Nadia Battocletti defends 5000m title in Birmingham; first to complete back-to-back 5k/10k double

2026 European Athletics Championships: Nadia Battocletti targets historic sweep after defending 5000m crown: “The double would be the dream”

On the brink of a historic consecutive double at the European Championships, the Italian discusses her 5000m gold in Birmingham and staying calm under pressure.

Moments before she successfully defended her European title in the 5000 metres 2026 European Athletics Championships on Tuesday (11 August), Nadia Battocletti ’s father told her to “be like the crows, then like an eagle.”

The patience of a crow, and the speed of an eagle had been required.

After a cramped, tight race, it was a characteristic final push from the Italian that saw her to back-to-back European titles in the event.

While the modest finishing time of 15:37.84 is a far cry from her 14:23.15 national record, a second gear sprint finish saw her string out ahead of the pack in the home straight.

“It’s certainly not easy to race in conditions like these, but tactical races are like that: they also bring surprises, and I’m delighted that today the surprise is hanging around my neck,” the 26-year-old said after her victory on Tuesday, diademed by a tiara her mother had brought that day.

“My parents know how to say the right things at the right time. (This championship) is complicated. It was hard to handle, not because I feel under pressure to win, but because I feel I have a duty to do what my training tells me I’m capable of doing.”

After overcoming her first hurdle in Birmingham, Battocletti knows she is on the verge of history on Friday (14 August).

The Paris 2024 silver medallist will take to the track for the women’s 10,000m final for an unprecedented feat: to become the first woman to complete the European 5000m and 10,000m double at consecutive championships .

“The double would be a dream for me, I really want it,” she said.

“I’m sure defending the title is harder than winning it, but these are stages in life you have to face. It helps to think that it doesn’t matter what you did a minute earlier, it doesn’t matter what titles you’ve won – what matters is what happens after the hurdle.

“Of course, the 10k will be another race, it will be different. I am not scared; I am just excited.”

BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND - AUGUST 11: Gold medalist Nadia Battocletti of Team Italy celebrates as she crosses the finish line to win the Women’s 5000 Metres Final during day two of the 27th European Athletics Championships at Alexander Stadium on August 11, 2026 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Maja Hitij

Getty Images for European Athletics)

Back in 2024, her middle-distance double made her the first Italian athlete to win two golds at a single European Championships .

She followed up her European success with a bronze and silver in the Tokyo World Championships last September, and her maiden global world title in March this year, as the first Italian woman to win the 3000m world indoor gold.

Nadia Battocletti: The steady rise of Italy’s versatile runner

But the year hasn’t been solely plain sailing for Battocletti ahead of Birmingham.

To her surprise on home soil on June, she placed 13 th in the Roma Diamond League.

“My mum always said you learn from your mistakes, so make mistakes when you can because it’s very important,” she said. “That’s where you learn.

“I approach each season in a very distinct and separate way; every season stands on its own. Every year, something different happens compared to the last, which might make things more difficult for you or perhaps even make your life easier.

“And this helps you, especially in a race: I’m happy that, in the end, I can say, ‘I did this, I did that’. But at certain moments I stop to think, ‘Wow, I managed to achieve this’.”

The women’s 10,000m European Championship final will begin at 19:45 local time in Birmingham, England on Friday (14 August).

Getty Images for European Athletics

Athletics | European Championships | Birmingham | United Kingdom