The second morning session of the European Championships in Birmingham opened with the women’s 800 metres heats, the main highlight of the morning. A sensational Marta Mitjans (1:58.52) dominated by breaking the Spanish sub-23 record and earning a place in the semifinals. She will be accompanied there by the Spanish race champion Rocío Arroyo (2:00.62), who sealed her qualification with a strong final sprint. Additionally, Diego Casas (62.90) secured a spot in the discus final for the upcoming Thursday at 21:45.
The women’s 800 metres heats featured three Spanish athletes in a field of European-calibre competition. The under-23 Spanish champion Marta Mitjans (1:58.52) produced the morning’s big news by smashing the sub-23 Spanish record previously held by her teammate Rocío Arroyo since last year, 1:59.17.
MARTA MITJANS, A SEMIS 💪
La española bate, además, el récord de España 🇪🇸 sub-23 @atletismoRFEA
📺El Europeo de #Birmingham2026 en directo, en TDP y @rtveplay #AtletismoRTVEhttps://t.co/TtJun6U93G pic.twitter.com/zKvy5ZIZV5— Teledeporte (@teledeporte) August 11, 2026
In the semifinals, Rocío Arroyo (2:00.62) will also be present, the national champion of the event, who finished third in the second heat and earned direct qualification by place. Arroyo ran a very smart race and, in the final straight, unleashed a powerful stride that allowed her to climb to that third position. In the last heat, Lorea Ibarzabal (1:59.73) competed, finishing fifth after posting her season best and her third-best mark of all time. Still, she could not accompany her two teammates into the semifinals as the cutoff time stood at 1:58.65 given the enormous level of the 800 metres.
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Dylan Holloway