The definitive Spain Athletics roster for the European Championship in Birmingham is made up of 94 athletes (48 women and 46 men) after the closing of the “Road to Birmingham.” All of them have met the requirements set by European Athletics and the pre-selection criteria established by the Elite Performance Area and the RFEA Sports Directorate. This is the largest squad in history, surpassing Berlin 2018, which featured 92 athletes.
WOMEN
MEN
Next, we review the list of athletes by event, highlighting some of their principal achievements and, in parentheses, their personal best (PB) and best mark of 2026 (SB). The two team captains for this competition, with the greatest number of international appearances, are Miguel Ángel López (37 senior internationals) and Maribel Pérez (28).
Spanish speed will be very well represented in this championship, as it will feature full representation in the men’s 100 m (not since 2018), the women’s 200 m, and the women’s 400 m (not since 2016).
In the men’s 100 m, the year’s Spanish leader Abel Alejandro Jordán (10.10) stands out, holder of the second-best Spanish mark of all time. Completing the trio are the national champion in Málaga, Guillem Crespí (10.18, 10.19) sixth two years ago in Rome, and the national runner-up, who is making his individual debut at his first European Championships, Jorge Hernández (10.22, 10.22), who in his best year has climbed to tenth on the all-time list as a first-year U23. In women’s events, the current Spanish 100 m champion, Maribel Pérez (11.07, 11.15), team captain, will equal with six Europeans the historic records of Nuria Fernández, Ruth Beitia, Berta Castells and Patricia Sarrapio. She adds 27 international appearances to her résumé and was a semifinalist in Rome 2024.
In the 200 m two-hundredths of a second, we will have three athletes as in the last European Championship. On one side, the national record holder and seven-time Spanish champion Jaël-Sakura Bestué (22.19, 22.57), who will look to return to a major European final outdoors after finishing 7th in Rome 2024. She is joined by the bronze medalist in Málaga, Esperança Cladera (22.79, 22.93), who was a semifinalist in the previous edition of the European Championships, and the Spanish national runner-up, Alba Borrero (22.97, 22.97), fourth at the Lima Pan American Games and who in Málaga entered the Sub-23.00 club (7th all-time). In men’s events, the standout is the young national champion in Málaga, Oriol Sánchez (20.68, 20.68), in his year of consolidation, who will also be part of the 4×100 m relay.
In the 400 m, the champion of Spain both outdoors and on the indoor track will travel, Blanca Hervás (50.46), the second-best Spaniard of all time, who will aim to culminate an exceptional season after reaching the world indoor final. She will be accompanied by the bronze medalist at the 2025 Indoor European Championships in Apeldoorn, Paula Sevilla (50.68), the third-best Spanish mark ever. Add to this list the young U23, Ana Prieto (51.62), positioned this year as the second-best U23 of all time. In men’s events, in a year of renewal with young specialists on the national scene, the sensation in recent weeks is Ángel González (45.53).
The 800 m will feature a notable representation. In women, all three preselected athletes have gone below two minutes: the outdoor Spanish champion, Rocío Arroyo (1:59.17, 1:59.97); the young Marta Mitjans (1:59.28), Sub-23 Spanish champion; and the Olympian and six-time national champion Lorea Ibarzabal (1:59.60 PB; 1:59.84 SB).
In the men’s category, the Spanish year leader and a former European indoor champion, Mohamed Attaoui (1:42.04, 1:44.28), stands out as the runner-up at the Rome European Championships and fifth at both the Paris Olympics and the last two World Championships in Budapest and Tokyo. He will run alongside the reigning Spanish champion David Barroso, World University Champion in 2025 and who this year has achieved a personal best of 1:43.60 (the second-best Spanish mark of all time). The list is completed by Tokyo Olympian Pablo Sánchez-Valladares (1:44.46, 1:45.13).
In the 1500 m for men, the current Spanish champion Adrián Ben (3:32.70, 3:32.66), the European indoor champion in Istanbul 2023, will be joined by Mariano García (3:35.53), European 800 m medalist in 2022 and world champion in short track this 2026 in the 1500 m. Completing the list is Carlos Sáez (3:32.28, 3:33.63).
