Laura Méndez Esquer
Spanish athlete
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Laura Méndez Esquer (born 6 November 1988 in Valencia) is a Spanish long distance runner. She competed at the 2020 Olympic Games.
Career
Mendez is from Almussafes in the Valencian Community, and is a member of Club Atletismo Playas Castellón.[1] She was runner-up in the senior Spanish Indoor Athletics Championships in the 3000 metres in 2015.[2]
She debuted in the half marathon at the 2019 Valencia Half Marathon and said she was pleasantly surprised by her time of 1:13.43. She then finished in fifth place, in 1:14.14, at the Spanish Championships held in Puerto de Sagunto. Running in Barcelona she set a half marathon personal best of 1:13.19.[3] She was selected to represent Spain in the World Athletics Half Marathon Championships in Gdynia, Poland, in 2020, where she ran a time of 1:12:58.[4]
In April 2021, she ran her debut marathon in Enschede, Netherlands and achieved the qualifying standard for the delayed 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo in her first ever competitive marathon, running 2:29.28, and became the second Spanish woman in history to run under two and a half hours in her debut marathon, after Maria Abel.[5] Mèndez competed in Tokyo but did not finish the Olympic marathon course, after falling ill in hot conditions between the 29th and 30th kilometres.[6][7]
In May 2022, Mèndez won the Spanish national championship 10k race setting a new national record time of 33.15.[8] She ran 2:39.15 for the marathon at the 2022 European Athletics Championships in Munich, placing 32nd overall.[9]
She was selected for the 2024 European Athletics Championships in Rome in June 2024.[10]
Achievements
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing  Spain | |||||
| 2020 | World Half Marathon Championships | Gdynia, Poland | 61st | Half marathon | 1:12:58 |
| 2021 | Olympic Games | Sapporo, Japan | - | Marathon | DNF |
| 2022 | Ibero-American Championships | Torrevieja, Spain | 6th | Half marathon | 1:14:51 |
| European Championships | Munich, Germany | 32nd | Marathon | 2:39:15 | |
| 2024 | European Championships | Rome, Italy | 58th | Half marathon | 1:16:28 |
