UCAM race walkers made history for Spanish athletics at the European Athletics Championships held in Birmingham, by winning three medals and setting a world record. María Pérez was crowned European half marathon race walk champion in 1:30:06, while Miguel Ángel López claimed silver and Raquel González bronze in the marathon race walk.
María Pérez completed the event in 1:30:06, adding another major achievement to an outstanding career and reinforcing her status as one of Spanish athletics' leading figures. The athlete from Granada, who is studying for a Degree in Early Childhood Education at UCAM, dominated the race from the outset.
In the marathon, Miguel Ángel López added another UCAM medal by finishing second. The athlete from Murcia challenged for the leading positions from the start and at one stage moved into the lead. After losing top spot and dropping to third, he produced a strong response over the final three kilometres, reclaiming second place and even closing on Italy's Stano in the battle for victory. López crossed the line in 2:56:57. Fellow UCAM athlete Manu Bermúdez, from Cieza, finished 17th in the event.
UCAM's medal haul was completed in the women's marathon by Raquel González, who claimed bronze in 3:20:49. The Spaniard took the third step of the podium in a race dominated by Italy's Fiorini.
All four race walking events at the European Championships were held simultaneously, with men's and women's half marathon and marathon categories. The athletes faced a particularly technical and demanding urban course, with several narrow sections that made racing difficult due to the high concentration of competitors.
Spanish athletics also claimed another title on the day as Paul McGrath won the men's half marathon. In the same event, UCAM athlete Diego García Carrera finished seventh, rounding off an outstanding performance by Spain's race walkers in Birmingham.