Patxi Peula secured a silver medal at the World Championships in Asunción, adding to his extensive palmarès. At 38 years of age and competing in his first opportunity of the event, the vitoriano skater maintained his candidacy at the highest level in the 5,000-meter track race.
Peula entered the competition following a silver medal in points and a relay title at the European Championships. Teammate Manuel Taibo initially stood out during a fast start, securing the early points before Peula joined the initial breakaway group of six runners. With six laps remaining, Peula launched a successful solo attack, building a wide cushion of points that commanded the standings for much of the race. Ultimately, France’s Hugo Morin captured the victory by securing the final five point distributions to overtake the Spanish skater, while Taiwanese competitor Chia-Cheng Tseng finished third.
Upcoming Schedule and Additional Competitors
Following his performance in the 5,000-meter event, Peula prepared to face the 10,000-meter elimination race. He is not the only representative from alavés skating at the championships, which run through Sunday the 18th. Aura Quintana, his club partner from Club de Patinaje Desliza Vitoria, also entered the event following a silver medal at the Europeans and securing her sixth Marathon World Cup title. Despite a promising start, a fast final and a split in the group left her without options, resulting in an eighteenth-place finish.
Broader Medal Context
In a separate competition context during his fifteenth senior world championship appearance, Peula also achieved an eighth career world championship medal by taking silver in the 10,000-meter points race in Colombia. Alongside junior skater Ruth Arza—who earned a bronze medal in the circuit lap—those performances contributed to a Spanish delegation tally of one gold, two silvers, and three bronzes, placing the country fifth in the global ranking.
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