Arnoldo wins Italy’s first individual university cross country gold

Lucia Arnoldo won the women’s 10km race at the World University Cross Country Championships in Cassino. Her 35:20 performance delivered Italy’s first individual gold in the event’s 24 editions, ahead of Nursena Ceto in 35:35 and Amisa Murayama in 35:41.

The twenty-year-old from Zoldo studies biotechnology in Verona and represents Atletica Dolomiti Belluno. She had lit the opening ceremony cauldron the previous evening before progressing through the field during the seven-lap race.

Italy also won the women’s combined team classification, calculated from the long and short races. Sara Arrigoni finished fourteenth over 10km and Diletta Moressa nineteenth. In the men’s combined standings, Italy took silver behind Spain, with Konjoneh Maggi fourth in the 10km race.