This collective success is complemented by five individual podium finishes, including three stage victories and two new Spanish records, consolidating Spanish dominance in the discipline.
The championship, which took place under a cold temperature of 8ºC and 77% humidity in the famous Lázeňský Park, a world reference in marching, witnessed memorable performances.
35 km March: Team Records and Silver Medals
The day started early with the 35 km walk. In the men's category, the Italian Massimo Stano He put on a formidable display, setting an unbeatable pace that earned him victory and a new world record of 2:20:43. Behind him was the Spaniard Miguel Ángel Lopez, bronze two years ago, starred in a strategic race alongside German Linke, achieving a spectacular second place and shattering his own national record with 2:23:48. This time surpasses the mark of 2:24:30 with which Álvaro Martín won his world title in Budapest.
The actions of Daniel Chamosa (7th with 2:27:56, personal best) and Manuel Bermúdez (8th with 2:28:43, personal best), who are ranked as the third and fourth best Spanish walkers of all time over the distance, completed a brilliant performance. Despite a red card that prevented him from fighting for the lead, Marc Tur finished in a creditable 19th place. The collective effort of López, Chamosa and Bermúdez secured the team silver medal for Spain with 18 points, behind only Italy (14) and well ahead of Germany (31).
In the women's 35 km race, the Olympic champion María Pérez He returned to the stage where he set the current world record (2:37:15) two years ago. Although he didn't come close to that mark, Pérez put in a masterful race. Following closely behind the Italian GiorgiThe Spaniard waited for her moment to attack after the 18th kilometer, crossing the finish line in first place with 2:38:59, her third best time ever and current world leader of the season. Cristina Montesinos She climbed positions to finish sixth (2:46:18), while Beatriz Cantero (11th with 3:04:04) made progress in the closing laps. Despite the disqualification of Raquel González, the women's 35 km race walk team won the silver medal, being the only two teams (along with Italy) to present a complete line-up.
20 km March: Team Gold and Championship Record
La men's 20 km walk sealed Spain's success with a team gold, bringing their total medal tally to six. Paul McGrath was the star of the show, leading the team to victory. The 2023 European runner-up over the distance in Rome, imposed his authority from the 13th kilometer, beating France's Bordier and Italy's Fortunato. McGrath crossed the line in an impressive 1:18:05, breaking the championship record. Álvaro López (6th with 1:19:38, a personal best and ninth all-time) and Iván López (9th with 1:20:38) secured the necessary points to bring Spain and Italy level on 16 points, with gold going to Spain thanks to the better position of their third points walker (Iván López, 9th vs. Antonelli, 10th). This victory maintains Spain's best record in the event: 14 podium finishes in 15 editions.
The women's 20km race walk quartet also performed outstandingly, taking silver in the team competition. Antía Chamosa, Paula Juárez, and Lidia Sánchez-Puebla performed uniformly. Chamosa was impressive in the final stretch, finishing fourth with a time of 1:29:11, followed by Paula Juárez (6th with 1:29:44, a personal best and 10th all-time) and Lidia Sánchez-Puebla (7th with 1:29:47, a personal best). Gold went to France (15 points), Spain took silver (17 points), just two points behind the French team, and Ukraine completed the podium (20 points).
10km Under-20 March: Two Team Podiums and a National Record
The youngest walkers in the Spanish delegation also put in a formidable performance in the U-10 20km walk, achieving two team podium finishes and two memorable individual performances.
In female categorySofía Santacreu led the Spanish team, achieving a spectacular victory in 43:57. This time not only shattered the long-standing Spanish record in the category (44:48, by Mari Cruz Díaz in 1987) but also set a new championship record. Claudia Ventura (5th with 44:44, second all-time) and Jùlia Suárez (10th with 47:39) completed a formidable performance that earned them team gold, repeating the success of two years ago.
In male testJoan Querol shone with an outstanding individual second place, clocking 40:58, his best race to date. Pablo González (5th with 41:30) and Daniel Monfort (18th with 44:42), despite physical problems, rounded out the team's performance, which took the silver medal with 7 points, just three behind champion Italy and ahead of Ukraine.
The European Race Walking Championships in Podebrady have reaffirmed the excellent form of Spanish race walking, which returns home with a haul of medals that places it among the continental elite in the discipline.
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