Spain has announced a particularly strong men’s team for the European 10,000m Cup which takes place in Pacé, France on 3 June.
The Spaniards are the most successful nation in European 10,000m Cup history. They have won 24 gold medals in total since the first edition in 1997, including 10 team titles in the senior men’s race.
Their last title as a collective dates back to the 2018 European 10,000m Cup in London but the Spaniards will be confident of challenging for both individual and team honours in Pacé next month.
The standout name on their team is Carlos Mayo, the fastest of their team of six runners with a lifetime best of 27:25.00. Mayo has finished third and second individually in the last two editions and will be looking for an elusive individual title to complement his team gold medals from 2017 and 2018.
The line-up also includes Roberto Alaiz, Juan Antonio Perez and Yago Rojo, all of whom were also part of Spain’s silver medal-winning team behind hosts France last year. Perez will be making his eighth successive appearance in the competition and has also amassed three individual silver medals between 2015 and 2017.
(Spain celebrates their silver medal from the team race at the 2022 European 10,000m Cup)
Recently crowned Spanish 10,000m champion Ilias Fifa is also on the team.
On the women’s side, Paula Herrero will be making her debut for Spain in a major competition. Primarily a triathlete, Herrero has already left an indelible mark on the domestic distance running scene by breaking the Spanish 10km record in March with 31:23.
Herrero also finished a close second at the Spanish 10,000m Championships in late March, finishing second to Isabel Barreiro - 32:03.37 to 32:05.35. They are currently ranked second and third respectively on the 2023 European 10,000m list.
The full Spanish team for the European 10,000m Cup can be found here.
The European 10,000m Cup will be streamed live through the European Athletics YouTube channel on 3 June and there will be comprehensive coverage of the event on our website and across our social media channels.