Italy has come to expect success on the international stage. In winning the Division 1 at the Silesia 2023 European Athletics Team Championships and 24 medals at the Roma 2024 European Athletics Championships, the Azzurri is amid a golden age in the sport.
At the recent European Running Championships in Brussels-Leuven, all eyes were on Nadia Battocletti, who duly won her fourth European title on three surfaces, winning the women’s 10km.
But there was another, more unexpected success for Italy, as Iliass Aouani took a well-executed victory in the men’s marathon. The 29-year-old, who was 19th in the Munich European Athletics Championships over the classic distance, was not among the pre-race favourites.
But he showed tremendous composure to get the better of Munich 2022 silver and bronze medallists Maru Teferi and Gashau Ayale, plus their Israel teammate Haimro Alame in the closing stages.
"Like a champion"
“I think this is my best race ever. I've never won, a medal, like a European Championships never did. The way I ran, the way I conducted the race, it was just like, just like, the way a champion runs,” said the thrilled Italian in the aftermath.
“I was not one of the favourites on paper, but nobody knew I was in the best shape of my life, which was an advantage. I knew they (Israel) were going to run, like, a team race. So, I was ready for everything. But I'm proud, like, about how I stayed calm, relaxed and about the way I won the end.
“The Israelis were trying to, you know, push me to lead. I was like ‘I'm not going to lead. I'm not going to be a pacer for you.’ So, there was a lot of tension going on, and it was for them, they were trying to do like a team race.
"I tried just to stay calm. I tried to go away at 37km, but they were still too fresh, so I tried to stay calm, relaxed and accepted the fact that race was going to be won in the last kilometre. I honestly did not know how much I had got left, until I saw like 500 metres left.”
Tokyo beckons
The breakthrough performance has earned Aouani a place in the Italian marathon team at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, alongside Yohanes Chiappinelli who was fifth in the men’s half marathon in Brussels-Leuven and Roma 2024 half marathon winner Yemaneberhan Crippa.
Training between home in Milan and Ferrera, where his coach is based, he revealed some hefty numbers to prepare for Brussels-Leuven. “There were some days where I was running more than 40km a day. I did a lot of mileage,” he said.
Looking back on Munich 2022, he recognises the significant improvement. “That was my second marathon. I was still, like, very new, not that experienced. I made a lot of mistakes, and I still had a lot to learn. I have matured a lot since then.”
In his developmental years, he was based in the USA, where he graduated from Syracuse University in Civil Engineering. It is a career he will seek to return to, but for now, is focussed on running.
“In this period of my life, I'm just giving my entire energies towards running,” he said with the confidence that comes with becoming a European champion.
Chris Broadbent for European Athletics