Spanish Heptathlon Record Holder María Vicente Leaves for England to Train with Aston Moore

María Vicente, Spain’s national record holder in the heptathlon, has left her training base in San Sebastián to relocate to Loughborough, England, where she will train under Aston Moore ahead of the upcoming Olympic cycle. The 2026 departure marks a significant shift for the Catalan athlete, who spent six and a half years training in the Basque Country under veteran coach Ramón Cid after previously developing at the CAR center in Sant Cugat.

Departure from San Sebastián and New Training Base in Loughborough

Vicente announced her relocation through social media, reflecting on her time in San Sebastián and her transition to the East Midlands. During her tenure in the Basque capital, she established herself as Spain’s foremost multi-events competitor, overcoming a series of major injuries, including an Achilles tendon rupture that sidelined her ahead of the 2024 indoor season in Glasgow. Following her rehabilitation, she returned to competition to break her own Spanish record in Birmingham with 6,372 points, securing an eighth-place finish at the European Championships.

In England, Vicente joins a high-performance training group led by Aston Moore at Loughborough University. Moore, a Jamaican-born former British triple jump record holder, is recognized for his work in horizontal jumps and combined events. His coaching resume includes guiding Phillips Idowu to a world championship title, helping Ashia Hansen set an indoor world record in the triple jump, and coaching Kelly Sotherton to Commonwealth gold. Most notably, Moore serves as the long-time coach of British heptatlon star Katarina Johnson-Thompson, whom he has steered to world championship gold and Olympic silver.

Coaching Perspectives on the Transition to British Facilities

Ramón Cid, who coached Vicente in San Sebastián for more than half a decade and has spent over fifty years in athletics, stated that the move was mutually agreed upon after months of discussions. According to Cid, the transition is designed to provide Vicente with fresh technical concepts and training adjustments necessary for future international competition. Cid noted that with two years remaining in his own coaching career and a much longer runway ahead for Vicente as an elite athlete, the change offers a necessary structural evolution.

Reporting on the broader sporting landscape, ABC noted that Vicente’s exit from Spain aligns with a wider trend of prominent Spanish track and field athletes relocating abroad for training. Recent months have seen several high-profile departures from national high-performance centers, including triple jump Olympic champion Jordan Díaz moving to Kansas State University, middle-distance runner Mohamed Attaoui and Marta García establishing bases in Switzerland, and 1,500-meter Olympic finalist Águeda Marqués leaving Madrid to work with Gjert Ingebrigtsen.

Training Methodology and Future International Goals

The training environment at Loughborough University combines elite-tier athletic infrastructure with sports science support. Moore is known for a demanding physical and technical regimen, particularly in disciplines like the 800 meters and technical jump events. For Vicente, the move offers specialized continuity after years disrupted by physical setbacks and extended recovery periods.

The athlete’s focus now shifts entirely to her integration into the British training camp, targeting technical refinements under her new coaching staff as she prepares for upcoming international championships and the subsequent Olympic Games.