Mariana Machado left Tokyo’s 2025 World Athletics Championships feeling truly gutted. Competing in the 5,000 meters semifinals, the Portuguese runner openly shared her deep disappointment. This recent performance, unfortunately, capped off a season that saw her sidelined by an emergency appendicitis surgery.
“I’m leaving here incredibly unhappy, sad, and let down,” Machado told reporters. She reflected on a season that began with such promise. Back in April, she set a national record for the 10 kilometers, finishing in 31 minutes and 30 seconds. She also clocked a sub-15-minute time in the 5,000 meters earlier in the year. The 24-year-old from Sporting de Braga was riding a wave of good form, but then came the unexpected health crisis.
This was Machado’s third appearance at the World Championships. She previously placed 19th in Oregon in 2022 and 29th in Budapest in 2023. Her preparation for Tokyo was severely interrupted by surgery. “I had appendicitis and spent all of June unable to train,” she explained. “I was really out of shape. I tried my hardest to get back.”
She spent two months away from home, including altitude training, all to regain her speed and strength. “But unfortunately, there just wasn’t enough time,” Machado lamented. Her frustration was clear after finishing 20th and last in her semifinal heat with a time of 15:39.61 minutes. “I felt a massive lack of rhythm out there. I never truly got into the race.”
That time was far from her best. Earlier in the season, during her Diamond League debut in Xiamen, she had run an impressive 14:53.91. That performance highlighted her true potential, making her current struggles even harder to swallow.
“This wasn’t the result I wanted, nor what I train for every single day,” Machado admitted. She quickly added, “But my journey doesn’t stop here. I have a lot of hard work ahead. I’m focused on continuing to improve and chasing better results.” She views the disappointing race as an “off day” that she wants to forget, but also as a learning experience.
Overall, across both semifinal heats, Machado finished 39th out of 40 runners. The first heat saw Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet win in 14:45.59, just ahead of Italy’s Nadia Battocletti. The second heat, where Machado competed, was won by Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay with a time of 14:56.46.
“It was a race where I never felt connected, never found the right pace,” she concluded. “I was running, as they say, on autopilot. I couldn’t hit my stride.” She couldn’t meet her own expectations. “It became more about just finishing. I don’t like giving up when I wear my country’s symbol on my chest; that’s a huge responsibility. I pushed myself to the very end, but it was incredibly tough.”