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Begoña Fleitas
Updated
He had practiced many sports – from football to kick-boxing – but Álvaro Martín (Llerena, 1994) He fell in love with athletics when he started practicing it at his school at the age of 9. And like all children, he tried all the disciplines: throwing, speed… until he focused on walking, the discipline in which he has a superb resume.
It was his first coach, Juan Méndez, who saw the potential that Álvaro displayed in race walking. He was 15 years old. It was the beginning of his love affair with a discipline that captivated him, and that has taken him to the top, Olympic gold in the mixed relay with María Pérez, His friend and colleague, who was moved when the race walker unexpectedly announced his retirement from the elite on Saturday during his speech after receiving the Extremadura Medal.
Álvaro Martín says goodbye at the summit, after achieving a dream double at the Paris Games, where he added a hard-fought bronze in the 20 kilometers to that gold in the relay. Before, in 2023, he had already tasted the honey of success by becoming double world champion, in 20 and 35 kilometers walk, together with the one who has been his coach in recent years, José Antonio Carrillo.
With him, he fulfilled his dream of being an Olympic champion, an ideal that allowed his coach to emulate the ‘Chariots of Fire’ coach and break his hat, a conquest that has been the preamble to his farewell.
“I say goodbye with pain and sadness,” said Álvaro Martín in his speech. “I want to retire on my own and at the top. It’s time to continue conquering things beyond an athletics track. Thank you all.” Because, In addition to being a double continental and world champion, Olympic medalist and Spanish record holder in the 35 km walk, Among other achievements, the walker has not neglected his training, with studies in Political Science and Law.
Very committed to justice, in sport and in life, the race walker has on numerous occasions been the spokesperson for opinions shared by many colleagues. One of the most recent times was in the wake of the controversial criteria of excellence required by the Federation to be able to attend the major championships. “With the current criteria I wouldn’t have gone to even half of the competitions,” he said.
The truth is that he says goodbye to athletics with an excellent track record, which includes his presence in four Olympic Games, six World Championships, three European Championships and many other international and national competitions, an athletic life that ended on the Olympus of Paris.
