The march of Spain and Katir is presented in the year of the historical record of Kiptum

On August 19 and 20 they set the bar very high for Spanish athletes, but on August 24 they repeated the victory. The ‘double double’ of the Spanish march starred by Álvaro Martín and María Pérez at the World Cup in Budapest Last August was one of the great milestones of Spanish sport in 2023 and of Spanish athletics throughout its history. In addition, it was rounded off by the remaining world silver in the 5000 meters Mohamed Katir.

The national delegation won only seven gold medals at the World Championships until 2023. In one edition, four, a third of those now appearing on the medal table. Too much Álvaro Martín and María Pérez were declared world champions in the 20 and 35 kilometer walks in two mornings of glory on the Hungarian roads.

It all started on August 19. In the first test of the World Cup, some 20 kilometer walk for men argued in the rainy season, Martin He perfectly withstood the race choice made by his rivals and gained a point more speed in the last five kilometers to go for a 1:17:32 which made him raise his arms like a world champion. Double European champion, the man from Extremadura achieved one of his remaining dreams after winning the queen of walking in a World Cup and taking the baton from Valentí Massana and Miguel Ángel López.

Just one day later, Maria Perez He maintains a level that is very high in another race for history. In 1:26:51, the woman from Granada gained at least several months of suffering in the technical aspect to win for the first time at a universal level in the 20 kilometers of her modality. European Champion in 2018, he has been knocking on the doors of medals since then, with a painful fourth place at the Tokyo Games, like Martín, and a 2022 full of doubts. They disappeared in a big way.

With the satisfaction of the world gold medals, without the pressure of playing the championship on a card and with the pride of the victories, both Martín and Pérez sought the double four days later in 35 kilometer march. The Extremaduran’s 2:24:30 This is also the history of Spanish sports, like the fifteen minutes of waiting in which, celebrating his double world, Álvaro waited for his partner to see how he raised his arms again to perform an unprecedented victory for the march of Spain: 2:38:40 and a ‘double double’ that crowned two sports races who wanted the poor cherry on top for a few months in Paris.

But the Spanish athletes in Beijing did not only experience the march. Mohamed Katir proved to be a vintage athlete with a sidereal silver at 5000 meters. Only Jakob Ingebrigtsen in a painful sprint (13:11.30 against 13:11.44) deprived the Murcian athlete of giving more shine to a brilliant personal medal table, where he already won the world bronze and European silver in 2022. Olympic finalist in Tokyo, He re-established himself as one of the great leaders of the current generation of Spanish athletes.

A generation that finished with five World Cup medals, but in excellent health with five other finalist places for ten in all. They were achieved by Adrián Ben (fourth in the 800 meters), Cristina Montesinos (fifth in the 35 kilometer walk), Mario García Romo (sixth in the 1500 meters), Fátima Diame (sixth in the long jump) and Tessy Ebosele (eighth in the long jump).

Adrián Ben led the crop across European indoor track and European cross country

Before the World Cup, Spanish athletes left a mark. The 2022-2023 winter season culminated in European indoor track in Istanbul and both Adrián Ben and Adel Mechaal left their mark here.

ben is revealed European 800 meters champion to show that he is an athlete of the present and the future. World finalist at Doha 2019 fifth at the Tokyo Games, her progress since then has been meteoric. Indeed, just a breath away from medals in Budapest, he has already collected a valuable European gold on an indoor track with 1:47.36.

His medal was accompanied by another shiny one silver won by Adel Mechaal in the 3000 meters. Jakob Ingebrigtsen once again prevented a bigger harvest for Spanish athletics, with a brilliant race by Mechaal in which, in 7:41.75, he was only surpassed by the Norwegian’s 7:40.32. This is the fourth major international medal for a Mechaal combined in major international events.

They were closed this same month of December in an absolute key to the dispute of European cross country. Spain won silver for women’s teams thanks to Irene Sánchez-Escribano, Cristina Ruiz, Carolina Robles, Cristina Espejo, Marta García and Marta Pérez. In addition, the U23 women’s team (Ángela Viciosa, María Forero, María González, Laura Domene, Mireya Arnedillo and Marta Serrano) and the U20 men’s team (Rubén Leonardo, Unai Naranjo, Aleix Vives, Mesfin Escamilla, Sergio del Barrio and Ronaldo) achieved bronze. Olive).

