Overview
- Mechaal clocked 27:25 at the 10K Valencia Ibercaja by Kiprun, surpassing Ilias Fifa’s 27:41 national mark set last year.
- He placed seventh in the men’s race, reflecting the event’s unusually deep pace.
- Post-race, Mechaal said Spain repeatedly rejected his scholarship bids and entry to Madrid’s High Performance Centre.
- He thanked his U.S.-based coach and his club Vistasol for backing, noting most of his development occurred in the United States before his return to Spain three to four months ago.
- Sweden’s Andreas Almgren won with a European record 26:45, Kenya’s Brenda Jepchirchir won the women’s race, and Britain’s Eilish McColgan set a European record of 30:08.