Spain, between the absent and the Munich European

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Without Ana Peleteiro and Orlando Ortega, national athletics will once again rely on running, midfield and the abilities of Asier Martínez and Sara Gallego to shine in the World Cup

The Spanish team goes to the World Cup in Eugene (Oregon) ready to fight against history, circumstances and absences. After a couple of Games where Spain had one of its best collective performances, with Ana Peleteiro taking bronze and a further ten in attendance among the top eight placing it as the sixth European country, there comes a complicated deal to tackle. Due to the one-year delay due to the pandemic, Eugene’s appointment is a month away from a competition always marked red by national athletics, such as the European Championship (from August 15 to 21 in Munich), a temptation that compels us to divide efforts and ambitions in a complicated summer.

In this century, the World Cup has become a competition that is not kind to Spanish athletics. If there were up to six gold medals in the first seven editions, then in the last ten only Miguel Ángel López could climb to the top of the podium at the 2015 World Cup in Beijing. And since then only the bronze of Orlando Ortega three years ago in Daegu. The challenge is to appear in the medal table at the end of the competition, but the absentees won’t help either, as neither the hurdler, third in 2019, nor Ana Peleteiro will be at Hayward Field to fight for the podium. Ortega because a muscle discomfort has kept her from the appointment, something that already happened in Tokyo when she had to resign at the last minute, while the triple jumper, bronze at the Games, is absent due to pregnancy. Also María Vicente, Jorge Ureña, Bruno Hortelano, Esther Guerrero or triple jumper Jordan Díaz, who still cannot wear the national jersey, will not be in Eugene.

So the Spanish tricks are reduced, but they exist. Because always in the major events, the march is present with Spanish athletes in the first places of the ranking. This is the case of María Pérez, second best time of the year among the 20 kilometers participants, Miguel Ángel López, fourth in the 35 kilometer list, Laura García-Caro, sixth in the same distance, or the strong men’s team of 20 kilometers , with Alvaro Martín, Alberto Amezcua and Diego Garcia. To them we have to add Marc Tur, fourth in the last Games in 50 and who is now taking on the challenge of the shortened version of the 35 kilometers.

Is there life after the march? Spanish athletics has shown it is, but the medals are very expensive. Tell that to Eusebio Cáceres, fourth in the lengthwise final of the Games and always present thanks to his competitive nature. In the half and long distance, Spain has a group of athletes such as Mohamed Katir, who bets on the 1,500, Adel Mechaal, who was looking for a doubling but in the end after a positive test for covid he focuses on the 5,000, or Álvaro de Arriba , Adrian Ben and a Mariano García who was shorter than expected in the 800. Asier Martínez will be looking for a performance like the one in Tokyo, where he rose to sixth place in the final of the 110m hurdles by conquering laps. And in the 400 meters hurdles, the sensation of the season Sara Gallego will be looking for another quality leap to dream of the final, the same as the women’s 4×100 relay, eighth in the season ranking.

Source: La Verdad

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