Men’s 800 Meters Final Lives Up to Expectations
The men’s 800 meters final at the Spanish Championships in La Nucía, a race with high stakes, did not disappoint as it produced an outcome that met expectations. Six athletes were competing for their presence at the Paris Games, with Mariano García at a clear disadvantage due to not yet having the RFEA minimum time of 1:45.20.
García took the lead from the start, setting a fast pace to ensure he went below the required time. He passed the 400-meter mark in 52.74 seconds, making it seem within reach, but a group of international-level athletes was hot on his heels, also vying for the Olympic ticket.
This group included Adrián Ben, Mariano himself, Mohamed Attaoui, Álvaro de Arriba, and Saúl Ordóñez, all with impressive credentials, including an Olympic final, a gold and a bronze in the indoor World Cups, a gold and a silver in the outdoor Europeans, and two continental golds and a bronze indoors.
Additionally, Josué Canales, a Catalan of Honduran origin who transferred to World Athletics last Thursday to represent Spain at the Paris Games, was also a strong contender. Just a week earlier, he had set a personal best of 1:44.49 in Guadalajara.
Attaoui’s Stunning Comeback
Mariano held the lead until the final corner, when he was surpassed by Attaoui, who used the same tactics that had earned him silver at the European Championship in Rome. Attaoui made a stunning comeback to take the lead.
No one could catch Cantabrian Mariano, who achieved his first national title with a time of 1:45.03, just two hundredths off the championship record. Canales finished second with a time of 1:45.53, surpassing Ben in the final meters. García was fourth with a time of 1:45.92, far from the podium and any Olympic chance.
De Arriba and Ordóñez finished fifth and sixth, respectively, also vying for their presence in Paris. Attaoui secured his spot as the champion of Spain, while Ben, a finalist in Tokyo 2020 and the Budapest 2023 World Cup, seemed certain to qualify for Paris, except for a surprise.
Women’s 800 Meters Final
In the women’s 800 meters final, Lorea Ibarzabal took the championship record with a time of 2:00.12. Madrid native Ibarzabal took advantage of the work of Daniela Garcia, who risked her presence in Paris via World Ranking, to pull the group from the start. Garcia finished second with a time of 2:00.83, while Lucia Pinacchio won bronze with a personal best time of 2:01.16.
Weightlifting and Javelin
In the weightlifting, Belén Toimil achieved her fifth consecutive gold at the national championships with a fifth throw of 18.75 meters, just five centimeters away from the Spanish record. Yulenmis Aguilar, a Spanish woman of Cuban origin, won the javelin with a second throw of 59.85 meters, her presence at the Games dependent on her ranking.
In the high jump, David Gonzalez, just 20 years old, surprised Alexis Sastre and Carlos Rojas with a personal best of 2.15 meters.
