Bekele and Battocletti Triumph at the 68th Campaccio

Telahun Haile Bekele of Ethiopia and European Cross Country champion Nadia Battocletti from Italy clinched victories at the 68th edition of the Campaccio, a World Athletics Cross Country Tour Gold race, under challenging weather conditions with temperatures hovering around 5°C. Both athletes notched victories at both the Boclassic and Campaccio, marking a prestigious double win.

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Men’s Race:

Bekele secured the finish in 31:32 over the 10 km distance, his first cross-country race since his 2019 victory at Vallagarina in Rovereto. He outpaced Celestin Ndikumana of Burundi, who clocked in at 31:50, and Oscar Chelimo from Uganda, who finished third in 32:09. Chelimo's performance followed his previous placements: third in 2021, fourth in 2023, and second in 2024, closely trailing Kenya’s Daniel Ebenyo.

Olympic 3000 meters steeplechase contender Mohamed Jhinaoui from Tunisia took fourth place in 32:11, ahead of Maxime Chaumeton from South Africa, who finished in 32:21.

The lead pack, which included athletes such as Maxime Chaumeton, Matthew Kipruto Kipkoech from Kenya, Celestin Ndikumana, Telahun Haile Bekele, Emile Hafashimana from Burundi, Guillaume Grimard from Belgium, and Italians Luca Alfieri and Iliass Aouani, alongside Jhinaoui, reached the 2 km mark in 6:45.

Bekele initiated a surge in the second lap, with Jhinaoui pushing the pace and leading at 4 km in 13:10. Only Kipruto, Bekele, and Ndikumana managed to maintain pace with Jhinaoui, who unfortunately stumbled during the third lap, losing his lead. This allowed Bekele, Kipruto, and Ndikumana to establish a gap. Entering the final lap, Bekele accelerated, extending his lead to a commanding 18 seconds by the finish line.

Bekele has now joined the ranks of Ethiopian legends such as Haile Gebrselassie and Kenenisa Bekele in the Campaccio honor roll.

Women’s Race:

Nadia Battocletti dominated the women's 6 km race, finishing in 21:14, becoming the first Italian to win at Campaccio since Silvia Sommaggio in 1994.

Elisa Palmero finished second, 44 seconds behind Battocletti, with Finnish mountain running expert Susanna Saapunki securing third place in 22:06.

Battocletti established an early lead, completing the first lap in 7:18 and creating a seven-second gap over a trio consisting of Saapunki, Palmero, and Burundi’s Micheline Niyomahoro. By the 4 km mark, Battocletti had extended her lead to 28 seconds, and she further widened this to 39 seconds by the race's conclusion.

Reflecting on her victory, Battocletti shared, "I felt as though I was revisiting the youth races at the start of my career, competing in the rainy, cold conditions. The technical nature of the course added to the challenge, but I truly relished running the Campaccio in true cross-country conditions. Winning here, where my career began, is a profound honor. My aim for 2025 is to prioritize health and focus on the World Championships in Tokyo."

Battocletti’s win at Campaccio was celebrated as a sentimental triumph, connecting her to the event’s history and her personal beginnings in the sport.