In the 5000 m, led by the five-time Spanish champion and European bronze medalist Marta García (14:33.40, 16:08.02). They complete the trio with Idaira Prieto (14:55.15, 15:07.90), Málaga runner-up, and María Forero (15:03.88, 15:07.50), European U23 cross-country champion and 13th in Rome 2024.
In the men’s 10,000 m, two athletes who also competed in Rome 2024 will return: Jesús Ramos (27:49.73, 28:11.26), fifth at the European 10 km road race in 2025, and the Olympian Abdessamad Oukhelfen (27:36.23). In the women’s category, the holder of the Spanish road 10 km record, Carla Gallardo, arrives with a PB of 32:08.17. Additionally, Idaira Prieto will double in this distance as well (32:06.00).
The 3000 m obstacles in the men’s category will feature the year’s Spanish leader and four consecutive Spanish champion, Dani Arce (8:05.45, 8:11.42), who received last weekend the European bronze for third place at the Munich European Championships. Alongside him will be the 2025 World University champion, Alejandro Quijada (8:13.40, 8:17.34). Both were part of the Spanish squad at the Rome 2024 European Championships. In women’s, the runner-up of the Europe Sub-23 in Bergen and three-time Spanish champion, Marta Serrano (9:21.00, 9:29.44).
Youth will be in full force in the 100 m hurdles, with the newly crowned Spanish champion Lerato Pagès (13.06, 13.06) in what will be her debut with the absolute Spanish team. The 110 m hurdles for men will feature the European runner-up in Rome 2024 Quique Llopis (13.09, 13.31) in the season of his life after becoming world silver in the 60 m hurdles in Torun and adding his fourth consecutive Spanish title in Málaga. At his side will compete Asier Martínez (13.14, 13.27), European 110 m hurdles champion in Munich 2022 and bronze at the Eugene World Championships that same year.
In the 400 m hurdles, two national record holders will compete: Sara Gallego (54.34, 54.36), six-time Spanish champion and returning to international action four years later, and Jesús David Delgado (48.11), a Roma 2024 semifinalist and with the third-best European mark of the year. He is joined by Iberian-American runner-up Javier Lorente (49.19), 5th Spaniard of all time.
Spain will boast a broad representation in the long jump, with six athletes on the Birmingham runway. In the women’s category, the recently crowned outdoor Spanish champion, Fátima Diame (6.85 m), a Roma finalist, leads the expedition. The Valencian also holds two indoor world championship bronze medals in her resume. She is joined by the year’s Spanish leader, Tessy Ebosele (6.86 m), who already knows what it is to compete in a European Championship after her appearance in Rome 2024. Also present will be Carmen Rosales (6.71 m), making her first senior international appearance after earning bronze at the Spanish Championship. The three representatives are part of #TeamPedroso. In the men’s category, three specialists travel: the recent absolute Spanish champion, Jaime Guerra (8.17 m, 8.15 m); the year’s Spanish leader and European bronze medalist in Apeldoorn 2025, Lester Lescay (8.22 m); and Eusebio Cáceres (8.37 m, 8.19 m), who with this participation will equal the Spanish record for appearances at European Championships, with seven, jointly held with Jesús España and Jesús Ángel García Bragado.
In pole vault, Mónica Clemente (4.46 m) will compete, and in high jump, Una Stancev (1.91 m), the third-best Spanish mark in history.
In terms of throws, the javelin will be led by the Spanish champion and Paris Olympic finalist Yulenmis Aguilar (64.17 m, 61.83 m), who will look to improve her 13th place from the last edition in Rome. In the men’s category, we will have the current Spanish Champion and year’s leader, Manu Quijera (83.28 m, 81.27 m).
In the discus, the representative will be Diego Casas (65.95 m), 4th Spanish all-time and who already competed in Rome 2024, and on the women’s side, Inés López arrives after posting this season the second-best mark of all time.
