“It was a year of transition, postolímpico and the piston had to be lowered a little,” he says Jacinto Garzónthe coach of María Pérezjust before taking the flight to Tokyo to play the World Cup. The Granadina march, the 20 -kilometer European champion in 2018, the world champion in 20 and 35 kilometers in 2023, played Absolute glory last summer at the Paris Olympic Games: Silver in the individual and gold test together with Álvaro Martín in the relay, which will not have continuity, so they will be the first and the last. A historical moment at the foot of the Torre Eiffel. A duo that breaks in this World Cup, because the Extremadura decided to retire at the top. The couple was literal in the capital of France because the test was mixed, but it was already in some way symbolically, because in the same championships in which Maria won gold, Álvaro did so (he, in addition, was continental champion in 2022). He will miss Maria. He has already done it when buying the bottle of champagne, a classic among them, which flew to Tokyo just in case there is a prize again.
Because “transition” does not mean relaxation. Simply, Maria took a break just after the games “for the promotion of the march and for the celebration of that important medal in the games,” Garzón explains. «In February a more specific preparation began. We were surprised because in the first competition, the European Cup had a great performance, being champion, ”the coach continues. “And from there we have made a summer preparation,” continues Maria’s coach. «I arrive at the World Cups in a good moment, even better than the games. I am happy with the work and with the summer I have done to get in the best possible way, ”athlete athlete herself acknowledges in an interview with EFE.
«We have been at altitude in two stages: a first in Light, in Italy, sharing that rivalry and friendship at the same time with Antonella Palmisano. Then we have been in Font Romeu, in France, with the Spanish team, we have gone down to the Car de Sant Cugat and from there and heading to Tokyo, ”says Jacinto Garzón. The Orce champion points to Palmisano (Olympic champion in Tokyo 2020) as the main rival for the 35 -kilometer testthat opens the competition. They have a fantastic relationship and this time it has been the one who visited the transalpine to train, after the Paris Games was the host of her intimate rival, but by leisure: she took her as a tourist guide and take tapas by Granada.
Maria has been able to prepare this World Cup without serious problems of injuries, to light years of what happened in 2024. The past preseason began with an important problem in the hip and then three viruses attacked. He had the right time, or less, but he took advantage of it to make history in the games. Nor had the precedents been easy. In Japan precisely, in 2021, in the previous Olympic event, he touched the glory and was fourth. In 2022 he entered a small crisis because he was disqualified from the great competitions, the European and the World Cup. He got to work talking to the whole world of march, with Bragado, Korzeniowski, Pepe Marín, Beatriz Pascual … seeking to polish his style to resurface in 2023 with his double world title and finish off in 2024, despite the injuries, in the best possible scenario. Keep improving in that regard. “The technical one must always work,” Jacinto Garzón admits. «We have continued doing a job not only for now, but for the future, and we have done it with Pepe Marín, Josep Marín, who is always one of our great bastions and our great advisor to the technique with Maria. We are eager to enjoy this competition, and why not be able to return to a podium in 35 and, to see how it recovers, also in 20 [el sábado 20 de septiembre]», The coach continues.
Danger for heat and humidity
Apart from Maria, they compete in the 35 kilometers Raquel González, Cristina Montesinos, Manuel Bermúdez, Daniel Chamosa and Miguel Ángel López (the male and female tests are at the same time). The added enemy is the temperature. «We are going to a different country, the proof will be hard by moisture mainly. Let’s see how we adapt to this change. Enjoy the way, which has been able to work very well. We are happy, ”concludes Garzón. At the moment, the beginning has been decided to advance half an hour: it will be at 7:30 in the morning in Tokyo (00:30 in Spain, Teledeporte and Eurosport).
