Mario García Romo is marked in red next month of Augustthe date on which the Outdoor World Cup will be held in Budapest, where looking to get on the podium and beat Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigtsen in the 1,500 metersthe “best European athlete in history”.
García Romo (Villar de Gallimazo, Salamanca, 1999) is one of the greatest exponents of the Spanish midfielder along with Adel Mechaal and Mohamed Katir. Last year he was fourth at the World Cup in Eugene (United States) and just a month later he got bronze at the European Championship in Munich (Germany) in the 1,500.
Big dreams this year. He gave up the European indoor track in Istanbul to prepare with his team, On Athletic Club (OAC), for the outdoor World Cup in Budapest. Earlier, in February, he had time to break the Spanish indoor record for the mile (3:51.79) at the Millrose Games in New York, breaking the previous national record, dating from 1983 by José Manuel Abascal.
Q: You gave up the Istanbul Indoor European Championship to prepare for the Budapest World Cup. How was the preparation?
A: It is very good. We are in the preseason, we don’t have a significant number of kilometers, and I appreciate not competing much on the indoor track. Training sessions are intense and you need to give your legs a break. We have a long season until September and we must prioritize the competitions.
Q: When did you decide not to go to the European Championship in Istanbul?
A: It was taken by my coach, who was responsible for my preparation, and it was before Christmas. I thought about going to the European cross country but at Christmas, thinking about the indoor track, I found that the calendar didn’t allow us to combine it well with the outdoors and we decided to focus on Budapest.
Q: What is your route map to Budapest?
A: We have a few competitions in April to break up practice and then I’ll do some Diamond League trials, especially the ones with all 1,500 big trials. If Jakob Ingebrigtsen is there, I want to compete against him. Then I will do the Spanish Championship at the end of July and Budapest already.
Q: Can Jakob be beaten?
A: No doubt. Right now he is the rival to beat and he has earned the stripes to say that he is the best athlete in the history of Europe but that does not mean that he is incomparable. Quite the opposite. Right now we have the ambition that if I beat him, I beat one of the best in history, and that’s what motivates me. Possible. Last year we saw him at the Oregon World Championship, which was won by British Jake Wightman in the final race.
Q: How did you find Jakob in Istanbul?
A: There are doubts. In Lievin he was not seen like last year and that is why he seems to be unknown. Adel Mechaal and Neil Gourley gave him a hard time but in the end he won. He’s one of the best in history and if you want to beat him you have to be out of shape.
Q: 2022 is very good. Is this year taken as consolidation?
A: I’m not like that. The goals that I have this year are the same that I will have the following and in sequence. I focus on the process rather than the results. I want to be an athlete who can win a gold medal, who when he’s on the starting line knows he’s doing everything to finish first. I hope that the next few years will prove me right and I can accumulate consistency to get better.
Q: There is a year and a half left for the Paris Games. Is it a long or a short time?
A: It is quite. The work we are doing now counts for the next two years even though we are focused on Budapest. The goal is that, Paris is on the horizon, but I’m not nervous about it.
Q: How important is the psychological aspect to your preparation?
A: The older I get the more importance I place on it. When you’re younger you run without pressure, you do it to play and from the age of eighteen or nineteen you change. I’m at a healthy point, focused on my process, and that’s because of the work I’m doing with my psychologist. When you have 200 meters to go in a 1,500 final, believe that this is the most important thing. There are times when the head gives up before the legs and you have to try to have a synchrony to reach your limits.
Q: An important piece of equipment for an athlete is shoes. Which one do you use or how do you choose it?
A: Athletes turn our shoes around. I have two pairs of nails, one with a greater distance and one with less. I also have three to rotate through normal shoots and races. I destroy them when necessary. In my case, what ON Running gives me is that I prevent injuries, recover, train and compete at a higher level.
Q: You have lived in the United States for five years. How did you feel training there with Datan Ritzenheim?
A: I feel almost at home. I have many friends from the United States and I also have many from other parts of the world living there, but Salamanca and Spain are the ones I want to go to. I try to come when I can.
Q: How is your life in Boulder (Colorado)?
A: Normal. There is flexibility. You also don’t have to lead a very strict life. You have to have a balance between social and professional life and I try to have a healthy routine in life as if I am not committed to being a professional athlete. I try to eat healthy, get enough rest, do the right things through training and try to take advantage of free time with family and friends.
Q: What is Boulder?
A: It is a quiet place. What stands out is the activity that exists. You go out at any time of the day and there are always people doing sports, cycling, running, climbing… It’s a very active city and when there you want to do sports.
Q: What do you want to disconnect?
A: Especially with a lot of reading. I also watch series and movies. Right now I’m trying to watch the movies that won the Oscar in the last edition. Anyway, I don’t have much free time either because I train twice a day and then between obligations and preparing meals, a lot gets lost.
Q: Do you eat sports in your free time?
A: Besides track and field, I watch football, baseball, and basketball.
Q: Do you see a big difference between the work method you follow in the United States and your colleagues in Spain?
A: Yes, there are differences. Today there has been a boom in training and there are many different ways to reach a goal. Today the measurement of lactate is very popular. We are not doing it, we will implement it as soon as possible in our own way, and we must be reliable in each other’s method. Athletics has been athletics for many years and the goal has been achieved in various ways.
Q: Do you feel with Katir the athlete who has revolutionized the Spanish midfielder in the last two years?
A: You have to give a lot of credit to Adel Mechaal, who has been leading the Spanish long-term and midfield for years and is still in the gap, and also to people like Ignacio Fontes, who has been in three international finals in two. year. I came from a very good generation with David Bustos and Manuel Olmedo and we took over. Katir’s third and fourth place in the World Cup last year gives others a lot of enthusiasm and drives people forward.
Q: Is expectation pressure?
A: Pressure is always a privilege too. It has always been said that being the Spanish champion and being the favorite is good because I will do things well. Being the man to beat is a measure of quality.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Jason Root, a professional writer working with Today Times Live, the premier news website. I specialize in sports writing, covering the biggest stories in the world of athletics. With an eye for detail and a passion for storytelling, I provide engaging and informative articles that capture the key elements of any event or issue. My work has been featured on numerous respected websites and publications around the world.