On the other hand, in the hammer circle, we will have the two athletes who have surpassed 70 m this season. On one side, the Spanish record holder, Laura Redondo (72.00 m, 70.89 m), and on the other, Andrea Sales, who, at only 19 years old, arrives in Birmingham after winning the Spanish Championship with a PB of 70.58. She also holds the Sub-23 Spanish hammer record. Since 2016, two athletes had not represented this event in the squad.
In the shot put, Belén Toimil will travel to Birmingham, the seven-time outdoor Spanish champion and holder of the Spanish record in the event, Belén Toimil (18.80 m, 17.80 m).
Finally, in individual events, the heptathlon will feature double representation. On the one hand, the current Spanish champion and Olympian, María Vicente (6304 pts, 6174 pts), who also holds the Spanish record in this discipline and who has previous European experience (she competed in 2018 and 2022), and the year’s Spanish leader, Sofía Cosculluela (6182, 6182), the third Spanish all-time, in what is a remarkable year in which she won the NCCAA title in mid-June and recently, back from the United States, was runner-up in Spain and will be another debutant of the team. This marks the second time in history that two athletes will compete in the Heptathlon, after 2022 when María Vicente and Claudia Conte went to the European Championships.
The women’s 4×100 m relay is also at its historic best after winning bronze at the World Athletics Relays in Gaborone and breaking the national record last season (42.11). The team will feature the already cited María Isabel Pérez, Jaël-Sakura Bestué and Esperança Cladera, joined by Ericka Badeau Maseras, Aitana Rodrigo, Elena Guiu, Lucía Carrillo, and Esther Navero. The short relay squad will aim to progress among Europe’s best with the already mentioned Abel Alejandro Jordán, who will be joined by Guillem Crespí, Jorge Hernández, Oriol Sánchez, Marc Escandell, Alberto Calero, Andoni Calbano and Daniel Rodríguez. All the athletes named will also be part of the 4×100 m mixed relay team.
The 4×400 m relay team continues to enjoy its greatest era; after the women’s relay won silver at the World Relays in Gaborone with a national record (3:21.25), ninth-best European mark of all time. In addition to Blanca Hervás, Paula Sevilla, Sara Gallego and Rocío Arroyo, they will be joined by Ana Prieto, Eva Santidrián, Herminia Parra and Carmen Avilés. The men’s team, which also broke the national record at the World Athletics Relays (3:00.26), features a refreshed and highly youthful group such as Ángel González, , Asabu Pines, David García, Manuel Bea and Juan José de la Rosa. All of the aforementioned athletes will also form part of the 4×400 m mixed relay team.
Likewise, the marathon team that will represent Spain in Birmingham was announced on 28 April; 11 athletes have been preselected (6 men and 5 women).
In the women’s category, the current European marathon champion Fátima Azahaara Ouhaddou leads a quintet that also includes Laura Luengo, Ester Navarrete, Carolina Robles and .
The six men who make up this event are Jorge Blanco, Fernando Carro, Ibrahim Chakir, Ilias Fifa, Jorge González and Carlos Mayo.
The walking team that will represent us in Birmingham was published on 27 May with a total of 13 athletes (7 men and 6 women), led by two universal reference points of Spanish race walking: María Pérez and Miguel Ángel López. The Granadan Olympic champion and two-time double world champion leads a squad that once again places Spain among the world powerhouses in this discipline.
In the women’s half-marathon race walking, in addition to María Pérez, they will be joined by Antía Chamosa and Aldara Meilán; in the same distance, making his European debut, the men’s team is formed by Paul McGrath, two-time European runner-up in the 20 km race walk, Diego García and Álvaro López.
In the marathon race walk, Spain also debuts in this competition, with the women’s team formed by Raquel González, Laura Monje and Lucía Redondo, and in the men’s category, in addition to Miguel Ángel López, Manuel Bermúdez, Daniel Chamosa and José Manuel Pérez.
The official Spain Athletics Dossier, with full details of all preselected athletes and a comprehensive chapter on the history of Spanish athletics at the European Championships, will be published on the website and social networks on Friday, 7 August.