Antonio Jimenez wins at the Spanish Championships (© J.J. Ubeda)
Almería, SpainThe middledistance events highlighted the 84th edition of the Spanish championships held last weekend (31 July-1 August) in Almería in hot conditions.
Reigning European 3000m steeplechase champion Antonio Jiménez and European 1500 silver medallist Reyes Estévez emerged as two of the main stars throughout the busy weekend with commanding wins which lead them to have great Olympic expectations.
Jiménez heads powerful steeplechase squad
The men’s steeplechase featured no fewer than four athletes with PB’s of under 8:14 (two inside 8:10). This classy field included European champion Antonio Jiménez, Spanish record holder (8:07.44) Luis Miguel Martín Berlanas, World bronze medallist Eliseo Martín and José Luis Blanco, eighth at the Paris Worlds last summer.
With only three Olympic berths on offer the battle was expected to be fierce and the race didn’t let the spectators down. Paced evenly through the 1000 and 2000m points in 2:45.62 and 5:31.71, it was Blanco who stayed at front for much of the race but with 500m Jiménez took command and stepped up the pace gradually.
With 230m to go, a fading Blanco couldn’t live with the leading trio pace but the key moment came after the final water-jump when Jiménez injected his trade-mark devastating kick, after which there was not catching him and he romped homed in a season’s best and championships record of 8:14.30, two full seconds ahead of Luis Miguel Martín, runner-up in 8:16.39. Defending champion Eliseo Martín had to settle for third another two seconds adrift, also in a season’s best of 8:18.38.
Estévez snatches title after six years
Twice World 1500m bronze medallist back in 1997 and 1999, 28-year-old Reyes Estévez has always been the top Spaniard in the major events since then (Seville, Edmonton, Munich, Paris) but in terms of national titles Estévez had to be happy with the minor medals during those years.
This year Estévez faced stiff opposition from reigning champion Juan Carlos Higuero (PB: 3:31.61) and the 23-year-old emerging talent Álvaro Fernández (SB: 3:33.66) fresh from a fourth place in Stockholm last Tuesday.
The race became a tactical affair with splits of 1:01.90 (400m), 2:05.63 (800) and 3:03.24 (1200) before Higuero took the lead trying to break away from the others but he was not successful, as first Estévez on the inside, and then Fernández running in lane two pipped him in the closing stages.
The winning time for Estévez was 3:42 26, 0.33 clear of Fernández, himself another 21 hundredths ahead of Higuero who at least managed to hold off Sergio Gallardo’s late burst to secure his Olympic ticket.
“I’m delighted with this win as my rivals were tough to beat. I used to be successful in tactical races but these previous years I couldn’t get the gold medal so I’m now extremely happy.”
Asked on who will be the favourite to take the Olympic crown a confident Estévez said: “Hicham El Guerrouj is always favourite but I think that the winning performance will be in the 3:33-3:34 range and anything can happen then. Four years ago I was not selected for Sydney Olympics and now it’s my chance to complete my medal collection with an Olympic one”.
Fernández in top form
Francisco Fernández the 2003 World 20km walk silver medallist is arguably one of the main Spanish medal hopes in Athens. He proved to be ready for the Olympic challenge by clinching an overwhelming victory over other top-class walkers such as European bronze medallist Juan Manuel Molina and former 50km World champion Jesús Ángel García. Fernández left the rest of the field from the gun and had splits of 20.20 (5km), 40.31 (10), 1:00:35 (15) to clock 1:21:00 at the end, a massive 5:03 margin over Molina, while García was timed at 1:26.35.
Olympic 20km walk bronze medallist María Vasco was the victor in the women’s 10 km walk, the opening event held on Saturday, with a 44:48.72 clocking. “I didn’t feel fine throughout the race as I’ve just back from the altitude of Font Romeu and have no rest for today’s race as the only thing important is the competition on 23 August in Athens”. Vasco came third over 20km at this year’s IAAF World Cup in Naumburg in a national record of 1:27:36.
4:04.72 for women’s 1500 and out of Olympic team!
Similarly to the men’s steeplechase, the women’s 1500 event suffered an Olympic “overbooking” situation. Prior to these national champs four athletes had run inside the “A” Olympic standard (4:05.80), and so one woman had to be ruled out for the Olympics.
After a slow race the picture with 50m left was dramatic with an open fan of runners (Natalia Rodríguez, Nuria Fernández, Iris Fuentes-Pila and her older sister Zulema) fighting neck and and neck to the line. Rodríguez narrowly recorded her fifth title in a row (4:17.15), while Iris Fuentes-Pila and Nuria Fernández took the minor medals to book their berths for Athens. Barring a huge surprise, Zulema Fuentes-Pila will be forced to watch the Olympics on TV despite a 4:04.72 performance which she set in Paris last 23 July.
Reina and Martínez unopposed, while Lamela withdraws
Still 23, 2002 World Cup 800m winner Antonio Reina collected his fifth straight national title with ease in 1:47.34, while in the women’s event the win went to European silver medallist Mayte Martínez who clocked 2:03.35 in her first 800m appearance since she fell ill in early June.
Manuel Martínez was unchallenged in the men’s Shot Put with a 20.21 heave only 18 days before his event takes place in Olympia. With a slightly injury in his Achilles tendon World Long Jump bronze medallist Yago Lamela didn’t compete as a precautionary measure. He has been physically hampered this 2004 season with minor injuries but Lamela hopes to peak in Athens despite his moderate 8.06 season best.
Other remarkable wins in the men’s events came from Felipe Vivancos in the men’s 110m Hurdles with a massive PB of 13.49 (+1.6), Mario Pestano in the Discus with a best release of 64.79, Carlos Castillejo (13:44.66) in a thrilling 5000m ahead of the twin brothers Carlos and Roberto García. In this event, current European Cross Country silver medallist Juan Carlos de la Ossa was fifth and won’t be in Athens despite his 13:18.43 clocking last Tuesday in Stockholm.
Among the women, Marta Mendía took the High Jump clearing 1.94, the same height as runner-up Ruth Beitia. Concha Monatner took the Long Jump leaping 6.59 (-0.2), Dana Cervantes won the Pole Vault with a first time clearance of 4.40, Berta Castells prevailed in the Hammer with a 68.10m sixth round throw, and Carlota Castrejana was victorious in the Triple Jump in 14.23 (-0.1).
Emeterio Valiente for the IAAF
