The march, where Spain treasures some of its clearest options to get a medal, will be in charge of opening fire in Eugene with the women’s and men’s 20-kilometer tests (from 10:10 p.m., Teledeporte). María Pérez, Álvaro Martín, Diego Martín Carrera and Alberto Amezcua will be the protagonists.
You should never lose sight of them, because the Spanish marchers almost never disappoint. They have signed 17 of the 39 medals obtained by Spain in the total of the world championships, and they are the only ones with a presence in each and every one of the editions, from Helsinki 1983. From that appointment in the Finnish capital is the first metal, a silver achieved by José Marín in the 50 kilometers, proof that it disappears from this edition to give way to the 35 kilometers.
From then on, already mythical names such as Valentín Massana, Daniel Plaza, Jesús Ángel García Bragado, Paquillo Fernández or Juan Manuel Molina have been increasing the medal table until reaching the gold of Miguel Ángel López in Beijing 2015, until now the last Spanish title in a World Cup. The girls have not failed either, where the bronzes of Encarna Granados and María Vasco shine.
The Spanish marchers arrive in Eugene with the bittersweet feeling left by the tokyo games, where he left with three fourth places, always close to the medal. One of them corresponded to Marc Tur. The other two to María Pérez and Álvaro García, two of today’s protagonists. “At the Games we made a good chocolate party,” María Pérez, the Granada-born Orce woman who surprised the world by proclaiming herself European champion in 2018, at just 22 years old, admits with a smile to ABC. «Speaking clearly, that was a bitch for everyone. In my case it was a bitter quarter at the time, but with the passage of time things look a little better. The Spanish march has a very good level, although it is true that it gives the feeling that they only remember us for the big events ».
Pérez, García and the rest of the team, including the athletes who will take part in the 35 kilometers (Laura García-Caro, Raquel González, Marc Tur, Miguel Ángel López and Álvaro López) have been secluded in Colorado for a few weeks preparing for an atypical summer , because this World Cup will be followed by a European Championship in Munich, in August, for which we will also have to be prepared. “It’s a rather unusual date for a World Cup, and it has forced us to move up training sessions and take everything patiently.”
Account the Granada, who lands in Oregon with the second best world record of the year (1:27.40) after the Australian Jemima Montag (1:27.27), that it will be difficult to be one hundred percent in both championships, although he does not expect an excessive drop in form after the race in Eugene: “There is no other option but to maintain the peak, but we are not robots or machines. We have followed the preparation that they have given us and we will have to save something for Munich.
change of priorities
Pérez was eighth in Doha, last World Cup. Finalist, but far from the medals. There she took its toll on the suffocating heat. Also the pressure for the continental medal. «Like that gold came to me very young, but everything happens for a reason. In these years I have learned a lot, especially what it takes to get things. That has made me reaffirm myself in the things I believe in, work, sacrifice and perseverance».
The Tokyo Games also marked a turning point in the life of Maria Perez. Or rather, his preparation mixed with the pandemic. “It was not easy, I learned that there are valuable things beyond sport.” The walker remembers how, along with the uncertainty of knowing what would happen to the Olympic event, was joined by terrifying news, a cancer detected in her partner, fortunately overcome today. Her value scale was transformed. Also her priorities. Pérez decided to compete less and save more time for his team.
Beyond the marks, Pérez will once again have the Chinese marchers as his main rivals, who aspire to repeat the triplet achieved in Doha. The heat will once again be his great ally.
And if China takes the lead in the women’s march, in the men’s it is Japan the rival to defeat. Koki Ikeda, silver in Tokyo, arrives with the best mark of the course (1:18.53). The three Spaniards arrive installed among the ten best world walkers of the season, and with all the options.
