Final day echoes with grief, grit, and a drive to medal
Cry Xenia Benach finished fifth in the hurdles with sixty to beat, her pace not enough to push into the next round. Cry Fatima Diame reached the long jump final by a slim margin of four centimeters. Crying Lorea Ibarzabal remembered a recently fallen friend, Bea, with whom she trained just months earlier as she closed an 800-point performance. Javier Ureña felt weakness and emptiness despite tests and efforts, a fatigue that puzzled him. The entire Spanish team mourned the absence of physiotherapist Ángel Basas, a man who had dedicated three decades to keeping athletes from the dry dock to peak form. Basas’s workshop door was always open, a symbol of accessibility for the nation’s elite, and his loss hit the squad hard as they faced tough days ahead.
Basas spent thirty years tending the dry dock, a grueling environment where injuries often meet the best players on the national stage. His workshop stood as a beacon for athletes seeking relief and recovery, and his absence leaves a void that hurts the whole team deeply.
In the lead-up to finals, the mood mixed resilience with raw emotion. The team looked to the future with the bold belief that head and heart would carry them. Spain faced tomorrow with a rallying cry to push hard and persevere, even when the odds feel heavy.
The moment sparked online conversations too as Adel Mechaal shared a message of resolve from the sofa—a sentiment echoed across fans who hoped for a strong showing the following day. Televised coverage carried the tension and the longing for good news after a difficult stretch.
Despite a rough start, Spain did not retreat into silence. Good news finally arrived as Mechaal advanced to the 3,000-meter final, setting up a Sunday showdown likely to pit him against Jakob Ingebrigtsen, the Norwegian star who had already claimed the 1,500 meters the day before. Mechaal’s presence in the final offered a glimmer of potential for a strong end to the meet and a chance to balance the earlier disappointments with a commendable performance.
In the 1800-meter race, the Madrid-born athlete Lorea Ibarzabal advanced to the final after overcoming a season marred by injuries. At twenty-eight, she was making her debut with the national team, answering the call with grit. Adrian Ben added another victory by reaching the semi-finals, while the Galician Olympian prepared for the 800-meter final, carrying the weight of a long recovery from a femoral stress fracture that sidelined him for eleven months during the pandemic.
One more step from Guerrero
Esther Guerrero, a consistent finalist since Belgrade in 2017 and Glasgow in 2019, approached the podium with cautious optimism. She finished fourth in the 1,500 meters with a personal best of 4:04.86, while Águeda Marqués earned a finalist position with a strong seventh place and a new best time of 4:08.72. Guerrero had missed the 2022 World Cup in Belgrade due to injury, a setback she battled to overcome in recent seasons.
The performance in the 1,500 was celebrated as a sign of Guerrero’s resolve and talent. The Spaniard fought until the last stride, delivering a personal best to edge toward the medals and solidify her status among Europe’s elite in indoor competition. Teledeporte and other outlets highlighted the moment as a notable achievement in a meet that tested Spain’s depth and endurance.
The 400 hurdles final had its own drama. Torun’s continental experience included multiple medals and an indoor title in 2021. On the track, Husillos faced the Norwegian champion Karsten Warholm, renowned for his world record in the 400 hurdles. Warholm started with an aggressive pace, pressed by Belgian challenger Julien Watrin, and crossed the line in 45.35 seconds to claim the title. Husillos finished in fourth with 46.24 seconds, a strong showing that underscored Spain’s competitive spirit in a tough event.
In the women’s sprint, Dutch star Femke Bol lived up to expectations by claiming the 400-meter title with a solo run under fifty seconds. In the 60-meter dash, Italian Olympic champion Marcel Jacobs outpaced teammate Samuele Ceccarelli to win in 6.48 seconds, confirming Italy’s sprinting strength during the championships. The meet delivered a blend of breakthrough performances and steady results for several Spanish athletes who carried hope into the next season, while national commentators underscored the importance of progress and consistency in future events.