Maggi and Nimbona Victorious in Grado: First Italian 10km Road Race Titles

The first Italian 10km road race championships in Grado saw Konjoneh Maggi and Elvanie Nimbona achieve their first national senior titles. Maggi, representing Atletica Casone Noceto, and Nimbona of Caivano Runners were the champions. They completed the 10km course, a 2.5km loop run four times through Grado, in 28 minutes and 36 seconds for Maggi, and 32 minutes and 45 seconds for Nimbona. Around a thousand runners participated in the event, which also awarded titles for U23, U20, and U18 categories.

In the senior men's race, 23-year-old Maggi, from Lecco, added this victory to a strong season, having previously secured second place in the cross-country championships and the 10,000m on the track, and third in the 5000m where he represented Italy at the European Championships in Birmingham. He finished ahead of two-time defending champion Francesco Guerra (Carabinieri), who was second in 28:42, and his teammate Luca Alfieri (Casone Noceto), third in 28:43. The company team championship for men was won by Egide Ntakarutimana (Casone Noceto) with a time of 27:44.

For the senior women, Nimbona, who was born in Burundi and became an Italian citizen less than a year ago, recently competed for Italy in the World Athletics Road Running Championships in the half marathon. She finished ahead of Federica Zanne (Esercito) in second place with 33:21, and Lucia Arnoldo (Atletica Dolomiti Belluno) in third with 33:23. Arnoldo also secured the national U23 title in her debut at the distance. Among the local athletes, Joyce Mattagliano (Atletica Brugnera Friulintagli) finished fifth among the seniors with 33:53, repeating her 2025 result from Prato.

In the youth categories, Lucia Arnoldo also won the U20 title. Sofia Ferrari (Calcestruzzi Corrdadini Excelsior Rubiera), a national team member, was the fastest among the U20 women with 33:50, achieving the fifth-best time overall. Yasmine Lazouzi (Atletica Mondovì) triumphed in the U18 race over 5km, finishing in 17:03. This was her fourth national title in 2026, following wins in cross-country, the 2000m steeplechase, and the 3000m. In the U23 men's race, Amorin Gerbeti (Casone Noceto) won in 29:06. The U20 men's victory went to Omar Fiki (Atletica Winner Foligno) with a time of 29:53. Rayan El Azzouzi (Cus Pro Patria Milano) claimed the U18 men's title, running the distance in 31:37 in his first year in the category.

The event was attended by Stefano Baldini, winner of the inaugural Italian 10km road race championships in 2010 and the 2004 Olympic marathon champion, and Anna Incerti, the 2010 European marathon champion.