Torrevieja chosen as Olympic training base

The councillor for sports of Torrevieja, Diana Box Alonso, has reported that the Irish Athletics Federation chose the sports facilities of the town as their recent training base in preparation for next season.

About thirty athletes, plus their coaches, physiotherapists and management staff in Ireland and Northern Ireland, by the decision of their respective federations, enjoyed the use of the athletics track, local gymnasiums, and the coastal proemades during their stay, which was from December 28 until January 10.

The Lagunas de la Mata and Torrevieja were the training venues of these elite athletes, who also enjoyed a climate not available at this time of year in their home country.

A total of four Olympic athletes trained during the last two weeks. These were:

■ Paul Pollock (qualified for Tokyo 2020 in the Valencia Marathon 2019).

■ Fionnuala McCormack (classified for Tokyo 2020 in the Chicago Marathon 2019).

■ Kevin Seaward (Olympic sportsman who will try to qualify for the Seville 2020 Marathon).

■ David Leavy (Paralympic sportsman T38 / 1500 m Qualified for Tokyo 2020).

In addition to the four Olympic athletes, also attending were Kerry O'Flaherty, Olympic athlete (Rio de Janeiro) specialist in the 3,000 metre hurdles and Ellish Flanagan, runner-up in the European championships in the 3,000 metre hurdles.

Their stay in Torrevieja was the starting point for the buildup to the Olympics.

Alonso confirmed that “They enjoyed a perfect time training in Torrevieja and next year, they will try to return to perform their training on the same dates.”

Finally, Alonso also stated that four members of the Finnish athletics team are currently training in the town, who visit every winter to prepare for their international competitions.