Paul McGrath (race walker)
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Paul McGrath Benito |
| Nationality | Spanish |
| Born | 7 March 2002 |
| Sport | |
| Country |  Spain |
| Sport | Athletics |
| Event | Race Walking |
Paul McGrath Benito[a] (born 7 March 2002) is a Spanish race walker. He was a silver medalist at the 2024 European Athletics Championships. He competed at the 2024 Olympic Games.[1]
Career
[edit]He won the 2021 European Athletics U20 Championships in Tallinn, Estonia in the 10,000m race walk.[2] He finished third at the 2021 World Athletics U20 Championships in Nairobi in the 10,000m race walk.[3]
He finished third at the 20 km race walk on 13 February 2022 at the senior Spanish Championships in Pamplona.[4]
He won gold at the 2023 European Athletics U23 Championships in Espoo, Finland, in the 20,000m race walk in a personal best of 1:21:03.[5][6]
In April 2024, he was a silver medalist in the 20km race at the World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships in Antalya, Turkey.[7] That month, he won the Spanish national title in the 20 km race walk, setting a personal best time of 1:17:55 in Zaragoza. It placed him third on the Spanish all-time list.[8]
He was a silver medalist at the 2024 European Athletics Championships in Rome in June 2024.[9] He was officially selected for the 2024 Paris Olympics in July 2024.[10] Although he featured towards the front of the race at the start of the men's 20km race in Paris, he eventually finished in seventeenth overall in a time of 1:20.32.[11] [12]
Personal life
[edit]McGrath was born and raised in Barcelona. He has a Spanish mother, a Scottish father, and Irish grandparents.[13] His father, James, is from Glasgow, and a keen football fan, as a consequence McGrath is a supporter of Scottish Premiership football club Celtic and has been a season ticket holder.[14]
Notes
[edit]- ^ In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is McGrath and the second or maternal family name is Benito.
References
[edit]- ^ "Paul McGrath". World Athletics. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
- ^ "European Athletics U20 Championships". World Athletics. 15 July 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
- ^ "Amit Khatri wins silver in 10000m race walk at World Athletics U20 meet". Olympics.com. 21 August 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
- ^ "Spain's aim for race walk legacy continues in Muscat". World Athletics. 28 February 2022. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
- ^ Foster, Anthony (July 12, 2023). "Thrilling Start to European U23 Championships with Stey and McGrath Dominating 20km Race Walk". Track Alerts. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
- ^ Broadbent, Chris (12 July 2023). "Stey and McGrath split the honours in the 20km race walk in Espoo 2023". Retrieved 5 April 2025.
- ^ "Karlstrom reigns again, taking 20km title in Antalya". World Athletics. 21 April 2024. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
- ^ "Senior breakthrough beckons for Spain's McGrath in his beloved Rome". European Athletics. 17 April 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
- ^ Williams, George (8 June 2024). "Spaniard Paul McGrath, European silver in the 20 km walk in Rome". Sportsfinding. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
- ^ "Spain's list for athletics at the Paris Olympics". sport.es. 3 July 2024. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
- ^ "20 KILOMETRES RACE WALK MEN". World Athletics. 1 August 2024. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
- ^ "20km race walk champion Pintado takes first athletics gold of Paris 2024 Olympic Games". World Athletics. 1 August 2024. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
- ^ Henderson, Jason (8 June 2024). "Rising race walks star Paul McGrath on his Spanish-Scottish heritage". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
- ^ McGinley, John (9 March 2024). "Paris 2024 Olympic athlete reveals his surprising love for Celtic". 67hailhail.com. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
External links
[edit]- Paul McGrath at World Athletics
- Paul McGrath at RFEA (in Spanish)
- Paul McGrath at Olympics.com
- Paul McGrath at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics
- Paul McGrath – COE – Paris 2024 (in Spanish)
European Athletics U23 Championships champions in men's 20 kilometres race walk | |
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