Fatima Ouhaddou had a turbulent and eventful path to winning a historic gold medal for Spain in the marathon at the 2025 European Running Championships in Brussels-Leuven on Sunday (13).
Ouhaddou's race looked in some jeopardy when she found herself sprawled on the asphalt after colliding with a male club runner at a drinks station in the mid-stages of the race. Luckily no serious harm was done as the 31-year-old picked herself up and pulled clear for a surprise but richly deserved title in 2:27:14.
Never before had a Spanish woman been crowned European marathon champion since the event was introduced to the European Athletics Championships programme in 1982 but Ouhaddou ran her way into the annals of Spanish athletics with victory in Leuven and she also led Spain to the team title.
Ouhaddou broke away from her more esteemed teammate Majida Maayouf - who finished 17th at the 2024 Olympic Games and holds the Spanish marathon record with 2:21:27 - just before the 40 kilometre mark and forged on to win the title in 2:27:14 with Maayouf taking silver in 2:27:41. Their third counter was Ester Navarrete in seventh in 2:29:47.
"I'm very happy to win the title. I had a hard preparation because of Ramadan. We also prepare at night; it wasn't easy for us to prepare during Ramadan. When I started, I was thinking about a medal but I didn't know which colour of medal," said Ouhaddou, helped by Maayouf who acted as her interpreter.
And there was another dramatic denouement for the bronze medal.
The overwhelming favourite Lonah Chemtai Salpeter found herself in real danger of leaving Leuven without an individual medal for posterity as she was closed down in the very late stages by her Israeli teammate Maor Tiyouri, who was almost one minute off the pace in tenth at halfway and still 16 seconds in arrears to Salpeter at 40 kilometres.
Chemtai Salpeter was only aware of Tiyouri’s challenge when she pulled alongside her with less than 30 metres to go but the tiring 36-year-old found another gear just in a nick of time to counter Tiyouri’s late surge and keep hold of the bronze medal.
Chemtai Salpeter, who admitted her preparations had been hampered by a back injury in recent weeks, won bronze in 2:28:01 with her disconsolate teammate - who fell across the line and into the path of the celebrating Spaniards - credited with the same time in fourth.
However, Israel did come away with the team silver medal followed by hosts Belgium in bronze. The host nation's first scorer was two-time Olympian Hanne Verbruggen who was in contention for an individual medal until the latter stages before fading to 12th in 2:35:40.