Laura Méndez Esquer
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Laura Mèndez Esquer |
| Nationality | Spanish |
| Born | 6 November 1988 Valencia, Spain |
| Height | 160 cm (5 ft 3 in) |
| Weight | 46 kg (101 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Track and Field |
| Event(s) | 3000m, 5000m, 10,000m, marathon |
Laura Méndez Esquer (born 6 November 1988 in Valencia) is a Spanish long distance runner. She competed at the 2020 Olympic Games.
Career
[edit]Mendez is from Almussafes in the Valencian Community, and is a member of Club Atletismo Playas Castellón.[1] She was runner-up in the senior Spanish Indoor Athletics Championships in the 3000 metres in 2015.[2]
She debuted in the half marathon at the 2019 Valencia Half Marathon and said she was pleasantly surprised by her time of 1:13.43. She then finished in fifth place, in 1:14.14, at the Spanish Championships held in Puerto de Sagunto. Running in Barcelona she set a half marathon personal best of 1:13.19.[3] She was selected to represent Spain in the World Athletics Half Marathon Championships in Gdynia, Poland, in 2020, where she ran a time of 1:12:58.[4]
In April 2021, she ran her debut marathon in Enschede, Netherlands and achieved the qualifying standard for the delayed 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo in her first ever competitive marathon, running 2:29.28, and became the second Spanish woman in history to run under two and a half hours in her debut marathon, after Maria Abel.[5] Mèndez competed in Tokyo but did not finish the Olympic marathon course, after falling ill in hot conditions betwen the 29th and 30th kilometres.[6][7]
In May 2022, Mèndez won the Spanish national championship 10k race setting a new national record time of 33.15.[8] She ran 2:39.15 for the marathon at the 2022 European Athletics Championships in Munich, placing 32nd overall.[9]
She was selected for the 2024 European Athletics Championships in Rome in June 2024.[10]
Achievements
[edit]| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing  Spain
| |||||
| 2020 | World Half Marathon Championships | Gdynia, Poland | 61st | Half marathon | 1:12:58 |
| 2021 | Olympic Games | Sapporo, Japan | - | Marathon | DNF |
| 2022 | Ibero-American Championships | Torrevieja, Spain | 6th | Half marathon | 1:14:51 |
| European Championships | Munich, Germany | 32nd | Marathon | 2:39:15 | |
| 2024 | European Championships | Rome, Italy | 58th | Half marathon | 1:16:28 |
References
[edit]- ^ Cosin, Raul (26 February 2020). "Laura Méndez: "Being an Olympian is a dream for every athlete and by 2024 I would like to be there."" (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 April 2025.
- ^ "Almussafes athlete Laura Méndez will compete for the title of Spanish indoor track champion". Periodic.com (in Spanish). 4 March 2016. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
- ^ "La valenciana Laura Méndez, rumbo al Mundial de Medio Maratón". superdeporte.es (in Spanish). 14 October 2020. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
- ^ Bragado, Javier (18 April 2021). "Laura Méndez se estrena en un maratón logrando la mínima olímpica". Runnersworld (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 April 2025.
- ^ Rodríguez, Moisés (18 April 2021). "La valenciana Laura Méndez logra la mínima para los Juegos en su debut en maratón". Las Provincias (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 April 2025.
- ^ "Marathon Women". World Athletics. 7 July 2021. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
- ^ Bellon, Juanma (7 August 2021). "Laura Méndez: "I saw stars and stars until I fainted."". as.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 April 2025.
- ^ "Spanish 10km Road Running Championships". World Athletics. 8 May 2022. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
- ^ Perez, Ismael (15 August 2022). "The Spanish marathon runners open the medal table in Munich with a team silver medal". Runners World (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 April 2025.
- ^ "#EspañaAtletismo Road to Roma: Preselección definitiva". Royal Spanish Athletics Federation (in Spanish). 30 May 2024. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
External links
[edit]- Laura Méndez Esquer at World Athletics
- Laura Méndez Esquer at Olympics.com
- Laura Méndez Esquer at Olympedia
- Laura Méndez Esquer at the Comité Olímpico Español (in Spanish) (archived)
