The Spanish duo of Martin Alvaro and MarÃa Pérez made history by winning the inaugural race walk mixed relay at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The pair clocked a time of 2:50:31, claiming gold in the first iteration of this event on the Olympic stage.
The race featured twenty-five teams, each consisting of one male and one female athlete, completing the marathon distance in four stages of approximately 10 kilometers each, alternating throughout the race (man, woman, man, woman). This new format brought excitement and strategic complexity to the race walk competition.
By the final 10 kilometers, Spain and Ecuador emerged as the leading contenders, with Pérez and Ecuador’s Glenda Morejón maintaining a fierce pace. Morejón, however, was walking on thin ice with two red cards, meaning one more infraction would result in a time penalty, jeopardizing Ecuador’s chances for gold. She skillfully balanced speed and caution to keep Ecuador in the medal hunt.
Spain's victory in the mixed relay added to their remarkable race walk success in Paris, making them the only country to win medals in each of the three race walk events. Pérez previously secured a silver medal in the women’s 20km race walk, while Alvaro took bronze in the men’s 20km event. All three of Spain’s track and field medals at these Games came from race walking.
Ecuador, too, had a successful campaign with two track and field medals, including a historic performance by Brian Pintado, who became the first Ecuadorian athlete to win more than one medal at a single Olympics.
"This was something historic," said Martin Alvaro. "I wanted to jump and hug MarÃa [during the last lap] but I had to wait for her to cross the line first. I lost my voice from cheering MarÃa on. This is a source of pride for the entire [Spanish] race walk team."
The race started with Martin Alvaro, the bronze medallist in the Paris 2024 20km race walk, walking steadily and keeping Spain in the leading group of five. He tagged Pérez at 11.4 kilometers, with a split time of 43:32.
Pérez, the silver medallist in the 20km race walk, walked conservatively during her first stint along the course running alongside the River Seine. She finished her 10.4km leg in sixth place, just seven seconds behind Australian leader Jemima Montag, who clocked 1:26:22.
The competition for medals intensified in the third leg, with Alvaro and Ecuador’s Brian Pintado, the 20km race walk gold medallist, pushing the pace. Just four kilometers into this leg, Alvaro and Pintado had a seven-second lead over the chasing group, which expanded to 47 seconds by the final changeover at 31.4 kilometers.
In the final leg, Pérez maintained Spain’s lead, securing their historic victory. Her strategic and powerful walking ensured that Spain remained ahead, culminating in an unforgettable win for the Spanish race walk team. This triumph marks a significant achievement in Spanish athletics and sets a high standard for future Olympic race walk competitions.
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