The goal was never reached. did not arrive He was there. So near and yet so far. Mario García Romo (23 years old) clenched his teeth. He was suffering. The lactic acid was doing its thing. He had to hold on. Resisting was rewarding. The unapproachable Jakob Ingebrigtsen had escaped him. He had passed Britain's Jake Heyward. The Italian Pietro Arese threatened him from behind. Between being third and finishing fourth is whether or not to write history. And the man from Salamanca got it. He nabbed bronze by just twelve hundredths in the 1,500 final and gave Spain its seventh metal at the Europeans in Munich.
He did it after a race marked from start to finish by Ingebrigtsen, a wonder, a machine. He lined up the twelve competitors one by one from the 400m, set the pace he wanted and won the double after also being crowned in the 5,000m on Tuesday. He already has two golds like in Berlin 2018. With his initial maneuver, not falling behind and studying, the Norwegian managed to clean up the race and gradually accelerated. At times it seemed like a rally and not a championship. The 800 passed 1m54s, the 1,000 in 2m23s. It was running quite a lot and García Romo bravely accepted the favorite's pulse. He always kept a step away, always tried to mark him. He knew that if he followed that wheel he could have revenues, although he would also burst. With a privileged brain, the man from Salamanca knew what he was doing. He managed to follow in his footsteps until almost the last 300. There he could no longer answer Ingebrigtsen's change of pace. Behind came the British Heyward and the Italian Arese at a gallop. Heyward overtook him on that dying straight but not the transalpine. In the end 3m32s76 for the Norwegian (championship record), 3m34s44 for the British and 3m34s88 for the Spanish.
Beating Ingebrigtsen was almost a pipe dream. Yes, a month ago at the World Championships in Eugene, Jake Wightman had done it in the 1,500. But that had only spurred on the Nordic athlete with a high ego but in excellent condition. He was already warned and he didn't want to be surprised again. Because that day Mo Katir, third, and Mario García Romo, fourth, had stepped on his heels. In Munich the setting and the conditions were different, since the session had had to be delayed for half an hour due to a strong downpour of water accompanied by an electrical device. Therefore the temperature had dropped. Best for running fast in middle distance events. In those circumstances Ingebrigtsen and the rest of the finalists had to manage, including the Spaniards García Romo, Ignacio Fontes and Gonzalo García
The tradition of the 1,500 of Spain had returned after not putting anyone in the final of Berlin 2018. The call to continue the long tradition of the Cacho, Estévez, Casado or Abascal was the Salamanca-born García Romo, the experienced athlete in the United States, the a man who this year has manifested himself by shining in the North American competitions with the University of Ole Mississippi and who had managed to sign a 3m30s in Eugene. If he was in those times even he could dream of winning, but this time there was no chance. Another gold to fuel the pride of Ingebrigtsen, who must learn to handle himself better off the track. He cannot look down on rivals. That he dedicates himself to beating them on the track, something he almost always does, period. In Munich, the man from Salamanca was one of his greatest opponents and caught a bronze medal.
With a degree in chemistry, García Romo will continue to live and run in the United States, now with a professional team like On Running. He will train in Colorado with his trainer, Dathan Ritzenhein, on his 5,000-day American record holder.
Behind came Gonzalo García (sixth) and Ignacio Fontes (eleventh). García Romo achieved the twelfth Spanish medal in history in the distance in a European.
