Arturo Casado takes the European 1500m title in Barcelona (© Getty Images)
Spain’s Arturo Casado crossed the finish line in the men’s 1500m final at the European championships on home soil of Barcelona last 30 July to complete a hat-trick of European medals in different age categories. Now he’s set his sights on tackling the global stage.
The 27-year-old Madrid-born star had already proven his ability as a junior taking the bronze at the European Junior championships in Grosseto, Italy, in 2001, and four years later was the overwhelming champion at the European U-23 championships. In addition to these outdoor accolades, Casado captured bronze when Spain managed an unforgettable clean sweep of medals at the 2007 European indoor championships in Birmingham.
On the world scene, the Spanish 1500m specialist made a sensational breakthrough on the senior circuit taking an unexpected fifth place at the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki aged only 22. Although he could not go further than seventh two years later at the Osaka Worlds, just a few months later he missed a medal by just 0.06 seconds at the World Indoor Championships in Valencia.
Tough times signal period for rest
It was precisely that summer (2008) when Casado’s poor run of results began. He wasn’t able to advance to the final at the Beijing Olympics where he was widely regarded as a potential medallist. Even bigger was his disappointment on the occasion of the Berlin World championships the following year when the 1.87m-tall Spaniard couldn’t advance from the first round.
A now joyful Casado reflects on the reasons behind his success in Barcelona, four years after coming tantalizingly close to a podium finish in Göteborg 2006 at the same championships.
“Throughout the last five seasons prior to 2010 (2005-2009), I had competed at all the major championships, two per year, one indoors and one outdoors and when I failed to progress beyond the first round at the World championships in Berlin last year, I realised I needed a rest. It was not a matter of physical fitness, I was simply overloaded and decided to skip the world indoors in Doha to refresh my mind and prepare for the Europeans on the home soil of Barcelona full of energy.”
From Spanish silver to European gold
Even after finishing ‘only’ second at the Spanish championships - held barely two weeks before - behind Barcelona bronze medallist Manuel Olmedo, Casado’s win at the Europeans was among the most overwhelming ones at the championships. With 200m to go, he edged ahead of the pack to build a massive margin of nearly a second (3:42.74 v 3:43.52) over his closest competitor, Germany’s Carsten Schlangen.
“Everyone knows that there is a very high standard in the 1500m in my country so if you make it to the Spanish team for the major event you have already completed much of the task.”
To strengthen Casado’s words, it should be mentioned that his fellow Spaniards Diego Ruiz, the reigning European indoor silver medallist and Juan Carlos Higuero, the 2008 World indoor bronze medalist from Valencia, could not compete in Barcelona despite ranking fourth and fifth respectively on the European 1500m season’s list as both failed to make it to the podium at the national championships held in Avilés.
Consequently to what had happened at the national championships, Casado tipped Olmedo – who is also 27 and a newcomer to the event – as his stiffest rival on the eve of the Barcelona final.
“It’s true that the British pair of Baddeley and Lancashire headed the season’s list by the time of the Europeans, but I knew Olmedo has the most powerful burst of speed over the closing metres and that made him the fiercest opponent for me. Despite that, I was fully confident on my winning chances as I reached the Europeans at my highest level of fitness.”
Finally, the Spanish triumvirate of Casado, Olmedo and Reyes Estévez made a remarkable 1-3-4 finish for the host nation.
Head and shoulders above the rest
“I always dreamt of a win but I was sure that, in a tactical race, it would be a photo-finish final,” said Casado, who became the third Spaniard to win the European 1500m gold following in the footsteps of Fermín Cacho (1994) and Reyes Estévez (1998). “I was surprised that I managed a sizeable margin on the rest over the homestretch. But I never looked back and was not aware of my clear advantage. The only thing I thought was, ‘They are going to catch me any time.’ But luckily it didn’t happen.”
His 2010 personal best of 3:32.70 set at the World Challenge meeting in Berlin last summer might seem far from what will be required to put him in medal contention at the world level but Casado firmly believes he can run much faster.
“That Berlin race was far from ideal as there were plenty of athletes and I was forced to run wide bends which means more metres in the end. I’m sure I still have room for improvement and a 3:30 clocking last season would have not been a surprise for me.”
Anyway, the prodigiously talented Spaniard has never worried about his time. “My primary goal are the major championships and my build-up will always be 100 percent focused on performing as good as possible on such occasions, rather than running fast times throughout the season.”
