Asier Martínez, to emulate Moracho 36 years later

Spain has not achieved a men’s title in the high hurdles since Javier Moracho’s gold in 60 hurdles in 1986

“Asier is a phenomenal athlete and always competes wonderfully. I hope I win”, the Huesca man told SPORT

On February 23, 1986, Huesca Javier Moracho faced the final of 60 meters hurdles of the European under the roof of Madrid “forced to win, because I already had a silver, a bronze and a fourth place & rdquor ;, the former athlete told SPORT.

It was an epic victory. “At the last fence I was injured by a mistake. A few days before my coach’s father died and left me alone. It was so good that I did twice as many multi-jumps and ended up paying for it. I broke down a lot, but I found strength to win & rdquor ;, he adds.

He won with 7.67, followed by the Italian Fontecchio (7.70) and the democratic German Pholand (7.71) with his friend and great Spanish rival Carles Sala fourth with 7.74. That’s been 36 years and Spanish men’s athletics has not achieved more golds in the high fenceseither at 60 or at 110.

At 65 years old and after three decades as public relations for the Vuelta, Moracho is still in top form and has just climbed the Tourmalet in a tough cycling test. The one from Monzón, who had missed the 110 hurdles final at the Los Angeles Games by one hundredth, would be sixth in the 60 at the Indianapolis Indoor World Championship in 1987 and the following year at the Budapest European Championship.

Sala, Ortega, Quinonez, Vivancos…

Nor did he climb to the top of the podium in a great event ‘Charly’ Sala. The Barcelonan was sixth in the Rome ’87 World Championships in 110 hurdles, bronze in 1988 in the aforementioned Indoor European Championships in Budapest and fifth in the Indoor European Championships in The Hague in 1989.

Not even Orlando Ortegawho has two third places and one runner-up in major events since he acquired Spanish nationality in July 2015. His great moment was at the Rio Games in 2016, when he won a historic silver with 13.17 behind the controversial Jamaican Omar McLeod (13.05).

Also, He hung two bronzes in the Berlin European ’18 and in the Doha ’19 World Cup (with controversy after falling due to a kick from the aggressive McLeod and being promoted to third position by the IAAF (now World Athletics). And he was fourth in the 60 hurdles at the European Glasgow’19.

Another who stayed close was the Hispanic-Ecuadorian Jackson Quinoneza lover of athletics who competed until his late thirties and who has debuted this year in a half marathon with a remarkable 1h:42. The one from Esmeraldas debuted as a Spaniard in a big way in 2007 with a bronze in the European Indoor Championships in Birmingham.

Finally, the Balearic Felipe Vivancos hung a sensational silver medal indoors at the European Championships in Madrid 2006 after the French genius Ladji Doucouré. It was the great success in a career in which he often fell short of glory.

Asier, on the attack

Bronze two weeks ago at the World Championships in Eugene with 13.17 (he beat his Spanish sub’23 record) and sixth in the last Games, Asier Martínez will be one of the favorites in the European Championships in Munich and has serious options to emulate the Aragonese.

“Asier is a phenomenal athlete and you just have to see how he competes… always great. He is very technical, he has a great race pace and his final is devastating. I personally know him and his coach (François Beoringyan). I hope I win. I’d love to. Tips? He locks himself in his world very well and he will know how to do it in Munich & rdquor ;, concluded Moracho.

Glory Alozie did get a title

Spanish athletics does have a women’s gold in the high fences, the one with the petite Glory Alozie (1.56 meters) at the 2002 Berlin Europeans when she won the 100 hurdles with 12.73 ahead of the Ukrainian Krasovska (12.88) a year after acquiring Spanish nationality after competing as a Nigerian.

Later, he was silver in 60 hurdles in 2003 at the European Championships in Birmingham and in 2006 at the World Cups in Moscow. For her part, the ‘cheater’ Josephine Onya does not have medals as a Spanish, but she does have a world record of positives.

In 400 hurdles, the only Spanish medal was achieved by Sergio Fernández to be silver in the European of Amsterdam’16. The hurdlers José Alonso Valero (silver in the European Championships in Madrid in 1986) and Cristina Pérez (bronze in the Lievin in 1987) came in the 400m.