Nadia Battocletti in action at Campaccio (© Organisers)
It has been 34 years since an Italian athlete won at home at the Cinque Mulini, but hopes are high that the drought will end this weekend when Nadia Battocletti lines up for the World Athletics Cross Country Tour Gold meeting in San Vittore Olona on Sunday (17).
The 24-year-old has enjoyed the best season of her career so far. At the start of her track campaign, she struck gold over 5000m and 10,000m at the European Championships on home soil in Rome, setting Italian records of 14:35.29 and 30:51.32.
Just two months later, she reduced those records to 14:31.64 and 30:43.35 when finishing fourth and third in those same disciplines at the Olympic Games in Paris. This year she has also set PBs of 3:59.19 for 1500m and 31:19 for 10km.
All of these achievements led to her earning the Sportswoman of the Year honour at the coveted Gazzette Sports Awards this week.
Her last appearance at the Cinque Mulini was back in 2020 when she finished fifth. Prior to that, she placed fourth in 2019 while still an U20 athlete.
Most of her opposition this weekend will come from her compatriots, including world 1500m finalist Ludovica Cavalli and European Championships 10,000m fourth-place finisher Federica del Buono. Germany’s 2021 European indoor 3000m finalist Elena Burkhard will also be in contention.
The men’s race appears to be wide open and features some of the most exciting up-and-coming talents in the distance-running world.
World U20 5000m champion Andrew Kiptoo is one of the youngest in the field and has limited experience of contesting international cross-country races, but don’t be surprised to see him in contention for victory. The Kenyan has a 5000m PB of 13:05.55, the fastest time by an U18 athlete in the world this year. He also recently won a competitive U20 men’s race in Kapsokwony, Kenya.
He’ll be joined on the startline by compatriot Mathew Kipruto. The world U20 cross-country bronze medallist had just a short track season, but he returned to action in September with a 27:50 PB over 10km.
Ethiopia’s Mezgebu Sime finished one place ahead of Kipruto in the U20 race at this year’s World Cross Country Championships, taking silver. The 19-year-old also has a 13:03.19 PB for 5000m, and he finished fifth in that discipline at this year’s senior African Championships.
Burundi’s Emilie Hafashimana is another talented teen who’ll be on the startline this weekend. He placed seventh over 5000m at this year’s World U20 Championships, having also finished 30th in the senior men’s race at the World Cross Country Championships. This year he has set national U20 records of 13:15.24 for 5000m and 27:47.88 for 10,000m.
Compatriot Egide Ntakarutimana is slightly more experienced. This year he has achieved top-five finishes at the Cross Country Tour Gold meetings in San Giorgio su Legnano, Atapuerca and Soria. On the track, meanwhile, he has set PBs of 7:37.33 for 3000m and 13:00.74 for 5000m.
Italian hopes are led by marathon duo Nekagenet Crippa and Daniele Meucci, 1500m standout Pietro Arese, and steeplechase specialists Osama Zoghlami and Yassin Bouih.
Crippa finished fifth at the Cinque Mulini last year, then went on to set marathon PB of 2:07:35 in Valencia. Meucci won the European marathon title back in 2014, but is still highly competitive at the classic distance, as shown by his PB of 2:07:49 earlier this year.
European 1500m bronze medallist Arese has this year has set Italian records for the 1500m indoors (3:37.03), outdoors (3:30.74) and 3000m indoors (7:38.42). He’ll be joined on the start line by 2022 European steeplechase bronze medallist Osama Zoghlami and Olympian Yassin Bouih.
