Nadia BATTOCLETTI

As a 17-year-old, she won her first medal in an international competition: a bronze in the 3,000 metres at the European U20 Championships in Grosseto. The following year, she joined the Sports Team of the ‘Fiamme Azzurre’ (Italian police force, the ‘Polizia Penitenziaria’).

She won a gold in the 5,000 metres in the European U23 Championships in Tallinn which would be the prelude to the following Tokyo Games, in which she finished seventh, beating the Italian U23 record. She finished the year by celebrating another two wins at the European Cross Country Championships, in the team event and in the U23 individual race.

A magical season, starting from the European Championships in Rome, where she took first place in both the 5,000 and 10,000 metre races. Two months later, at the Paris Olympic Games, she won a silver in the 10,000 metres (her first Olympic medal) and just missed out on a podium place in the 5,000, setting an Italian record in both distances. She ended the year with another two European gold medals in cross country, in the team event and the individual senior race.

Nadia participated in the European road race, triumphing in the women’s 10 km and team event. She also arrived second in the 5 km road race at the Tokyo Speed Race, setting the European record. At the Golden Gala in June, she further lowered her Italian record in the 5,000 metres.