Quique Llopis is back on top, and in a big way. The European and fourth-place finisher in the 110 meters hurdles has reconciled with the event that left him off the podium at the 2023 European Indoor Championships after a serious fall. He made his mark in the semifinals, winning with absolute clarity in a time of 7.59, and then stopped to wait for the final a few hours later.
In the final, Llopis faced off against the speedy Abel Jordán, the national champion in the 60 meters with sub-23 records. Llopis had to dig deep and pull out all the stops to seal his second national indoor title. After a good start, he sought to take the lead, but a touch on one of the first hurdles delayed his progress, while Jordán took the top spot. It wasn’t until the last hurdle and the final meters that Llopis closed out the title, crossing the line in 7.50, matching his best time of the season, which puts him third in the continental rankings. Behind him, Jordán finished second with a time of 7.53, a new sub-23 Spanish record, and Ángel Díaz took third with a time of 7.72.
The defending champion, Asier Martínez, was not in the final, as he has yet to regain his top form after returning from a plantar fasciitis injury in 2024. He had a strong start in his semifinal but hit the third hurdle, breaking his rhythm, and finished fifth, out of contention for the title.
Paula Blanquer, champion in 60 hurdles
In the women’s 60 hurdles final, Paula Blanquer dominated the field, winning with a time of 8.16, matching her best time of the year. Meanwhile, in the men’s triple jump, Marcos Ruiz took the top spot with a best jump of 16.78, making him the Spanish leader of the year. In the weight event, Belén Toimil secured another title with her best throw in the final attempt, reaching 17.49 meters to take her fifth national title. Finally, in the women’s pole vault, Maialen Axpe took gold with a height of 4.30.