Dramatic opening day as Italians claim golden double at Roma 2024

The host nation celebrated a golden double on the opening day of the Roma 2024 European Athletics Championships. Olympic champion Antonella Palmisano won the women’s 20k walk, the opening event of Roma 2024, and then Nadia Battocletti bookended a brilliant day for the home nation by winning a thrilling women’s 5000m final. It was a day of firsts at the Stadio Olimpico as Krisjan Ceh became the first ever Slovenian male to win a gold medal, taking the men’s discus title and Ireland’s 4x400m mixed relay team became the only Irish gold medallists in European Athletics Championships 90 year history other than distance great Sonia O’Sullivan, dashing Femke Bol’s triple gold ambitions. There was also a Dutch 1-2 in the women’s shot.