Born an 800m man, finds his home at 1500m
In terms of times, Casado’s best performance in 2010 came in the 800m where he clocked a massive career best of 1:44.74 in Rieti to rise to the runner-up place on the Spanish all-time list over the distance, behind only the national record holder Antonio Reina.
“It’s curious, as the 800m is likely the distance which suits me best as my weight is around 80 kilos and I have a lot of strength. But from my early days in athletics my coach Arturo Martín decided I would build-up for the 1500m and I’m happy running this distance. Had I opted for the 800 I would have been successful too but the 1500m is the premier event. It attracts a lot of attention and is a resonance point.”
Casado has got a degree in Physical Education and confesses he is very keen on everything related to his studies.
“I have started my PhD in Training as I’m increasingly interested in it. The body of an athlete changes as time goes by and you have to adapt your training to those changes, otherwise you are not going to be competitive anymore. Actually, I think that the lack of proper changes in my build-ups for the championships was one of the key reasons for my sub-par performances in Beijing and Berlin. But fortunately it’s now a solved problem.”
Team spirit made things easier
Among the dedications for his European title in Barcelona it’s worth mentioning the one he made for one of his closest friends, Víctor Seco, who also acts as a pacemaker on his toughest training sessions.
“Víctor has helped me a lot, not only by setting the pace at the quality work on the track but also by fully believing in my chances of becoming European champion. He is a very positive and cheerful guy and it makes the day-to-day much more fun. Víctor performed as a pacesetter in both Berlin and Brussels this year, and even the media praised his work.”
Casado has high hopes for the next global championships which will be held in Daegu and London for the World Championships and the Olympic Games respectively.
“Of course, my lifetime dream is to take an Olympic medal but next summer’s Worlds in Daegu will be extremely important for me as a kind of dress rehearsal for London in terms of rivals, tactics and build-up.”
Awaiting a second handshake with Coe
Back to the Olympics, the fact of being a medallist there would likely mean that the he would receive his prize from British legend Sebastian Coe.
“He already presented the medals in Birmingham when I grabbed bronze,” Casado recalls proudly, “and I’m sure Coe will present the medals again in London.”
In the near future, Casado will likely skip the indoor season to focus on the cross country season which will reach its pinnacle on 20 March on Spanish soil in Punta Umbría.
“It’s quite a tough task, but I would like to make the Spanish team for the World championships. Punta Umbría is a regular training-camp base for me at Easter and I’m looking forward to competing there.”
Emeterio Valiente for the IAAF
The 27-year-old Madrid-born star had already proven his ability as a junior taking the bronze at the European Junior championships in Grosseto, Italy, in 2001, and four years later was the overwhelming champion at the European U-23 championships. In addition to these outdoor accolades, Casado captured bronze when Spain managed an unforgettable clean sweep of medals at the 2007 European indoor championships in Birmingham.
On the world scene, the Spanish 1500m specialist made a sensational breakthrough on the senior circuit taking an unexpected fifth place at the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki aged only 22. Although he could not go further than seventh two years later at the Osaka Worlds, just a few months later he missed a medal by just 0.06 seconds at the World Indoor Championships in Valencia.
Tough times signal period for rest
It was precisely that summer (2008) when Casado’s poor run of results began. He wasn’t able to advance to the final at the Beijing Olympics where he was widely regarded as a potential medallist. Even bigger was his disappointment on the occasion of the Berlin World championships the following year when the 1.87m-tall Spaniard couldn’t advance from the first round.
A now joyful Casado reflects on the reasons behind his success in Barcelona, four years after coming tantalizingly close to a podium finish in Göteborg 2006 at the same championships.
“Throughout the last five seasons prior to 2010 (2005-2009), I had competed at all the major championships, two per year, one indoors and one outdoors and when I failed to progress beyond the first round at the World championships in Berlin last year, I realised I needed a rest. It was not a matter of physical fitness, I was simply overloaded and decided to skip the world indoors in Doha to refresh my mind and prepare for the Europeans on the home soil of Barcelona full of energy.”
From Spanish silver to European gold
Even after finishing ‘only’ second at the Spanish championships - held barely two weeks before - behind Barcelona bronze medallist Manuel Olmedo, Casado’s win at the Europeans was among the most overwhelming ones at the championships. With 200m to go, he edged ahead of the pack to build a massive margin of nearly a second (3:42.74 v 3:43.52) over his closest competitor, Germany’s Carsten Schlangen.
“Everyone knows that there is a very high standard in the 1500m in my country so if you make it to the Spanish team for the major event you have already completed much of the task.”
