Some nights, sport is measured in a different way. We are not talking about records, medals, or personal bests, but about journeys that opened paths, about women who have inspired others, and about stories that deserve to be remembered. That was the spirit of the first edition of the Imperia Awards, held on October 13 at the CondeDuque Contemporary Cultural Center in Madrid, a gala I had the opportunity to attend that brought together some of the leading figures in Spanish and international women’s sports.
Driven by Women’s Sports Institute and the City Council of Madrid, these awards are born with an ambition that goes beyond recognizing sporting successes. Their aim is to preserve the legacy of women who have helped transform sport, both through competition and through communication, training, and the ability to inspire new generations.
The Founders of Imperia and the Recognitions of a Special Night
One of the highlights of the gala was the presentation of the 12 Founders of Imperia, women chosen for their trajectory, their contribution to sport, and their ability to pave the way for other generations. Among them are names that form part of our sporting history, such as Arantxa Sánchez Vicario, Gemma Mengual, Lydia Valentín, Ona Carbonell, or María Pérez, one of the current major references in Spanish athletics. All of them will join Imperia’s advisory council, charged with preserving the project’s founding principles and contributing to guiding its evolution.
For those of us who follow athletics closely, seeing María Pérez become part of this group carries special meaning. Her career in racewalking represents effort, consistency, and sporting excellence, but also the importance that new generations have role models to look up to, women who show how far one can go with talent, work, and determination.
Alongside the Founders’ naming, the gala, hosted by Pilar Rubio, welcomed the presentation of the first Imperia awards, aimed at recognizing different ways of contributing to sport, from competitive excellence to leadership and social impact.
Among the awardees stood out Natalia Dobrynska, the former Ukrainian athlete specializing in combined events and Olympic heptathlon champion in Beijing 2008, who received the Imperia Beyond Sports recognition. Her career reminds us of the extraordinary demands of a discipline that combines speed, jumps, throws, and endurance, and represents one of athletics’ most complete expressions.
Also recognized were athletes and professionals such as Mireia Belmonte, Sandra Sánchez, Andrea Fuentes or Vikika Costa, in addition to Atlético de Madrid Women and the Spanish women’s under-20 football team. Among the awardees were Sara and Marta Baceiredo, runners and content creators who received the Imperia Game Changer prize, a reflection of the capacity of new generations to connect sport with other audiences through social media.
This diversity of trajectories precisely reflects one of the project’s most interesting ideas: the history of sport is not written only from podiums, but also thanks to those who train, communicate, teach, and make it possible for others to find their place in it.
Cristina Mitre: thirteen years making women run and an emotional comeback
If there was a moment of the night that moved me especially, it was the recognition of Cristina Mitre with the Imperia People’s Choice award, which she received from Anne Igartiburu, who dedicated some beautiful words to her on a night that held a very special meaning for her.
To understand what Cristina represents for so many runners, you have to go back to February 2013, when she launched Mujeres que Corren, an initiative that began with an invitation to go running together in Madrid’s Retiro Park and that ended up becoming one of the most recognizable movements in women’s running in our country. At a time when more and more women began to participate in popular races, Cristina managed to encourage many to lace up their sneakers for the first time, discovering that running was not an activity reserved for seasoned athletes but an opportunity to enjoy, share experiences, and be part of a community. Those early meetups grew, and the project also incorporated a charitable dimension linked to research into childhood leukemia.
Twelve years later, now a reference voice in health and exercise through her books and her well-known podcast, Cristina returned to a stage after going through an extraordinarily tough illness that forced her to interrupt her professional activity and face a long recovery, something she has spoken about publicly.
Her recognition was much more than a prize for a professional career. It was also a way to thank her for everything she has contributed to women’s running, because her legacy lies not only in the projects she has championed, but also in all those women who began to run thanks to her and who have probably never stopped.
I left Imperia with the feeling that I had attended something more than an awards ceremony. A night that reminded us of the importance of recognizing great champions, but also those who have made sport reach many more people.
