Just after the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Raúl Chapado (president of the Royal Spanish Athletic Federation) approached the press gallery Reassuring the displaced Spanish media that he was “very pleased with the team’s performance”, resulting in five medals (four gold and one silver) and ten finalist positions “very close to first place in terms of competitiveness” and “more interested than Spain in saving the March” there is no other country”.
Spain closed the event with a historic third place in the medal standings With four gold medals (María Pérez and Álvaro Martín doubled the 20 and 35 kilometers) and a silver medal in the 5,000 distance runs in which Mohamed Katir took 10 finals, he lifted the Spanish delegation to a remarkable seventh place in the points standings.
“I am very happy with the competitiveness of the team, because not only the medals or the final positions are important, the vast majority of the team competed within their means. We are not in the first place in the medal standings or the points table but Of course, we will be very close to the first place in terms of competition. Depending on the level each athlete has”, stated in the previous trio list.
“This is highly competitive athletics where the major athletic powers (Germany) fail to win medals. Here in Budapest or they barely get it, so seeing us there is admirable. I’m very interested in the scoreboard. We should appreciate the things we do well and our shortcomings. It will not be easy to repeat, but we have the potential and there is a generation of athletes who will step into the future,” said the head of the RFEA.
“It’s also worth noting that there are a lot of athletes competing, such as those who are competing and are not in Budapest for various reasons. Jordan Díaz, Asier Martínez, Laura García Caro, Sara Gallego, Orlando Ortega or Jorge Ureña come to mind (I’ve already mentioned Ana Peleteiro). They are on the same level as the incoming ones. You have to think about where we were six or seven years ago and where we are now,” he said, defending his project, his business, and his team.
Walking is undoubtedly the discipline that has traditionally given Spanish athletics the most enjoyment. Threatened with death by the International Olympic CommitteeChapado, who pulled 50 kilometers from the competitive program and replaced 35 kilometers with a mixed marathon relay, underlined this.
“The march is saved by working. I don’t think there is a country that is more interested in saving the march than we are.”. I want to value the medals of the march. It often turns out that these are minor league medals, and this is not true. We haven’t won a walking medal in this championship since 2015. Things were tough in Doha and they were all the same athletes. The Avila man stressed that a little bit of luck was missing in Tokyo (Álvaro Martín, María Pérez and Marc finished fourth in the Tour tests).
“María Pérez and Álvaro Martín stepped forward in terms of qualityThey dominated the march this World Cup, and I don’t think anyone will have more potential than us to fight for everything next year. “You have to work with World Athletics, with the other members, with the Athletes’ Commission,” he said.
“An important step has been taken by leveling the walk with the track. The setting in Plaza de los Héroes is something different from what we have seen. It is something we have to do at the national level. It will have the most beautiful scene in Paris to spread the value of walking. you need to connect the walking to the health partBecause it is an activity that can give health beyond high performance,” he said.
World Head of Athletics, British Sebastian Coe, did not participate in any of the three-day competitions to witness the march, but he did participate in the women’s marathon, again held on the street and on the National Athletic Center track. “I’m not the one who shouldn’t justify or justify Coe’s existence anywhere”. I know it has a very complex program even with the Hungarian Government. We are all World Athletics and Ximena Restrepo and I (both newly appointed vice presidents) were there. We shouldn’t take things out of context,” he said.
“Until now, it has never been considered to be outside the Games. Do you know what the IOC’s aspirations are to reduce events and reduce athletes?. This is our fight. Not now but for 30 years, as most veterans know, triple or hammer. “This is an enduring struggle between sports, and our responsibility is to protect our athletic heritage and fight to defend this emerging generation of athletes.”
Can you imagine what our results would be without the march? Funding, support, visibility… everything would be different. It is an event that should be protected and deserves respect. We need to encourage him, we will work on it.” He made a much more determined and determined speech than months ago, and this is a very big step.