Italian athlete Nadia Battocletti got caught up in a rollercoaster of emotions at the Paris Olympics 2024. The female middle-and-long-distance runner missed out on the bronze medal in the 5000 meters. Not for a lack of mettle, some DQ, or anything of that sort. But more so because she got the award first due to the disqualification of a competitor. The aforementioned competitor – Faith Kipyegon.
First, fourth, then bronze, then only a diploma — the fall from grace could not be any more apparent. Nadia Battocletti mistakenly thought she finished third amid the Paris medal chaos, on Tuesday evening.
She was already giving her interview after the women’s 5000-meter race when the DQ of one Faith Kipyegon came to be. Kipyegon opened her bid for another straight Olympic title Tuesday when she was scuffling with Ethiopian Gudaf Tsegay.
The DQ meant Battocletti, who finished fourth initially, moved to #3. A winner of 11 national tiles at the senior level, and gold medalist at the 2024 European Athletics Championships in Rome, this meant the world to her.
Clearly as you can see Faith Kipyegon was harassed in her lane by Ethiopian Tsegay but Olympics team decided to punish her by taking her Silver medal for "obstruction" instead of punishing the one who harassed her. It's NOT FAIR to Kenya and Faith Kipyegon
Justice for KIPYEGON pic.twitter.com/yIdUp12gWr
Now scribing mistakes is one thing and in essence a tangible error. Ask Favour Ofili whose qualifying times were not registered ahead of her 100m event at the Paris Olympics. But a total switch of fate is another.
As Battocletti and Sifan Hassan (silver medalist) crossed the high moon, the decision was overturned on the Kenyan’s appeal. The footage revealed that Kipyegon did not, in fact, obstruct their lane, but was subject to it. Meaning, Battocletti, 24, was back to fourth placement and missed out on bronze. As a small consolation, the European champion set a new Italian 5000m record.
Nadia Battocletti acclimates to bronze-loss ahead of 10000m stress test
The Women’s 5000m (Final) took place from 3:10 p.m. ET on NBC, Peacock and NBCOlympics.com. If there was ever an apt platform to showcase the fickle fate of the Games, Tuesday at the Paris Olympics 2024 would be it. European champ Nadia Battocletti briefly saw a bump up to the bronze spot, but she came back down to the fourth. She crossed a record high in 14:31.64.
Faith Kipyegon of Kenya left the drama behind with Gudaf Tsegay and won silver after an initial contact with DQ. However, her appeal came to be and she finished well, at the cost of Battocletti. Ethiopian-born Dutch runner Hassan finished for bronze in 14:30.61; a spot the Italian easily had and lost. Much like Hassan, the Team G.S. Fiamme Azzurre runner is in the big programs to clock in well for the 10,000m race and the marathon.
So, what did the up-and-comer have to say about her turn of fate and the reinstating of Kipyegon’s silver after an appeal? She expressed gratitude for the support through her Instagram account.
I have to thank all of you for your closeness because I never expected so much warmth.--Proud of the path I have taken so far, a 4th place that gives me so much confidence and that will be an important step in my growth. Paris2024 this is not a goodbye, but a see you later because we'll see each other on Friday for the 10,000! Au revoir Paris.Nadia Battocletti wrote in her Instagram post
While the illusion of winning the bronze in the 5,000 meters at the Paris 2024 Olympics did not last, she moves on. A 2021 European Under-23 Championships gold winner, she subsequently has much to look forward to. Her 10k best stand is at 30:51.32 (Rome 2024). Instead of blame games and a glass-half-full way, the Cles, Italy native will tread on to beat her record…she’s a runner after all.
In case you missed it:
ncG1vNJzZmiemafAtb%2FPqKmtsl6YvK57z5qpoqtdpLm6uc%2BimqxloKGuur%2BMsKCtoF2ewaK4yJqlZpmknbmmwMSsZJ%2BdlaG2r7PSZpifrJWnerS61JuZoqaXYq%2Bzu82znGallZmurXnOr5yrZZOku7W%2Bzq%2Bcq6uZlrlurcutnKubkam2sLqO