The La Salobreja Sports Complex in Jaén hosted the 2026 Spanish University Athletics Championship (CEU), an event that brought together the national elite of university sports. The competition, organized by the University of Jaén, saw the most anticipated athletes confirm their favoritism.
Among the most notable winners was Mariano García, from UCAM, who triumphed in the men's 1,500 meters. The athlete from Murcia, recognized for his world and European titles, demonstrated his dominance in the event. In the women's race walking category, María Pérez, also from UCAM, secured victory in the 5 kilometers, solidifying her career after her Olympic and world successes. Meanwhile, Diego García won gold in the men's 10 kilometers race walk.
In the team classification, the Catholic University of Murcia (UCAM) dominated the men's category, followed by the University of León and the Polytechnic University of Madrid. In the women's competition, the University of Valencia took first place, surpassing UCAM and the Jaume I University of Castellón. UCAM also led the overall university classification.
The University of Jaén, as host, had three athletes from Unicaja Jaén Paraíso Interior representing them. Sara Chica competed in the triple jump, Esteban León in the 800 meters, and Carlos González in the hammer throw, achieving commendable results in their respective events.
“"The celebration of these three Spanish University Championships has placed the University of Jaén and our province in a very prominent position on the map of national university sports."
The organization of the event received very positive feedback, highlighting the scale of the competition which attracted over 1,000 athletes, in addition to coaches, technicians, and family members. This Spanish University Athletics Championship concludes a series of university sports events organized by the University of Jaén, which also included the CEU Cross Country and the CEU Table Tennis championships.
