Famous Spanish Athletes

Spanish people are known all over the world especially for their contribution in the field of arts and sports. You might be aware about the beautiful Spanish actresses, renowned painters and many other personalities. Let's take a look at some of the Spanish athletes who have marked their names in the Olympics records.

José Manuel Abascal - Born on March 17, 1958, in Alceda, Cantabria, José Manuel Abascal was a bronze medal winner in the 1984 Summer Olympics. He won silver medal in the 1987 IAAF World Indoor Championships. In his lifetime, he won five times championships in Spain and set two national records. In 1984, he was elected as the Best Athlete Spanish" by the Spanish Association of Sports Journalist and in 1985, he was awarded "the Principe de Asturias" prize. According to him, "the only way to succeed is the force of will, sacrifice, perseverance and self discipline... and if this will be joined with a small dose of humility, simplicity and education, an excellent athlete can become a great athlete."

Abel Antón Rodrigo - Abel Antón Rodrigo was born on October 24, 1962, in Ojuel, Soria. He was a long-distance runner. He earned his first title after winning the 10,000 meters at the 1994 European Championships. He had achieved gold medals in the marathon race at the 1997 and 1999 World Championships. In 1998, he became the first Spanish to win the London Marathon.

Fermín Cacho Ruiz - Born on February 16, 1969, in Ágreda (Spain), Cacho was the first Spanish runner to win gold in the 1992 Summer Olympics. He was ranked 3rd in 1997 in the world athletes list. He became well-known as an athlete in 1990, when he finished second in the European Indoor Championships (Glasgow). In the next year again, he finished second at the World Indoor Championships (Seville). Some of his other achievements were earning a second place in the 1993 World Championships (Stuttgart), first in the 1994 European Championships (Helsinki), silver medal in the 1997 World Championships (Athens) and bronze medal at the 1998 European Championships (Budapest). Unfortunately, due to Achilles injury, he couldn’t participate in the 2000 Summer Olympics held in Sydney.

Reyes Estévez López - Born on August 2, 1976, in Cornellà de Llobregat (Spain), Reyes Estévez López started his career as an athlete at a very young age. He won two gold medals at the under-20 European Championships. He was also the winner of the 1998 European Championships (Budapest). In addition, he won bronze medals in the 1997 World Championships (Athens), 1999 World Championships (Seville) and 2005 European Indoor Championships (Madrid). He also won silver medals in the 2001 World Indoor Championships and 2002 European Indoor Championships.

This article is just a brief on the Spanish athletes. Apart from these, there are many other sport personalities who have won their fame in athletics.