The sprinter from Formentera, Marc Escandell, who trains in Palma, has set a new regional record for 100 meters (10.28) during the Absolute Spanish Championships in Málaga, where he became the first Balearic finalist in history at this distance.
The athlete from Formentera, Marc Escandell, from the Siurell–Sa Sini club, has been the standout performer for the Balearic representation on the first day of the Absolute Spanish Championships, taking place this weekend in Málaga. Escandell broke the regional record for the 100 meters flat with a time of 10.28 seconds, improving his previous record of 10.30, and qualified for the final, where he finished in fourth place.
Escandell, who trains in Palma under the guidance of Juanan Oses and his son Carlos, clocked 10.28 in the first round, with a favourable wind of +2.0 m/s. In the semi-final, he secured second place with 10.35, and in the final, he stopped the clock at 10.33, just missing out on the podium. Despite not winning a medal, his performance is historic: he becomes the first Balearic to compete in a 100 meters final at an Absolute Spanish Championship.
Escandell's new regional record, which he had previously set at 10.30 in Tarragona last year, places him fourth in the national ranking for the season in the 100 meters. This milestone reinforces the positive momentum of athletics in the Balearic Islands, which has seen a generation of sprinters with national potential emerge.
On the same day, the Mallorcan sprinter Esperança Cladera shone in the women's 200 meters by finishing first in her heat with a time of 23.25 seconds, also with a favourable wind (+3.3). Cladera, one of the key athletes for Balearic athletics, showed authority and advances to the semi-finals with a chance to compete for medals. Alongside her, Carmen Marco also progressed to the semi-finals by finishing second in her heat (23.57), and Ivana Peralta qualified on times with a clocking of 23.75. In contrast, Nuria Muntaner finished seventh with 24.81 and could not advance.
In the men's 200 meters category, the Menorcan Sebastià Pons was eliminated from the semi-finals after finishing fourth in his heat with 21.34, which was insufficient to continue. However, Pons remains one of the promising sprinters in the island's athletics.
Another notable performance for the Balearics was that of Daniela García Tena, who ran the second semi-final of the 800 meters and finished second with a time of 2:07.75. Her time earned her the third-best result of the semi-finals, giving her a real chance to compete for medals in the final.
In the decathlon, the Mallorcan David Abrines, competing for Atletismo Albacete, stood in seventh place after the first day with 3,677 points. His partial marks were: 11.36 in the 100 meters, 6.65 meters in long jump, 14.36 in shot put, 1.93 in high jump, and 53.20 in 400 meters. However, on the second day, after being the best in discus with 43.56 meters, he withdrew from the remaining events and lost his chance for a podium finish.
Finally, the Mallorcan long-distance runner Adrià Ceballos, from ADA Calvià–Vistasol, finished eighth in the 5,000 meters final with a time of 14:07.88. A performance that, while not outstanding, adds points for the Balearic representation in the national championship.
The Absolute Spanish Championships continue this Sunday with new events in which the Balearic athletes will seek to improve their marks and, if possible, reach the podium. Marc Escandell's performance has already put the name of the islands on the map of national sprinting, and fans hope it is the prelude to more successes.
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