European 10,000m and 5000m gold medallist Nadia Battocletti is ready to lead by example as Italy’s captain at the European Athletics Team Championships 1st Division, where the Azzurri will be seeking to defend the title, they first won at Silesia 2023.
The event is being live streamed on European Athletics website via the Eurovision Sport platform, starting with Thursday’s pole vault competitions in front of the Royal Palace.
Speaking at the official athletes' press conference in the Spanish capital on Thursday (26), Battocletti, also a European champion on road (10km) and cross country, as well as Olympic 10,000m silver medallist is stepping into the captain’s role in the absence of high jump icon Gianmarco Tamberi.
“It’s amazing and a huge honour to be the Italian captain; we are the defending champions so it’s a very important competition for us,” Battocletti stated. “I told my teammates we need to remain focused throughout the weekend to take as many points as possible.”
Balancing elite athletics with academic excellence, Battocletti is also close to completing a degree in Engineering and Architecture.
“I took an exam last Friday; I won’t be able to admire the rich architecture of Madrid on this occasion but I hope to do so when I return for the cross country season,” she said with a smile, confirming the team feels excitement, not pressure, in defending their title.
Joining Battocletti at the press conference were Samuel Chapple of the Netherlands and the Spanish duo of Enrique Llopis and Marta García.
Having fun
Chapple, gold medallist over 800m at the Apeldoorn 2025 European Athletics Indoor Championships, reflected on his breakthrough earlier this year.
“That success has given me a lot of motivation; in addition, Dutch athletics is enjoying a very positive moment,” the 26-year-old said. “Our captain Nadine Visser has advised the rest of the team to have fun and do our very best.”
Chapple also noted a personal connection to Madrid beyond the track. “Madrid isn’t unfamiliar to me — some of my mother’s relatives live here, so it’s always special to come back.”
"A team competition is something special," says Llopis
Spain’s Enrique Llopis, silver medallist in the 110m hurdles at the Roma 2024 European Athletics Championships and fourth-place finisher at the Paris Olympics, comes into the weekend in top form.
“I’ve had very good training sessions and set a season’s best last Friday in Paris, so I hope to perform well,” said the 24-year-old. Llopis shared a candid look into his journey to athletics:
“I used to play football in my childhood, but I didn’t like the atmosphere of that sport, so I decided to switch to athletics. Ours is an individual sport and precisely for that reason, a team competition is something special and nice.”
García looking forward to home support
Fellow Spaniard Marta García, bronze medallist in the 5000m at the Roma 2024 European Athletics Championships, expressed her excitement about competing on home soil.
“It’s a pleasure to be here to compete in front of our home crowd, it will give us extra energy for sure,” said García. “It’s nice to think not only about yourself but also about something bigger and more important — the national team.”
With scorching conditions expected this weekend — temperatures could hit 40ºC — the 27-year-old, who also works as a doctor, offered expert advice:
“I believe the heat might be an advantage for us as we are used to training and competing in these conditions,” she said. “It’s important to keep your body as cold as possible and drink a lot of water to stay hydrated.”