Portugal Sends Six Athletes to World Road Running Championships

Portugal is set to compete on two fronts this weekend, fielding a record delegation of six athletes at the World Road Running Championships in Copenhagen and a strong contingent at the Mediterranean U23 Championships in Rabat, Morocco.

The Danish capital hosts the second edition of the World Road Running Championships, where Portugal will present its largest-ever squad, comprising six athletes, all entered in the half-marathon event. The delegation features an equal split of three men and three women, a significant increase from 2023, when only Samuel Barata represented the nation.

In the women's field, national colors will be defended by Mónica Lopes Silva (CA Macedo de Cavaleiros), Salomé Rocha (SC Beira-Mar), and Susana Godinho Santos (SC Beira-Mar), who boasts the best season time among the trio (1:11:34). The men's team includes Miguel Borges (GDR Santa Tecla), Rui Pinto (Sporting CP), who recorded a 1:02:43 this season, and Samuel Barata (SL Benfica).

Samuel Barata is not only the sole athlete in the group with prior experience in this competition, having finished 26th in Riga in 2023, but he also holds the national half-marathon record. The Benfica athlete is the only Portuguese to have completed the distance in under 60 minutes, achieving a time of 59:40 in Valencia on October 22, 2023. For the women, the national record of 1:08:33, set by Dulce Félix in 2011, remains unbroken.

The competition, which replaced the former World Half Marathon Championships, is unique in bringing together elite and amateur athletes on the same course. Organizers anticipate approximately 65,000 participants in the mass races, a record for a sporting event in Denmark. The half-marathon races are scheduled for Sunday, with the women's start at 8:10 AM and the men's at 8:45 AM (Continental Portugal time).

Throwing Events Highlight Morocco Campaign

Concurrently, on the second day of the Mediterranean U23 Championships in Rabat, the Portuguese team will have a strong presence, particularly in throwing disciplines. Portugal will compete in the finals of the men's shot put, discus, and hammer throw, as well as the women's shot put and discus.

In the men's competition, Ruben Antunes and Lenine Cunha will vie in the shot put final, João Ferreira in the discus, and Rúben Castro in the hammer throw. For the women, Bruna Mendes and Mariana Pestana will compete in the shot put final, while Eduarda Ferreira takes on the discus.

Portuguese participation extends to other events: Inês Frias in the 3000-meter steeplechase, Francisco Frias in the 3000-meter flat race, João Pedro Cruz in the triple jump, Diogo Mendes in the long jump, and Rodrigo Pereira in the 200 meters. The men's and women's 4x400-meter relays will conclude Portugal's involvement in the event.