Photo Credit RFEA. José Antonio Ureña (Pentathlon) & Eva Gadea (Triple Jump, W50)
“The XXXIII Spanish Masters Indoor Championships brings us to Valencia to a track that was renovated in 2008, the year in which the World Indoor Championships were held in the capital of the Valencian Community. The protagonist of the three days of competition was José Antonio Ureña, who on Friday set a new pentathlon world record (M55) with a total of 4,348 points in an exceptional 1,000m final in 3:04.82 and on Sunday, local star Eva Gadea added centimetres to her W50 triple world record in 11.33 net.”1)
1) Reference: https://www.rfea.es/veteranos/veteranos.asp
Photo by Jaume Ferrer Giner
Another indoor world record was set by Maria Esther Pedrosa (W60 ) with a time of 10:56.17 in the 3,000m event during the Galicia Championships in north-eastern Spain on 12 Feb 2022. She bettered the record of 10:56.89 set by Scotland’s Fiona Matheson only on 30 January 2022.
Domingo Álvarez, M65, achieved a 4×800 relay world best time with his sports friends Pablo, Chepi and Nemesio.
WR 4×800 m PC 10:41.58 Galicia (Fervenza, Otero, Gutiérrez, Álvarez) M65 ‐ Ourense 15‐01‐22
When asked by Alfred Hermes, he said that he lives in Ourense (Spain). His training is very versatile and demanding and is led by his coach Pablo Carreiro. It is based on strength training in the gym and sessions on the track.
His 4×800 relay record would give him hope to succeed in the competition with the best European Masters athletes and possibly win a medal. He would try to maintain his form to “keep doing this sport that we love so much”.
Already at the beginning of 2022, the Spanish Masters athletes started the indoor season with two world records.
In Antequera, Juan Luis López Anaya took the 400 record in the M50 category thanks to his 51.44. The previous record belonged to Germany’s Roland Gröger with 51.73, who will also compete in Braga.
In Madrid, Francisco García López achieved the M60 record of 3000 after stopping the clock at 9:38.14. The previous record was held by Britain’s Guy Bracken with 9:39.20.
The circle of top Spanish athletes in Braga is completed by the Romanian-born four-time Olympian in the javelin throw Felicea Tilea Ureche (formerly Tilea-Moldavan).
Photo: https://www.facebook.com/Gymfel/
Felicea Tilea competed in four Olympic Games from 1996 to 2008: 1996 in Atlanta, 2000 in Sydney, 2004 in Athens and 2008 in Beijing. She was Romanian champion seven times. Today, the athlete, who was born on 29 September 1967, is part of the Spanish team. The (still) 54-year-old currently holds two Masters world records in the javelin:
- W40 Javelin 600g 61.23 Felicia Moldovan, ROM WR
- W50 Javelin 500g 47.53 Felicia Tilea Ureche, ESP WR
Felicea Tilea’s motto: “Work the whole body” (6.9.21)
A.H