Mariana Machado and Samuel Barata Lead Teams at European 10,000m Cup

More than a decade later, Portugal is set to field full teams, both men's and women's, at the European 10,000m Cup. The competition, scheduled for May 23rd in La Spezia, Italy, will see Samuel Barata and Mariana Machado as the leading figures for the Portuguese contingent.

The squad comprises seven athletes – four men and three women. For Portugal to achieve a team classification in each gender, at least three athletes must complete their respective races.

In the women's category, Braga's Mariana Machado is the standout, being the only one in the group who has already secured the qualifying standard for this year's European Championships in Birmingham. With a personal best of 30:58 minutes on the road and 32:27.06 on the track, she is the sole athlete in the call-up who has run under 32 minutes, the qualification mark for the Europeans. The women's team is completed by Susana Godinho Santos (personal best of 32:57 on the road) and Mónica Silva (33:07 on the road), two athletes who have primarily focused on marathon running.

Meanwhile, in the men's team, the experienced Samuel Barata leads the quartet. His personal best stands at 27:48.62, and this season he has already clocked 27:54 on the road, just four seconds shy of the European Championships qualifying standard. He will be joined by Duarte Gomes (best time of 28:08), Rui Pinto (28:21), and Miguel Borges (28:46), all of whom have achieved their times in road races.

The Portuguese delegation in La Spezia will be headed by Sara Moreira, a former athlete and current director of the Portuguese Athletics Federation. Interestingly, Sara Moreira was the last Portuguese athlete to win the individual competition, achieving her third title in 2017.

Squad for the European 10,000m Cup: Men: Samuel Barata (Benfica), Duarte Gomes (Sporting), Rui Pinto (Sporting), Miguel Borges (Santa Tecla). Women: Mariana Machado (Sporting de Braga), Susana Godinho Santos (Beira-Mar), Mónica Magalhães Silva (S. Salvador do Campo).