Mario García Romo (born 29 June 1999) is a Spanish middle-distance runner, who specializes in the 1500 metres. He was the national champion in the event in 2022, and he represented Spain in the 1500 m at the 2022 and 2023 World Championships, finishing fourth and sixth.
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| Full name | Mario García Romo | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname | "The Rocket" | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 29 June 1999 Salamanca, Spain | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 183 cm (6 ft 0 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 64 kg (141 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Country |  Spain | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Middle-distance running | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Event | 1500 metres | ||||||||||||||||||||
| University team | Ole Miss Rebels | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | On Athletics Club | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Turned pro | 2022 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Coached by | Dathan Ritzenhein | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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García competed collegiately for the University of Mississippi, where he won a national title in the mile at the 2022 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships. After graduating in 2022, he joined the On Athletics Club as a professional runner for On Running.
Early life and collegiate competition edit
García hails from Villar de Gallimazo, a small town in Spain with a population of 200.[1] He relocated to the United States in 2018 to attend the University of Mississippi, pursuing a degree in chemistry. While at the university, he competed in the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA). His older brother, Jamie, also participated in NCAA athletics for Eastern Kentucky University.
While at the University of Mississippi, García was a 7-time NCAA Division I All-American and 6-time Southeastern Conference champion in cross country and track.[2] He won a national title in the indoor mile at the 2022 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, running 4:07.54 to narrowly edge Morgan Beadlescomb for the win.[3] He was runner-up in the 1500 m at the 2022 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. While still a student, García was also the silver medalist in the 1500 m at the 2021 European Athletics U23 Championships.
Professional edit
2022 edit
After graduating college, García relocated to Boulder, Colorado to train under coach Dathan Ritzenhein as part of the On Athletics Club.[4] At the Spanish National Championships, García won the 1500 meters in 3:35.52, qualifying him for the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, where he finished fourth in the final.[5] Later that year, he earned a bronze medal in the 1500 m at the European Athletics Championships.
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2023
On the 15 June, García set a personal best of 3:29.18 in the 1500 m at the Bislett Grames to finish fifth.[1] The following month, he placed third in the Spanish Championships, qualifying him for the 2023 World Championships in Budapest. On 23 August, he finished sixth in the 1500 final of these championships in 3:30.26. The following month, on 8 September, García set a national record over 2000 m with his time of 4:49.85.[6] The Spaniard ran his last track race of the year at the Prefontaine Classic, contesting the mile. He finished fourth in 3:47.69.
Achievements edit
All information from World Athletics profile.[7]
International competitions edit
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Representing Spain
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| 2017 | European U20 Championships | Grosseto, Italy | 9th | 1500 m | 3:58.89 |
| 2018 | World U20 Championships | Tampere, Finland | 22nd (h) | 1500 m | 3:52.70 |
| 2021 | European U23 Championships | Tallinn, Estonia | 2nd | 1500 m | 3:40.11 |
| 2022 | World Championships | Eugene, United States | 4th | 1500 m | 3:30.20 |
| European Championships | Munich, Germany | 3rd | 1500 m | 3:34.88 | |
| 2023 | World Championships | Budapest, Hungary | 6th | 1500 m | 3:30.26 |
| 2024 | World Indoor Championships | Glasgow, United Kingdom | 11th | 1500 m | 3:40.48 |
Personal bests edit
Outdoor[7]
- 800 m: 1:46.90 (Oxford, MS 2022)
- 1500 m: 3:29.18 (Oslo 2023)
- Mile: 3:47.69 (Eugene, OR)
- 2000 m: 4:49.85 (Brussels, Belgium 2023) NR
- 3000 m: 7:47.56 (Nashville 2022)
- 5000 m: 13:56.69 (Memphis 2020)
Indoor
- 1500 m: 3:35.98 (New York City 2023)
- Mile: 3:51.79 (New York 2023) NR
- 3000 m: 7:34.74 (Boston, MA 2023)
NCAA edit
Statistics sourced from athlete's profile on Track & Field Results Reporting System (TFRRS).[8]
References edit
- ^ a b Valiente, Emeterio (12 July 2023). "Garcia Romo poised to make 1500m history". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
- ^ "Mario García Romo". olemisssports.com. University of Mississippi. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
- ^ Johnson, Robert; Gault, Jonathan (12 March 2022). "2022 NCAA Indoor Day 2 Men's Recap: Abdihamid Nur Completes The Double, Front-Runners Excel As Texas Wins The Team Title". LetsRun.com. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
- ^ "On Welcomes Four of NCAA's Fastest Talents to its Global Athlete Roster". press.on-running.com. On (company). 22 June 2022. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
- ^ "Mario Garcia Romo Finishes Fourth in World Championships 1500-Meter Final". Ole Miss Athletics. 20 July 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
- ^ Gault, Jonathan (8 September 2023). "Jakob Ingebrigtsen Runs 4:43.13 to Break Hicham El Guerrouj's 2000m World Record". LetsRun.com. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
- ^ a b Mario García at World Athletics
- ^ Mario Garcia Romo's Ole Miss XC & Track Results TFRRS