Nadia Battocletti won the 5000 meters at the European Athletics Championships with a time of 14:35:29, a new Italian record: Italy first in the medal table at the end of the first day at the Olimpico in Rome.
One more gold medal for Italy on this first dream day of the European Athletics Championships in Rome: Nadia Battocletti he won – or rather he won by a landslide – i 5000 meters on the Olimpico track with a time of 14:35:29, a new Italian and championship record. The silver went to the Norwegian Grovdal (14:38:62), the bronze to the Spanish Garcia (14:44:04, new national record). For the Italian team there are two golds and two silvers already taken home: we are first in the medal table. After Palmisano and Trapletti in the race walk, and the quartet in the 4X400 mixed relay, the 24-year-old from Cles closed a Friday to remember in style for Italian athletics.
A great test from a tactical point of view was that of Battocletti, who was always in the top positions of the leading group which gradually lost elements due to the fast pace. Grovdal was ahead for practically the entire race, with the Italian becoming her shadow in the last two laps: at the last corner it became clear who had more and Nadia overtook the Norwegian, making a real and its own catwalk on the straight of a crazy Olimpico. As for the other Italians in the race, Federica Del Buono placed seventh, improving her personal best with 15:00:05, while Micol Maiori finished 15th in 15:20:89.
A truly triumphant first day conclusion for the Italian team, which had previously seen Leonardo Fabbri and Zane Weir qualify for the shot put final, Matteo Melluzzo and Roberto Rigali enter the semi-finals of the 100 meters, and Sveva Gerevini momentarily fifth after three trials in the heptathlon. If the good morning starts in the morning, these Roman European Championships promise to give Italy a lot of satisfaction: the undisclosed objective is to finish the medal table in first place.
