Spain will travel to the European Championship with a large team and the idea of winning around ten medals

David Barroso, the 800m runner from Zafra (Badajoz) who has been winning victory after victory this year, smiled mischievously after the final of the Spanish Championship. Not just because of the title. The athlete from Extremadura knew that defeating Moha Attaoui, the explosive athlete from Torrelavega who trains in the mountains of St. Moritz, an athlete with a time of 1m 42.04s in the 800m, was confirmation that he could fight for a medal at the European Championships to be held in Birmingham from August 10 to 16. Spain will bring a large team, with nearly 95 athletes, and the aspiration to return with about ten medals.

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Barroso and Attaoui, impossible to forget their beautiful duel on the scorching track in Málaga, will be two of the candidates offered by the middle distance, where the trio in the 1,500m with Adrián Ben, the Galician with a thousand calculations who even looks at the color of the tracks to know if he has more or fewer chances, Carlos Sáez and Mariano García, cannot be ruled out either. This summer García seems the weakest of the three but last spring he was crowned world champion over this distance indoors. The Murcian has not been able to work on top speed this summer due to soleus pain but trusts that these two weeks will allow him to fine-tune and be competitive in a race without Josh Kerr, Nigel Laros, and Jakob Ingebrigtsen, the Norwegian with six gold medals at the Europeans, who underwent Achilles tendon surgery and announced on Tuesday that he will be in Birmingham, but only in the 5,000m.

The recovery of La Moto, as the athlete from Cuevas de Reyllo is known, keeps the coach, Pepe Peiró, on edge. The same goes for Moha Attaoui, who was a bit behind in his preparation, Marta García, or Quique Llopis, bronze and silver, respectively, at the last European, the one in Rome, in 2024. “I am absolutely convinced that they will be at 100%. All three have had some small obstacles along the way but have managed to overcome them and the important thing is what happens in Birmingham. My concern is zero and I am sure they will give their best version at the European,” said Peiró.

One of those in finalist positions in the European ranking this year is Dani Arce. The Burgos native has run the 3,000m steeplechase in 8m 11.42s and only two other rivals, the Germans Ruppert and Bebendorf, have been faster than him.

The field events offer few opportunities. Tessy Ebosele, who has returned in great shape after a serious injury, and Fátima Diame, who always gives the impression that she can jump further, because that is what her training with Iván Pedroso on the Fuente de la Niña track in Guadalajara tells her, are among the top eight in the ranking. The three men, Eusebio Cáceres, in his seventh European Championship (he has two fourth places), Jaime Guerra, and Lester Lescay, face tough competition from rivals who have jumped over 8.40m this season.

The rest of the options, including a somewhat remote one for Jaël Bestué in the 200m, must be sought in the relays and race walking. The Spanish women have chances in the 4x100m, with Bestué and Maribel Pérez leading, and in the 4x400m, with Paula Sevilla and Blanca Hervás at the forefront. The mixed 4x100m should not be ruled out either. And also by teams, the men’s and women’s formations in the marathon event.

Although it will be race walking, as always, that will lay the foundations of the Spanish participation. They never fail. María Pérez, Paul McGrath, and Miguel Ángel López are the references. Spain has many options in its particular pool with the half marathon and the race walking marathon.

Spain will miss some of its pillars. Like Ana Peleteiro, who has become a mother for the second time, like Marta Pérez and another who will not take long, Esther Guerrero. Or Jordan Díaz, about whom very few know anything and who has not competed since the Tokyo World Championships, more than 10 months ago. Peiró tried to bring some calm. “We will surely see him again. He is in the process and we all hope to see him at the European in Valencia, in March 2027”

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