Multimeet European champion Nadia Battocletti headlines the list of competitors for the European Cup 10,000m set to take place in La Spezia, Italy, on May 23. The Italian athlete, who holds a continental gold medal in track, road, and cross-country events, will lead a strong home team. Battocletti won both the 5000m and 10,000m titles at the 2024 European Athletics Championships in Rome.

Battocletti, a two-time Olympic and world silver medalist in the 10,000m, enters as the main favorite in her debut at this competition.

With experienced teammates Federica Del Buono and Elisabetta Palmero, who finished fourth and sixth respectively behind Battocletti in the 10,000m at the 2024 Rome event, Italy has strong reasons to hope for success on home soil.

Last year’s silver medalist Alesia Zarbo from France returns with ambitions for a new medal.

In the meantime, Jess Martin from Great Britain, a 2016 Rio Olympics finalist, returns to international competition for the first time since 2017, following an eight-year hiatus from the sport to give birth to her three daughters.

The Spanish team will be led by former national 5000m champion Beatriz Alvarés.

For the men's race, Italy boasts two established stars in its lineup. Yemaneberhan Crippa, who won the Paris marathon last month, returns to the track. Crippa, the 2022 European 10,000m champion and 2024 European half-marathon champion, has already triumphed twice in the European Cup 10,000m – in London in 2019 and in Pasé in 2023. He is set to start as a favorite for a hat-trick of titles.

However, Crippa will face a serious challenge for the individual title from his compatriot Elias Auani, who won European gold and world bronze in the marathon last year.

Valentin Gondouin will lead the French team. He won silver in Pasé last year and bronze in the half-marathon at the European Athletics Championships in Brussels-Louvain. He is expected to receive strong support from national champion Simon Bedard.

Among the contenders for the podium spots is five-time Spanish road champion Jesús Ramos. There are also chances for eight-time Portuguese national champion Samuel Barata and Belgian Simon Deboni, the European silver medalist in 5000m for both U23 and U20 age categories.