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Spain finished its World Athletics Indoor Championships in Torun with a bronze medal for the women’s four-by-four 400m relay on Sunday.
The quartet of Ana Prieto, Paula Sevilla, Rocío Ayorro and Blanca Hervás secured third place to take the national tally to five: one gold, two silvers and two bronzes.
In the final metres they overtook the host nation Poland, after having moved ahead of Great Britain and Slovakia. The United States and Netherlands dominated the competition.
The result followed earlier success in the session, where Mariano García won gold in the 1,500 metres and Mohamed Attaoui added bronze in the 800 metres.
Spain’s medals helped it to climb up to sixth in the overall rankings, behind Great Britain (USA), Italy, Ukraine, and Portugal.
Relay strength
The relay teams of Spain were a major factor in the championships. The women’s 4x400m medal came a day after the mixed relay team of Markel Fernández, Paula Sevilla, David García and Blanca Hervás claimed silver in a historic performance.
Hervás played a central role across both events, running five 400m races in three days. She finished sixth in her individual final highlighting her endurance and consistency during the competition.
Spain capitalized on the disruption of the race in order to take second place behind Belgium. Hervás delivered the decisive final leg, timing her move in the closing straight to move past Jamaica, who were later disqualified for an irregular changeover.
Enrique Llopis, who set a new national record in the 60m hurdles, won silver with a time of 7.42, finally making it to a podium at a major championship after several near misses.
Second-best haul
Spain arrived in Poland in Poland with 22 athletes, and left with the second best medal haul at an indoor World Championships. This is just one behind Birmingham’s six medals in 2023.
García’s victory also marked Spain’s fourth gold in the history of the indoor championships, with the Murcia-born runner now responsible for two of those titles.
The Spanish team will be aiming for the 2026 European Championships at Birmingham, which is the main goal of the Spanish team.
