Battocletti and Ntakaturimana Win Campaccio Cross Country
Olympic 10,000m silver medallist Nadia Battocletti and Burundi’s Egide Ntakaturimana claimed commanding victories at the 69th edition of the Campaccio Cross Country in San Giorgio su Legnano, held in cold and rainy conditions with temperatures hovering around 5°C.
Women’s race – 6km
Battocletti delighted the home crowd with a confident front-running performance, stopping the clock at 21:10 to secure victory ahead of Burundi’s Francine Nyomokunzi (21:32). The win marked sweet revenge for the Italian star, who had been beaten by Nyomokunzi at this same race in 2024.
Elvanie Nimbona, recently granted Italian citizenship, finished a close third in 21:33, just one second clear of mountain running specialist Emily Grace Collinge (21:34). Italy’s Lucia Arnoldo completed the top five in 21:52.
Battocletti, Nimbona, Nyomokunzi and Collinge quickly broke away from the field, passing 3km in 11:12. Battocletti gradually increased the pressure on the second of three laps. Despite slipping on an uphill section, she quickly regained her rhythm and opened an 11-second advantage by the bell.
On the final lap, the Italian extended her lead to 18 seconds over the chasing trio to seal her second consecutive Campaccio title.
The victory also marked her second World Athletics Cross Country Tour Gold win of the season following her triumph in Atapuerca. She now leads the overall Tour standings and looks well positioned to retain the series title.
Nadia Battocletti: “It was nice to win at Campaccio for the second consecutive year. I hadn’t fallen in a race for a long time. I trained for three weeks in Tuscany. Next I’ll race the 1500m in Madrid and the 3000m in Liévin as preparation for the World Indoor Championships. Then I’ll run the 5000m at the Golden Gala in Rome ahead of the European Championships in Birmingham, where I want to defend my 5000m and 10,000m titles.”
Men’s race – 10km
Egide Ntakaturimana produced a strong late surge to win the men’s 10km race in 30:38.
Uganda’s Dolphine Chelimo finished second in 30:45 after overtaking Burundi’s Celestin Ndikumana in the closing stages, with both athletes credited with the same time. Italian champion Luca Alfieri was the top home finisher in fourth place in 31:06.
A large lead pack featuring Yves Nimubona, Alfieri, Matthew Kipkoech Kipruto, Ndikumana, Abrham Sime, Ntakaturimana, Thierry Irakoze and Chelimo covered the opening lap in 6:27.
The pace intensified through 4km (12:35), with the group gradually thinning. By the third lap, only five remained: Kipruto, Ndikumana, Chelimo, Irakoze and Ntakaturimana.
Ndikumana injected the first decisive move on the fourth lap, with only Ntakaturimana able to follow. Chelimo chased in third, around 30 metres back.
Ntakaturimana struck for home just after 9km, opening a small gap that steadily grew. He reached 8km in 27:47 with a six-second cushion and powered through the muddy final stretch to claim victory.
Chelimo closed strongly to pass Ndikumana for second place right before the line.
Ntakaturimana, who owns personal bests of 7:35.16 (3000m), 13:00.74 (5000m) and 27:24.29 (10,000m), continues to show impressive range across track and cross country.
Egide Ntakaturimana: “The course was nice, but the conditions were hard today. I trained at the Tuscany camp and my goal is to break 13 minutes for 5000m next summer.”
