Beyond the Gold: María Pérez and the Drive for European Redemption
For most athletes, a resume featuring an Olympic gold medal and four World Championship titles would be the definitive closing chapter of a career. For María Pérez, it is simply the baseline. The Spanish race walker, who has ascended to the absolute peak of her discipline, is not looking back at her trophies. Instead, she is looking toward Birmingham and a specific rival who keeps her competitive fire burning.
Speaking on her current mindset, the granadina star was candid about what keeps her training through the grueling hours of race walking. “When great things are obtained and great results can be achieved, there is always a separate motivation,” Pérez said. “In my case, it is Antonella [Palmisano]. I am the same for her. We know each other incredibly well and we make each other better as people and as athletes.”
This relationship with the Italian walker, Antonella Palmisano, transcends simple rivalry. It is a symbiotic competitive loop where two of the world’s best push one another to redefine the limits of the sport. With the European Championships set for August 10-16 in Birmingham, England, Pérez is focused on recovering the European crown she last held in 2018.
The Historic Double: Entering the Pantheon of Legends
To understand why Pérez is viewed as a generational talent, one must look at her performance on the world stage. In the athletics world, achieving a “double” in two different distances at a single championship is a feat reserved for the immortals. Pérez has not only done it once; she has done it twice.
At the World Championships in Budapest 2023, Pérez secured gold in both the 20-kilometer and 35-kilometer race walks. She repeated this historic double in Tokyo 2025, dominating both distances once again. This level of versatility and endurance places her in an elite bracket of athletes, drawing comparisons to legends such as Carl Lewis (100m and long jump), Usain Bolt (100m and 200m) and Mo Farah (5,000m and 10,000m).
For the uninitiated, race walking is a discipline of extreme technical precision. One wrong step or a loss of contact with the ground can lead to disqualification. To maintain that technical discipline while pushing for world-leading speeds across two different distances requires a psychological fortitude that Pérez has mastered under the guidance of her long-time coach, Jacinto Garzón.
From Tokyo Heartbreak to Paris Glory
The path to the top was not without its obstacles. The 2020 Tokyo Olympics served as a pivotal moment of growth for the Spaniard. Finishing fourth in the 20km event—just outside the medals—left a void that Pérez used as fuel for the following quadrennial.
That redemption arrived in spectacular fashion at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Pérez secured two medals in the French capital: a silver in the individual 20km race walk and a gold medal in the mixed relay. The gold medal victory cemented her status as an Olympic champion and proved that she could deliver under the highest possible pressure on the world’s biggest stage.
The transition from the disappointment of Tokyo to the triumph of Paris highlights the mental evolution of the athlete. While the medals are the visible result, the process was rooted in a relentless pursuit of marginal gains and a refusal to settle for “near-misses.”
Rewriting the Record Books
Pérez’s dominance is not just measured in medals, but in the clock. She has systematically dismantled the Spanish record books, setting new benchmarks in the 3,000m, 5,000m, 10km, 20km, and 35km events.
Her most staggering achievement came in 2023, when she established a world record in the 35km race walk with a time of 2:37:15. This mark serves as a testament to her efficiency and aerobic capacity, marking her as the gold standard for the distance globally.
Her domestic record is equally imposing. Pérez has been a perennial force in the Spanish Championships, claiming titles in the 10,000m (2019, 2021, 2023, 2025), the 20km (2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023), and the 35km (2021, 2022, 2023).
Career Milestone Summary
| Competition | Achievement | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Paris 2024 Olympics | Gold & Silver | Gold (Mixed Relay), Silver (20km) |
| World Championships | 4 Gold Medals | Double gold in Budapest 2023 & Tokyo 2025 |
| European Championships | Gold Medal | Champion in 2018 |
| World Records | 35km Walk | 2:37:15 (Set in 2023) |
The Road to Birmingham
As the athletics calendar turns toward the summer of 2026, the focus shifts to the United Kingdom. The European Championships in Birmingham represent more than just another competition for Pérez; they are an opportunity to reclaim the “European scepter.”
Having not won the European title since 2018, the event serves as the final piece of the puzzle for the current cycle. The battle is expected to be a tactical chess match between Pérez and Palmisano, two athletes who know each other’s strengths and weaknesses intimately. In a sport where mental endurance is as critical as physical fitness, this rivalry ensures that neither athlete can afford a single lapse in preparation.
Pérez’s journey from a schoolgirl in Orce, Granada—where she began walking at age 11—to a world-record holder is a blueprint for athletic development. With Jacinto Garzón remaining at her side as her coach, the stability of her support system has been a cornerstone of her longevity.
The athletics world will be watching Birmingham from August 10 to 16 to see if the “motivation” of a friendly rivalry is enough to propel María Pérez to another historic victory.
Next Checkpoint: The European Championships in Birmingham, scheduled for August 10-16, 2026.
Do you think María Pérez will maintain her dominance in Birmingham, or will Palmisano take the edge? Let us know your predictions in the comments below.
