nº 102/2018 [email protected]

The four Spanish 4x400 metres record holders will compete in the event

Thrilling in Madrid

Madrid, 12th June 2018.- With only ten days to the celebration of 2018 Madrid Meeting one of the most thrilling races we will see in Moratalaz Municipality Sport Complex will be, without any doubt, 400 metres, with the participation of the four Spanish athletes who made history in 2017 in with an outstanding 4x400 metres national record.

In the starting lane of the one lap race will be the biggest sensation of this winter in Spain Óscar Husillos, the man who finished in the first place in the last World Indoor Championshisp in but who was disqualified by stepping the inner line. The athlete coached by Luis Ángel Caballero, who will compete this Wednesday in Ostrava, will try to beat his personal best of 45.16, achieved in London 2017 semifinals. His first appearance in the outdoor season was last 31st May in Rome with 46.04.

In addition to Husillos, in Moratalaz will be in action also Lucas Bua, one of the biggest sensations of Huelva meeting last Friday. The athlete from Toledo performed an impressive personal best of 45.25, fifth in the all-time Spanish list, and sure will fight strongly in Madrid. Attention also to athlete from Canarias Samuel García, with a personal best of 45.00 in 2017, second Spanish all-time performance, and with a season best of 45.61 in Huelva. The fourth component of the 4x400 metres Spanish relay Darwin Andrés Echeverry will be also in the race trying to better his personal best of 46.37. Other interesting Spanish specialist will be Manuel Guijarro, who this winter compete in the Birmingham Worlds with the Spanish relay and who last weekend in the

Real Federación Española de Atletismo. Av. Valladolid, 81, 1º - 28008 Madrid – Tel. 91 548 24 23 – Fax: 91-547 61 13 / 91-548 06 38 Correo electrónico: [email protected] – web: www.rfea.es

U23 Mediterranean Championships in Jesolo bettered his performance to 46.63. He will be also one of the athletes who will fight to join Spanish relay in Berlin.

Our 400 metres runners will have oustanding international rivals in the starting lane, like for example Dominican Luguelin Santos, silver Olympic medallist in London2012, with a personal best of 44.11, athlete from Qatar , bronze medallist in London2017 World Championships (44.17 personal best), also winner of this Meeting in 2015, the athlete from Bahrein Ali Khamis (44.36 in 2016) and Costa Rican (44.60).

This is a race with important attractions to Spanish athletics. Our 400 metres runners have progressed impressively during last seasons and now see in the horizon the mythical Spanish record, which seemed unbeatable a few years ago: 44.96 performed by Cayetano Cornet on 12th August 1989. Next year this performance will celebrate its 30th birthday. It will celebrate it or not? This is the big question which can start answering next week in Madrid. We have to remind that in Birmingham’s final Husillos, before being disqualified, performed an impressive 44.92, which would have beaten this Spanish record. One lap’s race in Madrid can make history in Spanish athletics.

Real Federación Española de Atletismo. Av. Valladolid, 81, 1º - 28008 Madrid – Tel. 91 548 24 23 – Fax: 91-547 61 13 / 91-548 06 38 Correo electrónico: [email protected] – web: www.rfea.es