Nadia Battocletti was unbeatable. © ANSA / ADAM VAUGHAN

And once again Battocletti and Tamberi shine.

Nadia Battocletti from Trentino remains Europe's best long-distance runner. At the European Championships in Birmingham (England), she won her second gold medal in her second race. High jumper Gianmarco Tamberi also experienced another stellar performance.

August 14, 2026

From: leo

Two years ago, Nadia Battocletti won gold in both the 5.000 meters and the 10.000 meters at the European Championships in Rome. The 26-year-old has now repeated this double victory in Birmingham. On Friday evening, the athlete from Cavareno was in a class of her own in the longer of the two distances.

Battocletti won in a time of 31:41,17 minutes, ahead of the Dutchwoman Maureen Koster and the Belgian Jana van Lent. The Briton Megan Keith had tried to put Battocletti under pressure with a fast start. However, the favorite easily kept pace with the leading trio and then, with about 200 meters to go, unleashed an unstoppable surge of speed. Ultimately, her lead over Koster was over four seconds.

Unstoppable towards the goal: Nadia Battocletti © ANSA / TOLGA AKMEN

“It’s a beautiful day,” she said after the race. “I knew it would be a tough race today. I actually wanted to make a move, but my competitors beat me to it. That spurred me on. Maybe I don’t even realize the level I’m at. Maybe I need to believe a little more in how strong I really am,” Battocletti explained matter-of-factly.

Tamberi's big show

The second highlight of the evening was delivered by the incredible Gianmarco Tamberi, who once again put on a spectacular show and sensationally won gold. The 34-year-old 2021 Olympic champion and 2023 world champion, whose best jump this season was only 2,23 meters, made a mistake at 2,18 meters, but improved steadily and then challenged Oleh Doroshchuk to a head-to-head duel. While the Ukrainian failed at the 2,32-meter mark, Tamberi cleared it. After that, there was no stopping the eccentric athlete.

Gianmarco Tamberi won gold. © APA/afp / BEN STANSALL

The Azzurri's strong performance was rounded off by Matteo Sioli's bronze medal. However, there was a slight disappointment, as he withdrew due to injury after his first attempt at the 2,30-meter mark. Sprinter Fausto Desalu also celebrated a third-place finish in the 200 meters. The victory went to Germany's Owen Ansah.