To strengthen Casado’s words, it should be mentioned that his fellow Spaniards Diego Ruiz, the reigning European indoor silver medallist and Juan Carlos Higuero, the 2008 World indoor bronze medalist from Valencia, could not compete in Barcelona despite ranking fourth and fifth respectively on the European 1500m season’s list as both failed to make it to the podium at the national championships held in Avilés.
Consequently to what had happened at the national championships, Casado tipped Olmedo – who is also 27 and a newcomer to the event – as his stiffest rival on the eve of the Barcelona final.
“It’s true that the British pair of Baddeley and Lancashire headed the season’s list by the time of the Europeans, but I knew Olmedo has the most powerful burst of speed over the closing metres and that made him the fiercest opponent for me. Despite that, I was fully confident on my winning chances as I reached the Europeans at my highest level of fitness.”
Finally, the Spanish triumvirate of Casado, Olmedo and Reyes Estévez made a remarkable 1-3-4 finish for the host nation.
Head and shoulders above the rest
“I always dreamt of a win but I was sure that, in a tactical race, it would be a photo-finish final,” said Casado, who became the third Spaniard to win the European 1500m gold following in the footsteps of Fermín Cacho (1994) and Reyes Estévez (1998). “I was surprised that I managed a sizeable margin on the rest over the homestretch. But I never looked back and was not aware of my clear advantage. The only thing I thought was, ‘They are going to catch me any time.’ But luckily it didn’t happen.”
His 2010 personal best of 3:32.70 set at the World Challenge meeting in Berlin last summer might seem far from what will be required to put him in medal contention at the world level but Casado firmly believes he can run much faster.
“That Berlin race was far from ideal as there were plenty of athletes and I was forced to run wide bends which means more metres in the end. I’m sure I still have room for improvement and a 3:30 clocking last season would have not been a surprise for me.”
Anyway, the prodigiously talented Spaniard has never worried about his time. “My primary goal are the major championships and my build-up will always be 100 percent focused on performing as good as possible on such occasions, rather than running fast times throughout the season.”
Born an 800m man, finds his home at 1500m
In terms of times, Casado’s best performance in 2010 came in the 800m where he clocked a massive career best of 1:44.74 in Rieti to rise to the runner-up place on the Spanish all-time list over the distance, behind only the national record holder Antonio Reina.
“It’s curious, as the 800m is likely the distance which suits me best as my weight is around 80 kilos and I have a lot of strength. But from my early days in athletics my coach Arturo Martín decided I would build-up for the 1500m and I’m happy running this distance. Had I opted for the 800 I would have been successful too but the 1500m is the premier event. It attracts a lot of attention and is a resonance point.”
Casado has got a degree in Physical Education and confesses he is very keen on everything related to his studies.
“I have started my PhD in Training as I’m increasingly interested in it. The body of an athlete changes as time goes by and you have to adapt your training to those changes, otherwise you are not going to be competitive anymore. Actually, I think that the lack of proper changes in my build-ups for the championships was one of the key reasons for my sub-par performances in Beijing and Berlin. But fortunately it’s now a solved problem.”
Team spirit made things easier
Among the dedications for his European title in Barcelona it’s worth mentioning the one he made for one of his closest friends, Víctor Seco, who also acts as a pacemaker on his toughest training sessions.
“Víctor has helped me a lot, not only by setting the pace at the quality work on the track but also by fully believing in my chances of becoming European champion. He is a very positive and cheerful guy and it makes the day-to-day much more fun. Víctor performed as a pacesetter in both Berlin and Brussels this year, and even the media praised his work.”
Casado has high hopes for the next global championships which will be held in Daegu and London for the World Championships and the Olympic Games respectively.
“Of course, my lifetime dream is to take an Olympic medal but next summer’s Worlds in Daegu will be extremely important for me as a kind of dress rehearsal for London in terms of rivals, tactics and build-up.”
Awaiting a second handshake with Coe
Back to the Olympics, the fact of being a medallist there would likely mean that the he would receive his prize from British legend Sebastian Coe.
“He already presented the medals in Birmingham when I grabbed bronze,” Casado recalls proudly, “and I’m sure Coe will present the medals again in London.”
In the near future, Casado will likely skip the indoor season to focus on the cross country season which will reach its pinnacle on 20 March on Spanish soil in Punta Umbría.
“It’s quite a tough task, but I would like to make the Spanish team for the World championships. Punta Umbría is a regular training-camp base for me at Easter and I’m looking forward to competing there.”
Emeterio Valiente for the IAAF
