María Vicente captured the spotlight on the last day of the Spanish Athletics Championship held at the Juan de la Cierva Sports justify in Getafe with a great mark in the 200 meters.
The Catalan combinera, which in this National did not want to compete in the heptathlon – it has the Olympic ticket insured -, opted for the length and the double hectometer .
Vicente had already achieved a personal mark in the pit yesterday with 6.54 , a record that relegated him to fourth place. Today, in 200, he started with the best time of the eight participants and did not disappoint.
The European U20 heptathlon champion had to overcome her partner and friend Jaël Bestué in the final stretch , to end up prevailing with a mark of 23.03 (+0.5), which places her third in the Spanish list of all time after Sandra Myers (22.38) and Cristina Pérez (22.86).
Vicente has dropped his record by almost a second in this test – he started the year with a personal best 23.76 -, which is part of the heptathlon, which is undoubtedly great news for his future in his fetish test.
I knew it was good, because I made a personal best in Arona and Madrid. I thought I could lower it here, but not two tenths. I’m super happy and really want to go to Tokyo and try to improve it again there against the best in the world” commented the new champion.
“I had a hard week of training and I felt tired,” he added, “but what better way to finish it. I have done two very good combined, but I have not reached my potential in all the tests, so I hope that in Tokyo I will get seven of seven”.
The other athlete who shone with her own light this afternoon was Ana Peleteiro , who showed her best version with five jumps over 14 meters , including a sixth and last of 14.61 (-0.8), which places her eighth in the ranking world of the year .
Peleteiro, who holds the national record at 14.73, had never flown this far outdoors, which certainly bodes well for Tokyo. It was the fifth national title for the Galician. The silver, by the way, went to the incombustible Patricia Sarrapio with 13.87 (+2.6).
Peleteiro was ambitious after her great competition: “I always say it. Ever since I was little I dream of being an Olympic medalist. What’s more, I dream of being an Olympic champion, I am not going to be a hypocrite.”
“I know how Yulimar (Rojas, his Venezuelan training partner, double world champion) is in an incredible state, but I also know that in this life nothing is given away, everything has to be fought until the last moment, and I will be there , fighting to the last bullet to give my best. “
“If I do my best and a competition like today comes out, feeling good and fighting until the last jump, which is what we are training all year long, it means a lot. I know I’m in good shape, but I still feel good about it. the last note remains , “he said.
Ben, the smartest
In the 800s, a beautiful men’s final with Adrián Ben prevailing on the last straight over Saúl Ordóñez and Pablo Sánchez-Valladares . The Galician won with a record of 1: 47.07, by 1: 47.14 from Berciano and 1: 47.33 from Madrid, who was the one who led the race until the final hostilities.
Álvaro de Arriba and Javier Mirón finished fourth and fifth. Now we need to know what the Federation will do because beyond Ben and Mirón’s Olympic minimums, there are other athletes who could go to Tokyo via ranking.
In the women’s 800, an exhibition by Natalia Romero , who running alone from the starting gun ended up winning with a personal best (2: 02.26). Daniela García was silver with 2: 05.51 and Marina Martínez , bronze with 2: 05.87.
The men’s weight was marked by the emotional withdrawal of Borja Vivas , who was second with 18.95, by 19.89 of the predictable winner Carlos Tobalina . Vivas leaves at the age of 37 with a European silver, achieved in Zurich 2014, and 17 national titles between indoor and outdoor.
The wind was once again an obstacle for good times in the men’s 200-meter final. Jesús Gómez triumph with 20.86 (-1.8), with Pol Retamar and Daniel Rodríguez completing the podium with 20.97 and 20.98, respectively.
The 1,500 of Mechaal and Esther Guerrero
In the queen of the middle distance test, a great victory for Adel Mechaal in a typical final that was decided on the last straight. Antonio Serrano’s pupil attacked in the absence of a lap and Ignacio Fontés and Mario García Romo followed in his wake.
Thus, Mechaal, fourth in the 2017 World Cup in London, had to grit his teeth to finish winning with a record of 3: 46.53 , 3: 46.64 from Fontes and 3: 46.78 from García Romo.
In the 1,500 women, Esther Guerrero retained the crown after launching a very long attack that ended up dismounting all her rivals, although Marta Pérez held on until the final stretch.
In a slow race, Guerrero won with 4: 22.82, by 4: 23.90 for Soriana Pérez and 4: 25.42 for Solange Pereira , who completed the podium.
In the javelin, a logical victory for Odei Jainaga with a better throw, the fourth, of 79.54 meters. The Donostiarra beat the Quijera brothers, Manu and Nico , second and third respectively with 77.96 and 74.16.