Furthermore, in European Nations Championship, held within the framework of the European Games in Poland, Spain was fourth and just one position away from the podium with Italy’s victory. Meanwhile, the European marching team of May left an undisputed Spanish reign: seven individual medals (golds from María Pérez and Álvaro Martín, silver from Raquel González and bronze from Miguel Ángel López and Cristina Montesinos, all in 35 km ; in the junior 10 km, silver from Aldara Meilan and bronze from Pablo Rodríguez) and five for the teams (golds in two full 35 km events and in two junior 10 km events and silver in the men’s 20 km ).

Kelvin Kiptum and Tigst Assefa lead historic reversal of marathon records: eight outdoors and four indoors

But, despite the great harvest of Spanish victories, 2023 is the year of records. Until twelve o’clock They competed in different modalities, eight outdoors and four indoors. In fact, of those eleven, the other, the women’s 35-kilometer walk, was achieved by María Pérez in her 2:37:15 in the European team championship.

Although there is one brand that stands out above the rest. The Kenyan Kelvin Kiptum became the great opponent of the international athletic year after flying to Chicago Marathon played on October 8. With a score of 2:00:35, breaking Eliud Kipchoge’s world record He had 2:01:09 since Berlin 2022 and left the two-hour barrier more within reach than ever before.

Kiptum achieved one of the greatest historical achievements in the sport in a trial where he passed the half marathon in 1:00:48. However, he was not only able to maintain the speed, but also change it from kilometer 33 onwards to set off in search of the universal record. Thirty-four seconds off a meteoric record made him one of the great protagonists of the year.

If there is a men’s record in the marathon, the women’s record is not far behind. The Ethiopian Tigst Assefa achieved one of the largest reductions in memory in a world record after winning the Berlin Marathon on September 24 with a time of 2:11:53. The latter was far behind the 2:14:04 held by Brigid Kosgei as the record from 2019.

He also broke the record in a big way, with the second half of a sidereal career. He passed the half marathon in 1:06:20 and finished the second part of the race in 1:05:33. The one in Berlin was the second marathon victory for Assefa, but it left a mark that is now part of athletics history.

World records are not the only achievements. Five others came outside in the reference modalities of the international program: they achieved them Lamecha Girma in the 3000 hurdles (Paris in June, 7:52.11), Armand Duplantis on the pole vault (Eugene in September, 6.23, absolute top), Ryan Crouser in weight (23.56 in May), Faith Kipyegon in the 1500 (3:49.11 in Florence; he also achieved the mile with 4:07.64 just a month and a half later, in July) and Gudaf Tsegay in the 5000 (14:00.21 in Eugene). On the indoor track they got them Duplantis in February (6.22 in Clermont-Ferrand, then absolute pole vault record), Lamecha Girma in the 3000 (7:23.81 in Liévin), Femke Bol in the 400 (49.26 in Apeldoorn) and Nafi Thiam in pentathlon (5055 points at the European Championships in Istanbul).

The Budapest World Cup as a summit

With Spanish athletics and the various world records at the helm, the benchmark competition of 2023 at an international level is that Budapest World Cup. They succeeded here as great stars of the men’s championship Noah Lyles in 100 and in 200, Jakob Ingebrigtsen of those 5000, Joshua Cheptegei in 1000, Karsten Walholm in the 400 hurdles, Gianmarco Tamberi in height, Duplantis on the post, Ryan Crouser in weight or Daniel Stahl on disk.

The level among girls is not far behind. Faith Kipyegon shone in his double 1500 and 5000 in a championship that also crowned Sha’Carri Richardson (100), Shericka Jackson (200), Yes (10000), Femke Bol (400 hurdles) o Yulimar Rojas (triple jump). All of them were crowned big stars by a massive 2023 looking forward to a vibrant 2024.