European Championship athletics in Munich spotlighted Spain as memories of great moments from the city poured back. The Spanish team returned with a sizable haul, earning medals as part of a strong overall performance that placed third in the medal table. In numbers, the Barcelona delegation achieved its best tally since 2010, underscoring a period of sustained momentum for Spanish athletics.
Before departing for Munich, the Royal Spanish Athletics Federation set clear goals: surpass ten medals and extend the Berlin 2018 finals tally of 26, with a target of finishing among the top five in the rankings. These aspirations reflected the federation president Raúl Chapado’s public statements and the national federation’s confidence in the squad. The Munich results affirmed Spain’s positive trajectory, with a robust medal haul and a consistent presence on the podium. Germany led the standings, while Spain accrued 15 medals in total and six golds across the meet, echoing past successes in Goteborg 2006 and Berlin 2018 as high-water marks in the era. Spain finished fourth in the overall points table with 132 points, a tally that reaffirmed the nation as a regular top contender behind Germany, Great Britain, and Italy and marked the best performance since Barcelona 2010 for a 28-finalist event count.
Support and momentum were evident across events—Alvaro is congratulated for his back-to-back 20km walk European titles, a feat highlighted on social channels during the Games. The federation’s balance sheet for the championships was decidedly positive. Coach Jose Peiró emphasized a federation-wide improvement in competitiveness and noted that while some results fell short of early expectations, nothing there suggested a deep disappointment. The overall trend was one of durable progress and growing depth across the sport in Spain.
medalists
Marathon and race walking again delivered notable joy for the Spanish delegation. In the race walk, Spain secured multiple medals. The women’s team—Marta Galimany, Elena Loyo, Irene Pelayo, and Laura Méndez—earned silver, while the men’s team—Ayad Lamdassem, Dani Mateo, Abdelaziz Merzougui, Yago Rojo, and Jorge Blanco—took bronze, continuing a strong tradition of endurance events at the continental meet. The race walk contributed four medals overall, underscoring the discipline’s strength within the squad.
In Prague’s wake, two Spanish walkers, Miguel Ángel López (35 km) and Álvaro Martín (20 km), delivered golds, with Raquel González taking silver in the 35 km and Diego García Carrera earning bronze in the 20 km. The depth and consistency across walking events highlighted a core strength for the Spanish team during the European Championships era.
Mariano Garcia, 800m gold medalist
Diony Garcia
Mariano Garcia, fresh from a world title indoors in Belgrade, returned to the European stage and climbed to the top of the podium in the 800 meters. Clocking a personal best of 1:44.85, the Murcia native used his momentum to command a blistering pace and prevailed in a swift race against Jake Wightman, the reigning 1500m world champion from Great Britain.
Asier Martínez makes history for the thousandth
David Rubio
Asier Martínez, the Navarrese sprinter, claimed a gripping gold in the 110m hurdles at age 22, in a victory decided by a focus-stealing thousandth of a second. The triumph capped a season in which he also won bronze at the World Championships in Eugene, echoing the same summer’s performance by Mohammed Katir. Katir, who challenged in the 5000m, ended up as a focal point in Madrid’s European meet. Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway collected multiple titles, signaling a winter-to-summer ascent for a Spaniard whose form suggests continued promise for future continental campaigns.
Mario García Romo wins 1,500 bronze medals at Ingebrigtsen party
Gerardo Prieto
Mario García Romo, the Salamanca native, added a bronze in the 1500m against Jakob Ingebrigtsen, marking a landmark moment following a solid showing at the Eugene World Championships. The runner’s long-term goal remains clear: take down the legends of the sport. His words hint at a growing confidence and a willingness to pursue tough targets on a global stage.
One step away from the podium
Barcelona’s Sara Gallego delivered a strong finish, securing fourth place in the 400m hurdles—an outstanding result for a 21-year-old in her first major European outdoor event. The emerging talent pool is expanding, with Pol Retamal finishing sixth in the 200m in his European debut. Walkers Alberto Amezcua and Manuel Bermúdez, along with Daniel Arce in the 3000m steeplechase, stood on the cusp of medals, earning fourth-place finishes. Eusebio Cáceres, the long jump specialist from Alicante, extended a streak of near-misses, reflecting both the challenge and the narrow margins at the continental level.
Additionally, a pair of relays showed resilience. The men’s 4x400m squad—Samuel García, Lucas Búa, Oscar Husillos, Iñaki Cañal, and Manuel Guijarro—set a national record and finished fourth. The women’s 4x100m relay, featuring Sonia Molina-Prados, Jäel Bestué, Paula Sevilla, and Maribel Pérez, also posted the fourth-fastest time in the nation’s team history.
There were moments of quiet pride too—runners and non-runners alike contributed to a visible Spanish presence across disciplines, a testament to depth and passion across the sport.
As the European stage closed, the federation highlighted the achievements of the entire team, noting how the collective effort reinforced Spain’s reputation as a serious continental contender in athletics.
international stars
From a European perspective, Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigtsen reaffirmed his standing by winning both the 1500m and 5000m within 48 hours, underscoring his status as a world-class rival in middle-distance events. Femke Bol, the Dutch standout, completed a historic triple by conquering the 400m, 400m hurdles, and the 4x400m relay, a landmark achievement in European sprint history. In Munich, the pole vault and sprint races attracted record-breaking attention, with Duplantis continuing to press his own championship standard and Marcel Jacobs rising as a continental speed force alongside Gina Lückenkemper, as the Munich track proved to be a fitting arena for elite performances.
The event also featured standout performances in field events. Armand Duplantis delivered another explosive display in the pole vault, preserving his Munich title with a championship record of 6.06 meters and validating his dominance since Berlin four years prior. The sprint scene saw Europe’s newest speed figure, Lamont Marcel Jacobs, shine alongside Gina Lückenkemper, signaling a powerful mix of seasoned and emerging talents across the continent.
In summary, the Munich European Championships delivered a wealth of memorable moments for Spanish athletics, highlighted by endurance discipline strengths, explosive sprints, and a roster of young talents moving rapidly toward the world stage. The performance reinforced the belief that Spain remains a persistent force in European athletics, with a bright horizon ahead for its athletes.