Europe's running Queen Battocletti seeking to extend reign at Lagoa 2025
15th December 2025On the eve of the Lagoa 2025 SPAR European Cross Country Championships on Sunday 14 December, European champion on track, road and cross country Nadia Battocletti said the course evoked childhood memories as she prepared for her title defence.
The Italian distance running star was speaking at the official press conference one day ahead of the 31st edition of the continent's premier cross country event.
Lagoa 2025 will be streamed live on the European Athletics website via the Eurovision Sport platform and will be available with English, French and German language commentary from 09:55 CET.
Plus there will also be highlights from Lagoa 2025 posted on the European Athletics YouTube channel on Sunday (14) and full race replays on Monday (15).
It will also be screened by 17 national broadcasters across Europe.
“It's a memory for me when I was young and I was playing with all my all my friends, And also, two weeks ago, I run in a race on the course was really similar to this one. So I hope I am prepared.”
She will be aiming for back-to-back titles after becoming the first woman in SPAR European Cross Country Championships history to win individual U20, U23 and senior titles last year in Antalya, Türkiye.
Victory in Lagoa on Sunday would also maintain her complete dominance of female long distance running in Europe since the Roma 2024 European Athletics Championships where she won both the 5000m and 10,000m.
Since then she has triumphed in Antalya last December, won 10km gold at the European Running Championships in Brussels-Leuven in April and has also collected Olympic and world 10,000m silver and world 5000m bronze.
Her opposition in the senior women's race includes Diane Van Es from the Netherlands and Great Britain’s Megan Keith, 10,000m silver and bronze medallists behind Battocletti at Roma 2024, four-time European cross country champion Yasemin Can from Türkiye and local hope Mariana Mechado of Portugal.
Mechado, 5th last year in Antalya and one of the big hope hopes also attended the press conference. She said: "I believe I’m in my best shape."
She was joined by Portugal teammate José Carlos Pinto, who has an outside chance in the senior men's race where world 10,000m champion Jimmy Gressier will start favourite.
Portugal also has strong medal ambitions in the mixed relay where their squad includes world 1500m champion Isaac Nader.
Denmark's European U23 10,000m champion Joel Ibler Lillesø is one of several contenders in an intruguing men's U23 race, where Great Britain's Will Barnicoat will be targetting a third successive title.
A training partner of last year's U20 champion Niels Laros of the Netherlands, he said of the course: "It’s very draining, and with a draining course you need great endurance — and that’s what I believe I have, so I think it suits me quite well.”
Spain's European U23 5000m champion Maria Forero will start favourite in the women's U23 race.
Also in attendance at the press conference was Great Britain's Innes FitzGerald, who is targetting a third successive women's U20 title. She said: “I’m always nervous, and I’ll still be nervous tomorrow. I know I’ve got a job to do and there’s a lot of expectation, but I’m really looking forward to it. I’m excited."
European U20 1500m and 3000m champion Hakon Moe Berg is among the contenders in the men's U20 race.
European Athletics President Dobromir Karamarinov opened the press conference by confirming the largest number of participants in the 31 year history of the SPAR European Cross Country Championships.
There will be comprehensive coverage of Lagoa 2025 SPAR European Cross Country Championships on the European Athletics’ website and European Athletics and EA Running social media channels on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.