old meeting record of 69.84m which he followed up with a second round mark of 71.07m. He won by over three metres from Olympic champion Roje Stona from Jamaica (68.14m) and three-time world champion Daniel Ståhl from Sweden (66.82m) in second and fourth respectively.
Recently crowned European champion Jorinde Van Klinken from the Netherlands won the women's discus with 66.86m with her Dutch compatriot Alida Van Daalen third with 62.59m.
Double European champion Angelica Moser also continued her excellent run of form with victory on home soil in the pole vault. Fresh from a 4.85m clearance in Zurich, Moser vaulted over 4.77m for victory by one clear height over Americans Sandi Morris and Hana Moll who finished second and third respectively on countback at 4.67m.
It was an excellent evening for the French contingent in the 800m. Louey Ouerrat broke away from Gabriel Tual to win the men's 800m in a lifetime best and meeting record of 1:43.57, breaking Tual's meeting record of 1:43.98 in the process, and Renelle Lamote won the women's 800m in 1:58.55, holding off a late charge from European indoor 1500m champion Agathe Guillemot who improved her PB to 1:58.65.
Myrte Van der Schoot, who was part of the Netherlands' gold medal-winning team in the 4x400m at the 2026 European Athletics Championships alongside the likes of Femke Broeders-Bol, made her first competitive appearance in the 800m, winning the 'B' race in 2:01.08.
Photos courtesy of James Rhodes