LAGOA (14-December) — Italy’s Nadia Battocletti secured her second consecutive senior women’s championship at the 2025 SPAR European Cross Country Championships on a bright and sunny morning in Lagoa, Portugal, on Sunday, December 14. The 25-year-old, who entered the competition as the overwhelming favorite, delivered the title comfortably, finishing the 7.47km course in 24:52, crossing the line 15 seconds ahead of her nearest competitor. View Final Results
Battocletti’s victory brings her total count of individual European cross country championships to six. She previously won titles at both the U20 and U23 levels before claiming back-to-back senior crowns. This accomplishment makes her only the fourth woman in the event’s history to defend the senior title successfully.
“This victory is very precious because each race, each cross country championships is different so I am happy to re-add this title, my sixth already,” said Battocletti. “To defend this title means a lot to me. It is crazy because I did this triplette [U20, U23 and senior titles], as we say in Italian.”
Belgium Takes Team Title
Belgium achieved a major breakthrough in the team competition, winning its first-ever senior women’s team gold. The Belgian squad moved through the field together, with strong performances from multiple runners securing the historic medal ahead of Great Britain and France. In the end, the Belgians won with 16 points, ahead of Great Britain and France on 39 and 42 respectively.
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Meanwhile, Italy, the defending team champions, narrowly missed a bronze medal by a single point despite Battocletti’s dominant individual win.
Second Place Finisher
Great Britain’s Megan Keith earned the silver medal in the women’s senior race despite falling during the opening stages of the race. Keith recovered from the early setback to finish in second place, passing Türkiye’s Yasemin Can on the final lap. Can, a four-time former champion, settled for bronze, but it was great to see her back competing competitively.
The decisive moment in the race came during the second-to-last lap when Battocletti picked up the pace on the challenging Parc Urban Parchal course. She covered that lap in 4:58, five seconds faster than the previous circuit. By the time the bell rang for the final lap, Battocletti held a three-second lead over both Keith and Can.
The Italian runner pulled away on the twisty and hilly final lap, extending her margin considerably as she navigated the difficult terrain with apparent ease.
Elsewhere, Jana Van Lent, who won the European 10,000m Cup earlier this year, placed fourth for Belgium in 25:24, matching her result from the previous year’s championships. Lisa Rooms finished fifth for the team.
Amina Maatoug from The Netherlands ran 25:36 for sixth, followed by Belgian Chloe Herbiet claimed seventh place in 25:43, while Elena Burkard of Germany ran 25:45 for eighth and Sarah Lahti of Sweden clocked 25:48 for ninth.
2025 SPAR European Cross Country Championships Senior Women’s Medalists:
- Nadia Battocletti (ITA) – 24:52
- Megan Keith (GBR) – 25:07
- Yasemin Can (TUR) – 25:13
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