Alvaro Martin, the world champion in the 20km and 35km race walks, has announced his retirement from international athletics.
The 30-year-old Spaniard won two Olympic medals in Paris last month, taking bronze in the 20km race walk before winning gold in the marathon and race-walk mixed relay with fellow world champion Maria Pérez.
Born in the small village of Llerena (Badajoz), Martín moved to Madrid to study and pursue his athletics dreams at the age of 16. His talent for race walking was soon evident and just two years later, in 2012, he made his Olympic debut at the London Olympics at the age of 18.
Martin has been extremely consistent and has competed in major championships every season since then: four Olympic Games, five World Championships and three European Championships.
After withdrawing from her first Olympic Games in London, she placed 22nd in Rio 2016, 4th in Tokyo 2021, and finally made it onto the podium in Paris. She made her World Championship debut in 2013 as an U20 athlete, placing 23rd. She then placed 16th in Beijing 2015, 8th in London 2017, and 7th in Oregon before completing a historic double victory in Budapest 2023.
Martin also boasts two European gold medals in the sprinting distances, having placed fifth in Zurich in 2014 as a 20-year-old, before achieving them on Germany’s roads in Berlin in 2018 and Munich in 2022.
Previously, he had won championship medals in his age group, winning bronze at the European U20 Championships in Rieti in 2013 and silver at the European U23 Championships in Tallinn in 2015.
He has a personal best time for 20km of 1:17:32, set in Budapest last year, has broken the 1:20 barrier ten times over this distance, has a personal best of 2:24:30 for 35km and is a two-time winner (2017 and 2022) of the “Gran Premio Cantone” in La Coruña, one of the most competitive race walking events on the circuit.
Martin, who has degrees in political science and law, made the announcement on Saturday after receiving the highest honour from Spain’s autonomous region of Extremadura. His relay partner in Paris, Pérez, presented him with the medal and Martin delivered an emotional speech to the packed crowd.
“I don’t think I was destined to be a world or Olympic champion,” he said. “I don’t think I had any superior abilities or qualities over other people. It was just a matter of hard work, sacrifice and a little bit of luck. Is winning the most important thing? Absolutely not. It’s much more important to be able to inspire others, and I’ve worked my way up from a small town to the top, proving that it’s possible to balance athletic success with academics. I hope I’ve paved the way for future generations.”
“Today I announce that the Paris Olympic Games were my last competition,” added an emotional Martin, who thanked his family, partner and coach José Antonio Carrillo for their unconditional support. “It’s with a mixture of sadness and joy, but I want to retire on top of my game. Now is the time for new challenges beyond athletics.”
Emeterio Valiente at the World Championships