Moha Attaoui secured a bronze medal for Spain in the 800 meters at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, overcoming an unusual tactical shift in a race that saw tight finishes across multiple events, according to official competition results.
An Unconventional Race in Birmingham
The men’s 800-meter final unfolded at a measured pace on a cool night in Birmingham. Attaoui started from the inside lane and moved to the front of the pack past the 200-meter mark alongside Bloudek, who held the slowest personal entry time among the finalists. Rather than settling into his customary position near the back of the field, the Spanish runner maintained a prominent presence near the front through the opening lap.
Ireland’s competitor eventually took control of the race to claim the gold medal, following a championship record performance of 1:43.49 in the semifinals. Bloudek maintained his position in second throughout, securing the silver medal with a time of 1:45.62. Attaoui crossed the finish line shortly behind in third place, clocking 1:41.75. Fellow Spanish finalist David Barroso finished just four centiseconds behind Attaoui, while Pernici of Italy placed close behind in a tightly contested finish.
Dani Arce and Spanish Athletes Advance in Hurdles and Sprints
In the 3,000-meter steeplechase semifinals, Dani Arce advanced to the medal round with a winning heat time of 8:34.47, recording the fastest mark among the 34 competing athletes. The 34-year-old athlete aims to replicate his bronze-medal performance from Múnich 2022 when he competes in the final scheduled for Sunday evening on Teledeporte. Alejandro Quijada also secured a spot in the steeplechase final, finishing seventh in his heat with a time of 8:36.92.
Paula Sevilla advanced to the 400-meter final by placing third in her heat with a personal best of 50.21 seconds. Teammates Blanca Hervás and Ana Prieto exited the competition after placing fourth and seventh in their respective heats. In the women’s 800 meters, 19-year-old Marta Mitjans reached the semifinals after setting a national under-23 record and personal best of 1:58.52 in the opening round, before finishing sixth in her semifinal. Rocío Arroyo placed eighth in her semifinal heat with a time of 1:59.32 behind heat winner Keely Hodgkinson of Great Britain and Femke Bol of the Netherlands.
Eliminations Across Field and Sprint Disciplines
Una Stancev exited the women’s high jump qualification round after failing to clear 1.91 meters across three attempts, bowing out at 1.88 meters. In the men’s 200 meters, Oriol Sánchez exited in the first round after experiencing pain in his right leg during the closing stretch of his heat. Spanish athletics delegations continue their schedules at the venue ahead of the remaining medal events.
