Ruth Beitia: “The Spanish team is unstoppable”

Ruth Beitia He is one of the most important athletes in the history of Spain. In fact, it is the one that has played the most World Cups (8) and the only Olympic gold medalist. At Rio 2016, where she defeated Bulgarian Mirela Dimireva and Croatian Blanka Vlašić in the high jump final, her specialty.

He now works as a teacher in University of Atlantic Europehas a position of protocol and institutional relationship with Royal Spanish Athletics Federation and an ambassador for a sportswear brand Joma.

“Today I have made a retrospective of when I started in the world of athletics when I was 6 years old and I ran cross country with the yellow Joma“said the former athlete in an interview for RUNEDIA. “I am very lucky that Joma is my sponsor and that I can try many of their products as a famous runner, not as an elite athlete anymore.”

The former jumper, who also won a bronze medal at the 2012 London Games, swapped spiked soles for sneakers. running. “I really enjoy when I run, especially because the environment around running is incredible. I have never attempted more than a half marathonbut I really enjoy running the 5k and 10k, which are distances where I can still keep up with runners throughout the race,” he explained.

A few months before the new one begins Olympic Games In Paris, the woman from Santander is excited about the good moment that Spanish athletics is going through. “The Spanish team is unstoppable,” he said. “Last year they fought more than 100 records from Spain. Very good. “I’m looking forward to the women’s height competition.”

Beitia still owns the Spanish record for women’s high jump with a mark of 2.02 meters. “I think it’s the weak leg we have right now in athletics. I defended all my records tooth and nail when I was active and now is the time for them to be broken,” he says.

The former jumper believes that Spain has good options to win medals in athletics. “We came from an incredible World Cup in Budapest, with great results, with those 4 development medals, and feeling “We can go to the Olympic Games wanting to have finalists and medalists.”.

For the Joma ambassador, triple jump and race walking are the disciplines where Spain has the most options. “We have the opportunity of a discipline like the triple jump with Jordan, who can now compete. For us it is a pride that he will be with the Spanish team,” he says about the athlete of Cuban origin. Jordan Diazwho in 2022 received Spanish nationality and will compete for the first time with “La Roja” at the Games.

“So is the march, Ana Peleteiro that he will return to training one hundred percent, and in many other disciplines that I’m sure will surprise us,” he said.

Beitia also knows the world of politics. Between 2008 and 2019 he held various positions in the Popular Party and was a representative in the Parliament of Cantabria. “On a political level I no longer like to speak because it is a stage I have closed and I have the great fortune to continue to be committed to and for athletics,” said the former deputy.You can give it a high approval. “There will always be complainers and those looking for more, but that means we can still continue to improve and work for Spain.”