At the Spanish Athletics Championships in Málaga, the women’s 400 meters came down to 52.31 seconds for Blanca Hervás and 52.32 for Paula Sevilla, a margin of one hundredth. The close final provided a basic test ahead of the European Championships in Birmingham. Both athletes had recently recorded the second- and third-fastest Spanish performances in history at Vallehermoso; windy conditions in Málaga affected the times.
The result extended the close contest between Hervás and Sevilla, whose near-identical times underlined the fine margins separating them. In Málaga, the wind shaped the afternoon’s performances, while the 400-meter final delivered the championship’s closest finish.
Earlier, Ángel González broke the 46-second barrier in the men’s 400 meters, clocking 45.91. María Vicente returned to the heptathlon after injuries and scored 6,174 points. After a promising start in the first four events, she finished on that total, short of her national record but satisfied with her progress.
Pol Ferrer won the decathlon with 7,774 points. In the morning session, María Pérez set a Spanish record in the 10,000-meter race walk, finishing in 42:12.93 and breaking the previous mark, which Raquel González had held for a decade. The race walk was held on the track as part of the championship program, rather than on its customary road course.
The triple jump competitions went ahead without several prominent names. Ana Peleteiro, who had recently returned to training after maternity leave, was absent from the women’s event. Olympic champion Jordan Díaz also missed the men’s competition. Eneko Carrascal won the men’s title with a wind-assisted 16.50 meters.
Marta Serrano won the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase in 9:40.27, while Eduardo Menacho took the men’s 5,000 meters in 13:59.37. Wind remained a factor across the program. Jesús Delgado won the men’s 400-meter hurdles in 49.74, and Sara Gallego took the women’s title in 55.79; both are national record holders.
In the hammer throw, 19-year-old Andrea Sales won with 66.10 meters, ahead of national record holder Laura Redondo, whose best throw was 65.88. The result put an emerging athlete ahead of an established national-record holder in one of the championship’s leading field events.
The close 400-meter finish was one of several defining contests in Málaga. The championship’s drama echoed that of other major sporting events, including the Tour de France stage Richard Carapaz won solo. Read the report on Carapaz's bold attack in Orcieres-Merlette.
Performances in Málaga will shape expectations and selection discussions ahead of the European Championships in Birmingham. Across track and field, the championships brought close finishes and record performances, with weather influencing results as athletes contended with the conditions and their rivals.
The Spanish Athletics Championships bring the country’s leading athletes together for a national competition that also informs selection before major international events. In Málaga, the women’s 400 meters came down to one hundredth of a second, while the race walk and combined events added milestones to a program that also featured field competition.
