Álvaro Martín: "I am privileged and I cannot shut up"

After several weeks concentrated in high altitude in Longmont, near Denver, at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, Álvaro Martín arrived in Eugene to decide the fate of...

Athletics Spain, the World Cup and the temptation of the European: "It is our priority"

After several weeks concentrating on altitude in Longmont, near Denver, at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, Álvaro Martín arrived in Eugene to decide the fate of Spain in this World Cup.

In the 20 km walk, he and Diego García (12:10 am) and shortly before María Pérez (10:10 pm) are the

clearest options for a medal;

the rest would be a surprise.

"I'm going with revenge in my head, in the Tokyo Olympics I finished fourth and since then I think it can't happen to me again", admits Martín, current European champion, who after the withdrawal of fellow walker Chuso García Bragado has become the maximum defender of the athletes in the Spanish Federation.

A few months ago, in fact, he resigned from being awarded 'Athlete of the Year' in protest at a new aid system that works well for him in practice.

The Federation now pays more money to fewer athletes.

Honey on flakes for those who are among the best, right? The system now benefits me, it's clear.

It is designed for me, for those of us who are already in the elite.

But I do not like.

I am afraid of the future, the lack of aid to the young people who should arrive after the 2024 Paris Games. Comrades who are affected write to me daily.

I am privileged and I cannot shut up.

This type of protest usually harms the athlete more than the president of the day. I know, there are many people who are silent and I understand it.

I have suffered certain reprisals that I do not want to talk about.

With the previous directive of the Federation there were direct confrontations between athletes and the president, now not anymore.

Now there is fear and that is terrifying He studied Political Science at the Complutense University of Madrid.

With your ideology, why not stand for something outside of athletics? I have had several political offers, from different ideological spectrums, and I have rejected them all.

It can be good to use my image, a title, a medal, to help in certain matters, but then you get into the dynamics of a party and... I studied at Somosaguas, I saw how Podemos was created and I also saw how a party is diluted from theory into practice. Now it has gone to Law, to have more job opportunities? During the pandemic there was something of that.

When the sport took a back seat, I wondered if I should start working.

As an athlete I have always been afraid of what will happen when I reach the job market after 30 years and with little experience.

I thought: 'I leave the sport or continue to death'.

And I decided to continue to death until the 2024 Paris Games. I continue studying and I have some doors half open, but I don't want to leave the sport yet. Is that why you decided to leave the High Performance Center in Madrid?

I had been there for more than 10 years after arriving as a teenager from Llerena, a town in Extremadura. Yes, at Blume I had everything and leaving was a huge leap.

Suddenly I found myself in Cieza, a small town in Murcia.

I was afraid of not giving up because that was the idea that they had sold me: either you are in Madrid or you don't give up.

But it is not true.

I went to Cieza to be close to my coach, José Antonio Carrillo, who has always lived there, and I have improved my results.

I have realized that in Madrid I was more stressed;

I'm better now.

This year, World and European.

Do you prefer a podium here in Eugene or repeat the title at the European Championships in August? For me, the priority is the World Cup.

In the 20 kilometers you don't suffer as much and you can recover because there is a month difference.

I want to compete in the European Championship, but above all I want to fight for the best and the best thing is to win the World Cup.

He really did well to quit football. Many people know that I played football, but not that I practiced many other sports: basketball, swimming, tennis.... I was a restless child, who did not stop, who needed to release energy.