María Reyes Sobrino facts for kids
 Reyes Sobrino in 2015 |
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| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Women's athletics | ||
Representing  Spain |
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| European Indoor Championships | ||
| Gold | 1988 Budapest | 3000 m walk |
| Bronze | 1989 The Hague | 3000 m walk |
María Reyes Sobrino Jiménez, born on January 6, 1967, is a famous Spanish former athlete. She was a top competitor in racewalking, especially in the 3000 metres and 10 kilometres races. Her biggest win was a gold medal at the European Athletics Indoor Championships in 1988. She also competed many times in the IAAF World Racewalking Cup and the World Championships in Athletics.
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About María Reyes Sobrino
María Reyes Sobrino was born in Viladecans, a town near Barcelona, Spain. Her father was one of the people who started the local athletics club, Club Atletismo Viladecans. This is where María first got involved in the sport of athletics.
Early Career and First Wins
María began her international career in 1985. Her first big global event was the 1985 IAAF World Race Walking Cup. In the same year, she won a gold medal at the 1985 European Athletics Junior Championships. This was a great start to her career!
In 1986, she achieved her best result at a major outdoor competition, finishing fifth at the 1986 European Athletics Championships. A year later, in 1987, she earned her first senior medal. She was part of the Spanish women's team that won a silver medal at the 1987 IAAF World Race Walking Cup. She also placed ninth at the 1987 World Championships in Athletics. This was a special event because it was the very first time women competed in a race walk at the World Championships.
Becoming a Champion
The year 1988 was María's best. She became a European champion at the 1988 European Athletics Indoor Championships. She won the 3000 metres walk race and set a new championship record with a time of 12 minutes and 48.99 seconds. Later that year, she won a bronze medal in the 10,000 metres walk at the 1988 Ibero-American Championships in Athletics.
María continued her success, winning another European indoor bronze medal in 1989. She also took home the Ibero-American title in 1990. She competed in the 1991 World Championships in Athletics and made three more appearances at the World Race Walking Cup. She also finished seventh at the 1990 European Athletics Championships.
National Success and Records
María was a very strong competitor in Spain. She won a total of 13 national titles during her career. She was the first person to win the 3000 metres indoor title in 1984. In 1989, she set a championship record of 12 minutes and 42.29 seconds in that event.
From 1987 to 1991, she won five straight titles at the Spanish Athletics Championships in the 5000 metres and 10,000 metres distances. Her best time in the 5000 metres was 22 minutes and 9.21 seconds, which was also a championship record. She also won five titles in national road walking championships between 1985 and 1993. During her career, María held several Spanish records in different race walking distances, including 3000 m, 5000 m, 10,000 m, 5 km, and 10 km.
After Competing
After she stopped competing, María Reyes Sobrino became a coach. One of the athletes she trained was Beatriz Pascual, who was also from Viladecans.
Personal Bests
Here are María Reyes Sobrino's best times in her race walking events:
- 3000 metres race walk – 12:27.82 minutes (1989)
- 5000 metres race walk – 21:57.86 minutes (1990)
- 5 kilometres race walk – 21:25 minutes (1987)
- 10,000 metres race walk – 46:04.05 minutes (1989)
- 10 kilometres race walk – 44:16 minutes (1990)
See also
In Spanish: María Reyes Sobrino para niños
- List of European Athletics Indoor Championships medalists (women)
