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Report from RFEA Atletismo
Cieza crowned its first two Spanish champions this morning in the innovative half-marathon race walk: Diego García-Carrera and Antía Chamosa. The Murcian town, a land of race walkers, hosted this inaugural edition, which awarded titles over the half-marathon distance, replacing the previous 20km race walk.
Diego García-Carrera, first Spanish half-marathon race walk champion
At 10:00 a.m., on a morning with the asphalt of Cieza’s streets slightly damp, the race began in the Plaza de España in this town of 35,000 inhabitants. A total of 46 walkers (both senior, under-23, and masters) tackled the 21 laps of the 1km circuit.
The initial stages were covered at a comfortable pace, with a large group leading the race. However, the initial harmony soon broke down, and local athlete Manuel Bermúdez, runner-up in the marathon on this same course three weeks prior, decided to take the initiative and open a gap with the chasing pack. Nevertheless, Bermúdez’s attempt didn’t last. The group gradually reduced the gap until they caught him at kilometer 5, at which point the race regrouped at the front.
As the kilometers ticked by, the leading group thinned out. By the halfway point, Diego García-Carrera and Álvaro López, the reigning 20km race walk champion, were already standing out, closely followed by Iván López and Miguel Ángel López. At kilometer 15, Diego García-Carrera, from Madrid, began to increase the pace and opened a small gap over his training partner, Álvaro López. Behind them, Miguel Ángel López was in third place, while Paul McGrath occupied fourth position after Iván López passed through the Penalty Zone.
Álvaro López held his ground and caught up with Diego García-Carrera once again. The two athletes, coached by José Antonio Quintana, were thus engaged in a thrilling duel for the gold. With 2 km to go, García-Carrera changed pace once more and opened a decisive gap, allowing him to be crowned the first Spanish half-marathon race walk champion with a time of 1:26:07, adding this title to the one he won in the 20 km race walk in 2021. The silver medal went to Álvaro López, who crossed the finish line in 1:26:21, while the bronze stayed in Murcia thanks to Miguel Ángel López, who finished third with a time of 1:26:37.
After the race, García-Carrera highlighted the unique nature of the circuit and the strategy he employed from the start: “It was a really fun race. The circuit wasn’t particularly conducive to setting records, because it had seven turns, elevation changes, and a lot of people, but that’s precisely what made it different. We often compete on very monotonous circuits, and this one felt almost like a Formula 1 track.”
In U23 category, the title went to Daniel Monfort, who finished fifth overall with a time of 1:27:54. Javier de Arriba finished second with 1:33:15, and Iván Molina third with 1:33:29.
Antía Chamosa dominated the women’s race.
The women’s race started at 10:15 on the same 1km urban circuit in Cieza. From the very first meters, Antía Chamosa took control of the race, setting a demanding pace that allowed her to gain an advantage over the chasing quartet of Aldara Meilán, Sofía Santacreu, Lidia Sánchez-Puebla, and Lucía Redondo.
The Galician race walker dominated the entire competition with a very consistent pace, always at the front and accompanied for much of the course by Manuel Bermúdez from Cieza, who was competing in the men’s event. Meanwhile, behind them, the chasing group maintained its cohesion for a good part of the race.
The quartet stayed together until kilometer 15, when the first moves in the battle for the medals began. Lidia Sánchez-Puebla and Lucía Redondo dropped back from the group, leaving Aldara Meilán and Sofía Santacreu at the head of the chase. Both, in addition to competing for the overall silver and bronze medals, were also vying for the U23 title.
At the front, Chamosa not only maintained control but even slightly increased her pace in the final kilometers, consolidating a decisive advantage over her rivals. Unchallenged in the final meters, Antía Chamosa crossed the finish line with a time of 1:33:45, becoming the first Spanish half-marathon race walk champion. Very pleased after the race, the Galician athlete explained that she approached the event as part of her preparation for the season’s major international competition: “I’m very happy, Spanish champion in my first half-marathon. This season is very exciting, and the main goal is the World Team Championships in Brasilia. I came here somewhat as training. Also, I haven’t been feeling very well this week due to a health issue, but we came with a lot of enthusiasm.”
The resolution of the other two podium places produced a very unusual sight in race walking. Aldara Meilán and Sofía Santacreu staged a nail-biting finish, with the order having to be decided by a photo finish. Both recorded the same official time of 1:34:44, but hundredths of a second ultimately awarded the silver medal to Aldara Meilán (1:34:44.39) and the bronze to Sofía Santacreu (1:34:44.81).
Photo album
Full photo album RFEA by Miguelez (ESP)