With European titles on track, cross country, and road, Italy’s Nadia Battocletti has earned her status as the continent’s undisputed distance-running queen.
Since breaking through on the international stage with 3000m bronze at the Grosseto 2017 European Athletics U20 Championships, the Italian has become one of the most prolific medallists on both the continental and global running scene.
Hailing from Trentino in the mountainous north of Italy, Battocletti was born into the sport. Her father, Giuliano Battocletti – now her coach – was seventh at the 1998 European Cross Country Championships in Ferrara, while her Moroccan mother Jahwara Saddougui was also a runner. Growing up surrounded by that pedigree, her path to athletics always seemed destined.
Combining her sporting excellence with academic drive, the Engineering and Architecture graduate is building an extraordinary career.
Alongside a stack of European titles, she has added Olympic and World Championship medals – including Olympic 10,000m silver in Paris and 10,000m silver plus 5000m bronze at the Tokyo 2025 World Athletics Championships. In European running, Battocletti has become a defining figure of her generation.
Here are ten of her most significant performances:
5000m gold, Roma 2024 European Athletics Championships
On the opening night at the Stadio Olimpico, Battocletti sent the home crowd into raptures with a brilliant final lap, overtaking Norway’s Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal in the finishing straight to capture her first senior title.
The victory came barely six months after Grøvdal had beaten her to gold at the Brussels 2023 SPAR European Cross Country Championships, underlining the Italian’s rise in stature.
10,000m gold, Roma 2024 European Athletics Championships
Four days later, Battocletti returned with the poise of a new champion. Controlling the race from the front, she dropped her rivals with 600 metres to go and strode to victory, sealing a double triumph that contributed to Italy’s 11 golds and 24 medals overall – a landmark championship for the host nation.
10,000m silver, Olympic Games, Paris
After narrowly missing a medal with fourth place in the 5000m, Battocletti returned for the 10,000m determined to make amends.
In a thrilling finish, seven athletes were still in contention with 200 metres to go. Battocletti followed the decisive move of Beatrice Chebet, surging down the home straight to secure silver and hold off defending champion Sifan Hassan. It was Italy’s first ever Olympic medal in the women’s 10,000m.
U20 gold, Tilburg 2018 SPAR European Cross Country Championships
An early display of tactical maturity came in Tilburg. Tracking Dutch favourite Jasmijn Lau throughout, Battocletti timed her move to perfection, striking in the closing stages as Lau faded and powering through the mud to claim a memorable gold on the sodden course.
5000m gold, Tallinn 2021 European Athletics U23 Championships
Battocletti captured her first track title in classic fashion – staying composed before producing a blistering 200-metre kick to defeat Slovenia’s Klara Lukan, a rival who would become a familiar name sharing the start line across Europe.
U23 gold, Dublin 2021 SPAR European Cross Country Championships
Fresh from finishing seventh in the 5000m at the Tokyo Olympics, Battocletti arrived in Dublin as the favourite – and delivered emphatically. She found another gear in the final kilometre to retain her title, once again relegating Lukan to silver.
Senior gold, Antalya 2024 SPAR European Cross Country Championships
Capping a remarkable year that had already brought her two European track titles and Olympic silver, Battocletti lined up in Antalya aiming to become the first athlete ever to win U20, U23, and senior titles at the European Cross Country Championships.
With defending champion Grøvdal absent, she took control of the race, running with confidence and composure to leave a world-class field – including Germany's Eruopean 10,000m gold medallist Konstanze Klosterhalfen and four-time winner Yasemin Can – far behind on the final lap.
10km gold, European Running Championships, Brussels–Leuven
At the inaugural European Running Championships, Battocletti stood on the brink of history – no athlete had ever held European titles on track, cross country, and road.
Slovenia’s Lukan had clocked a European lead of 30:26 earlier that season, but on race day Battocletti’s competitive edge shone through once more as she pulled away to secure another gold.
10,000m silver, Tokyo 2025 World Athletics Championships
In a high-class field featuring Olympic champion Beatrice Chebet and defending world champion Gudaf Tsegay, Battocletti ran with courage and precision. Matching Chebet stride for stride, she claimed silver in a new Italian record of 30:38.23 – just 0.62 seconds shy of gold.
5000m bronze, Tokyo 2025 World Athletics Championships
Facing two of the sport’s all-time greats, Faith Kipyegon and Beatrice Chebet, Battocletti showed she belongs among the world’s elite. Fighting every metre of the way, she finished strongly to take bronze – her first global medal at the distance – confirming her place among the premier distance runners of the modern era.
