After Belgrade triumph, Garcia revving for success in Oregon

At the beginning of 2022, few would have predicted that Spain's Mariano García would become world indoor 800m champion.  

Only the most passionate athletics fans knew of the 24-year-old whose only appearance on a major stage came at the 2019 world championships where he was eliminated in the opening round. Disappointment followed in 2020 with the postponement of the Olympic Games and followed him the following year when he was struck with appendicitis just as the season was reaching its pinnacle and Olympic berths were at stake. 

But that disappointment proved to be the first step to unexpected triumph in Belgrade in March.

“It was hard to lose any chance of making the Spanish team for Tokyo but I managed to leave the disappointment behind me soon,” Garcia said. “And once I could resume training I focused in the following major championship, Belgrade."

Earlier in 2021, García has shown his indoor credentials by winning at the Madrid stop on the World Athletics Indoor Tour thanks to a 1:45.66 lifetime best. But he failed to reach the final at the European Indoor Championships in Torun. 

"The 800 metres, especially indoors, is such a tactical affair that any minor mistake leaves you out of the following round,” he said. “In Torun I missed the final by seven hundredths of a second and the athlete who preceded me, Poland's Patryk Dobek, then became European champion, so sometimes the line between success and failure is very thin."

Early season world lead sets the tone

The Spaniard warned his rivals in his second outing of the 2022 indoor season with a commanding victory in Staten Island, clocking a world-leading 1:45:12 to clip 0.13 from Spain's 20-year-old national record. 

"Honestly I didn't expect to run than fast at that early stage of the season but it's true that training was going really well."

García's performances were expected to be bettered in the lead-in to Belgrade but arrived but the Spaniard arrived in the Serbian capital as the world leader and ready to face the world’s best.

"The fact of entering the world championships as the season's leader didn't add any pressure,” he said. “I felt great and full of optimism as I had finished either first or second in all my previous outings, That was a strong morale and confidence booster."

Garcia advanced comfortably to the final, the first time as an eight-athlete race. The smaller field didn’t faze him. "I think that's a positive decision; at longer events there are up to 12 finalists. It's true that we run much faster in the 800 metre event but at the same time we all are accustomed to compete against eight or ten rivals at any meeting so definitely it's a right measure."

Strong tactician

The final included Canada's Marco Arop, a clear hint that the race would be fast, given his well-known front-running style. Arop fulfilled expectations, setting a lightning pace as he ripped through the opening 200m in 23.97 before reaching 400m in 50.34, a rhythm quick enough to threaten the current world record of 1:42:67. As he pace slowed on the third lap, Garcia followed his coach Gabi Lorente’s advice to sit back and not panic if the race started fast. “Stay back and don’t panic – you’ll be able to bounce back in the second half,” he was told.

Arop led at the half with Sweden’s Andreas Kramer close behind with Garcia moving on to his shoulder. Shortly afterwards, the Spaniard passed the Swede to reach the bell in second. García made his decisive move just before the final bend to easily leave Arop behind but he still had to hold off a stiff challenge from Kenyan teenager Noah Kibet who pushed García to the line, 1:46:20 and 1:46:28 their respective times.

Ironically, García became world champion barely three weeks after failing to capture the national title in Orense, an honour claimed by Álvaro de Arriba after a blanket finish (1:49:26 vs 1:49:34). Both beat Adrián Ben, the fifth place finisher at the Tokyo Olympics. De Arriba, the 2019 European indoor champion, was fourth in Belgrade, missing the podium by just 0.23. "The level in Spain over 800 metres is huge, there are no fewer than four or five athletes extremely even and any of us can take the national title at a given day.”

His athletics roots? Running from a dog

Many accomplished athletes kicked-off athletics at school or inspired in their childhood by top athletes. But García's way to take up running was different and definitely quite funny. "When I was a kid there was a dog in my village which wanted to bite me day after day so the only thing I could do was run away as fast as possible.”

In contrast to most athletes who move up to longer distances over time, García first serious approach to competition came in the 3000m steeplechase. 

"At first athletics was just a game for me and I found that event really exciting,” Garcia said. “I enjoyed the water jumps.” He then moved down to the 1500m before finally settling on 800m. 

"I had promised myself not to quit the steeplechase before breaking the nine-minute barrier. I did so then I began to feel more comfortable at the 1500 but the change to the 800 was a surprise even for me."

The 24-year-old has never competed at an individual 400m event, so moving an lower in an unlikely option. More likely is a move back up, given his familiarity with the 1500m and a 3:39.06 lifetime best achieved this year.

"Yes, I'm not sure exactly when I'll move up to the 1500m but in a matter of two, three or four years, I'll be focused on the longer event and I would also like to tackle the steeplechase again to find out how fast I can run."

Faster times to come

Garcia was the only Belgrade finalist without a sub-1:45:00 to his name, unfinished business he hopes to complete soon.

“Being world indoor champion I don't mind not having performed under 1:45 as I consider titles much more important than times. But of course I hope to dip well under 1:45 soon."   

Unlike many of the world's finest 800m specialists, García's usual training venue is not a high performance centre equipped with several tracks and a modern gym but the countryside and streets of Cuevas de Reyllo, his small village some 100 kilometres away from the coastal city of Murcia. García feels proud to remain loyal to his hometown despite the most luxurious place for training is a 300 metre triangular dirt track. 

"I only go to the synthetic track twice a month to do the quality work as I feel very comfortable in my village. I prefer to be surrounded by my family and friends to having top-notch facilities."

Belgrade's was García's first medal on the international stage. His previous best finish was at the 2019 European Championships where he finished fourth – when still a starry-eyed runner.

“It was my first international competition and I asked for an autograph from all my rivals over the three rounds. I used to watch many of them on TV when was younger so their signatures were a nice memory."

García has a trademark gesture he makes with his knee, arms and face in the presentation of the athletes, resembling a motorcycle.

“At some cross country races early in my career I pretended to ride a motorcycle. Many people found it funny and now I can't stop doing that.”

Success in Belgrade has left him confident about his prospects in Eugene.

"After Belgrade I have been focused on training well. It's true I haven't run faster than 1:46:04 so far this outdoor season but I managed that time at the Spanish championships in a tactical affair and I know I'm in better shape than this winter. So I'll be aiming for the final in Eugene and once there anything can happen." 

Watch out then for García's motorcycle, which seems to fuel up when it really matters.

Emeterio Valiente for World Athletics