Nadia Battocletti during the award ceremony of the 29th Fair Play Menarini International Award, winner in the category “Social Values of Sport”
In 2025, the Fair Play Menarini International Award counted Nadia Battocletti among its leading figures, honoring the rising star of athletics in the category “Social Values of Sport.”
The setting was the Roman Theatre of Fiesole on July 3: warm lights, an engaged audience, and the stories of champions who have managed to win while remaining true to their principles.
Raised in a family already deeply connected to the sport (her father Giuliano and her mother Jawhara were both outstanding middle-distance runners), she received a sporting education firmly rooted in a passion for endurance disciplines.
The year 2025 also brought her two unforgettable moments at the World Championships in Tokyo: Nadia stepped onto the podium twice, winning a silver medal in the 10,000 meters and a bronze medal in the 5,000 meters.
In just a few years, she has built an impressive résumé, with 2024 standing out as her best season so far: gold at the European Championships in Rome in both the 5,000 and 10,000 meters, an Olympic silver medal in Paris in the 10,000, Italian records, and even a European record in the 5 km road race.
On the track, Nadia stands out because she never looks for shortcuts. She faces defeats with clarity and victories with humility, never forgetting to offer a spontaneous smile to her fans or to shake hands with those who have shared the effort of such a demanding discipline.
Her fair play is expressed through simple gestures and a body language that conveys gratitude: smiles for her competitors, words of encouragement, and restrained celebrations even after her most prestigious successes.
For fans—and especially for younger people—watching an athlete who fights hard to achieve her goals is a lesson far more powerful than any slogan. She herself speaks proudly about the bond with her homeland:
“Where I come from, in my valley, people say there’s been a ‘Battocletti effect’ because clubs have had so many new members that they’ve unfortunately had to turn some away, and that makes me really happy. Even when I’m running on a bike path or in the city, people sometimes look at me or say, ‘You know, I’ve started running again.’ I think that’s also one of the beautiful things about doing sport.”
Watch the video: 29th Fair Play Menarini International Award – Prize-giving Ceremony
A virtuous circle of enthusiasm and inspiration emerges—one that goes beyond tracks and arenas to reach streets and parks. In this sense, the Fair Play Menarini Award is not just a personal honor, but also a celebration of the impact sport can have on the wider community.
At the final ceremony of the 29th Fair Play Menarini International Award, her name echoed alongside those of established champions, forming an ideal common thread that unites different disciplines under the same principle: it is possible to win without sacrificing modesty.
In the final applause from the audience, Nadia was not only the young athlete rewriting the history of Italian middle-distance running, but the embodiment of a sport capable of inspiring, teaching, and bringing people together.