Lorea Ibarzabal
Spanish athlete (born 1994)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lorea Ibarzabal Padorno (born 7 November 1994) is a Spanish Olympian middle-distance runner. She finished fourth in the 800 metres at the 2023 European Indoor Championships.
.jpg)
Ibarzabal at the 2026 European Championships | |||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Lorea Ibarzabal Padorno | ||||||||||||||
| Born | 7 November 1994 Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, Spain | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||
| Country | Spain | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | ||||||||||||||
Event | 800 metres | ||||||||||||||
| Club | Nike | ||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||
| Personal bests | |||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||
Ibarzabal has won multiple Spanish national titles (800 m indoors and outdoors).
Biography
In February 2021, after she overcame a significant injury, 26-year-old Lorea Ibarzabal won her first national title, with a victory in the 800 metres at the Spanish Indoor Championships.[1]
In February 2023, she ran the second-fastest time by a Spanish woman ever in the indoor 800 m, clocking 2:01.00 in Metz.[2] The same month, she claimed national indoor 800 m title for the second time.[3] In March, the 28-year-old competed in the event at the 2023 European Indoor Championships in Istanbul. It was the Ibarzabal's first major competition representing Spain, and she said that the semi-final was additionally emotional for her as she was competing on the birthday of her running partner Bea, who had died four months earlier.[4] In the final she came within 0.02 s of bronze medal, but ran a personal best of 2:00.87 to finish fourth.[5] In July 2023, she broke two minutes for the 800m, running 1:59.88 in Madrid.[6]
Ibarzabal competed for Spain at the 2024 World Indoor Championships over 800 metres. She ran an indoors personal best in her qualifying heat with a time of 2:00.56.[7] She competed at the 2024 European Athletics Championships in Rome in June 2024.[8] She was officially selected for the Spanish National Olympic Team. She competed in the 800 metres at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris in August 2024.[9][10]
In September 2025, she competed in the women's 800 metres at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan.[11][12]
Ibarzabal reached the semi-finals of the 800 m at the 2026 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Toruń, Poland.[13][14] On 19 June, 2026, she had a top-ten finish over 800 metres at the 2026 Doha Diamond League.[15] In August, she competed at the 2026 European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, England, in the women's 800 metres.[16]
Statistics
International competitions
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing  Spain | |||||
| 2023 | European Indoor Championships | Istanbul, Turkey | 4th | 800 m i | 2:00.87 |
| European Games | Chorzów, Poland | 9th | 800 m | 2:00.86 | |
| World Championships | Budapest, Hungary | 55th (h) | 800 m | 2:06.33 | |
| 2024 | World Indoor Championships | Glasgow, United Kingdom | 11th (sf) | 800 m i | 2:00.73 |
| European Championships | Rome, Italy | 12th (h) | 800 m | 2:01.15 | |
| Olympic Games | Paris, France | 6th (rep) | 800 m | 1:59.81 | |
| 2025 | European Indoor Championships | Apeldoorn, Netherlands | 9th (h) | 800 m i | 2:03.50 |
| World Indoor Championships | Nanjing, China | 4th (sf) | 800 m | 2:02.57 | |
| World Championships | Tokyo, Japan | 27th (h) | 800 m | 2:00.60 | |
| 2026 | World Indoor Championships | Toruń, Poland | 12th (sf) | 800 m | 2:00.74 |
| European Championships | Birmingham, United Kingdom | 20th (h) | 800 m | 1:59.73 | |
| Mediterranean Games | Taranto, Italy | 2nd | 800 m | 2:00.07 | |
Education
Lorea studied Mechanical Engineering at the University of Portland. She also holds a master degree in Product Development Engineering from the University of Southern California, a master of science in Biomechanics from the University of Dundee and a third master degree in Big data from the UCAM.
Personal life
Lorea Ibarzabal was born in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria but is now based in Madrid and trains in Valladolid.[17] [1] Her father, Daniel Ibarzabal, is from Zumarraga in Gipuzkoa province of the Basque country. Her mother, Patricia Padorno, was a middle-distance runner in the 1980s.[1] Her maternal grandfather is the Spanish relevant painter and poet Manuel Padorno.[18]
National titles
- SPANISH Indoor ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS
- 800 metres: 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025
- SPANISH ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS
- 800 metres: 2023, 2024
