Four-time world champion Maria Perez features on a star-studded Spanish race walking team of 13 athletes for the 2026 European Athletics Championships in Birmingham from 10-16 August.
Perez has won double gold at the last two World Athletics Championships but it was at the European Athletics Championships where she made her breakthrough, winning 20km race walk gold in Berlin in 2018.
Eight years later, Perez will contest the half marathon race walk in Birmingham, a discipline which will make its debut on the European Athletics Championships programme along with the marathon race walk.
The Spanish team in the men’s marathon race walk is helmed by Miguel Angel Lopez who will be aiming for his third European title over as many distances. Lopez won a breakthrough 20km race walk gold in 2014 before striding to 35km race walk gold in 2022.
European 20km race walk silver medallist Paul McGrath will be Spain’s leading medal prospect in the men’s half marathon race walk. The 24-year-old also won bronze at last year’s World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
All four race walking disciplines will be held in the morning session on 15 August, the penultimate day of the championships.
The full Spanish team for the race walking events in Birmingham 2026 can be found here.