MADRID, 18 Abr. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The record holders Marta Galimany and Ayad Lamdassem, as well as Fátima Ouhaddou, Tariku Novales, Meritxell Soler and Abdelaziz Merzougui, will be the Spanish representatives in the Marathon World Championships, which will be held from August 19 to 27 in Budapest, after meeting the criteria established by the coach José Peiró and the Sports Department of the Royal Spanish Athletics Federation (RFEA).
Galimany, who made his distance debut five years ago, set the new national record (2:26:14) in Valencia on December 4, and since then has competed in two half marathons, stopping the clock at 1:11:28 in Paris and 1:11:47 in Berlin. Budapest will be his fifth major championship representing Spain in the marathon after the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, the 2019 Doha World Cup and the 2018 Berlin and 2022 European Championships.
For his part, Ayad Lamdassem, fifth in the Tokyo Games, also broke the Spanish distance record (2:06:25) in Seville on February 20, 2022. In addition to three Games (2008, 2012 and 2020 ), defended the colors of Spain in three World Cups (2009, 2013 and 2017) and four Europeans (2010, 2012, 2016 and 2022), the last one ending with a sixth place in Munich. In February, he completed the Osaka Marathon in 2:08:32.
The rest of the women’s team is completed by the second and third Spanish of all time. Meritxell Soler made her debut in the marathon on February 19 in Seville with an impressive 2:26:37, the best Spanish debut ever and her second all-time mark. Budapest will be her second international cap with Spain after the 10,000 m European Cup in Pacé in 2022.
Meanwhile, Fátima Ouhaddou set her personal best in half marathon in October in 1:10:37, the seventh Spanish ever; and last Sunday she made her debut in the marathon in Rotterdam with 2:26:44 and a fourth place as the best European, ahead of the continental champion Aleksandra Lisowska.
The men’s team is completed by Tariku Novales and Abdelaziz Merzougui, the fourth and twelfth Spanish of all time. After overcoming an ordeal of injuries, Novales ‘redebuted’ in the marathon on December 4 in Valencia, placing fourth in the all-time ranking with 2:07:18; In addition, he became the youngest Spaniard to go under 2:08, at 24 years and 271 days.
Merzougui attended two Olympic Games (2012 and 2016) and two European Games (2012 and 2016) as an obstacle. In 2021 he made the leap to the marathon, debuting with 2:08:52, and in the last edition of Valencia he further lowered his record to 2:08:00. In Budapest he will run his second marathon with Spain after the European one in Munich.