Rocío Arroyo
Arroyo competing for Spain in 2026 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality |  Spain |
| Born | 6 July 2003 |
| Height | 180 cm (5 ft 11 in) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Athletics |
Event | Middle distance running |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal bests | 800m: 1:59.17 (Oordegem, 2025) Indoor 800m: 1:59.97 (Madrid, 2026) |
Medal record | |
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Rocío Arroyo Soria (born 6 July 2003) is a Spanish sprinter and middle-distance runner. In 2025, she became Spanish under-23 national record holder, won the Spanish Athletics Championships and was silver medalist at the European U23 Championships, over 800 metres.[1]
Biography
She is a member of Athletics Club A.J. Alkala based in Alcalá de Henares, Spain. She set a Spanish under-23 record with her teammates Carmen Avilés, Berta Segura, and Blanca Hervás, in winning the bronze medal in the women's 4 x 400 metres relay at the 2023 European Athletics U23 Championships in Espoo, Finland.[2][3][4] In 2024, she transitioned away from the 400 metres and towards middle-distance running.[5]
She won the silver medal in the 800 metres behind Audrey Werro of Switzerland at the 2025 European Athletics U23 Championships in Bergen, Norway, in July 2025, running a time of 1:59.18 which the Spanish U-23 record, and moved her to third on the Spanish all-time list, after Maite Zúñiga and Mayte Martínez.[5][6][7] Later in the championships, she won a silver medal anchoring the Spanish women's 4 x 400 metres relay team to a second place finish, behind Great Britain.[8][9] In August 2025, she won the Spanish Athletics Championships title over 800 metres in a time of 2:01.01 in Tarragona.[5][10] That month, she lowered her personal best for the 800 metres to 1:59.17 whilst racing in Oordegem, Belgium.[11]
She made her major championship debut in September 2025, racing the women's 800 metres at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan.[12][13]
In February 2026, she ran an indoor personal best of 1:59.97 for the 800 metres at the Madrid World Indoor Tour Gold.[14] Arroyo won the 800 metres at the 2026 Spanish Indoor Championships in Valencia, running 2:01.30.[15] She ran at the 2026 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Toruń, Poland, advancing to the semi-finals of the 800 metres.[16] Later at the championships, she won the bronze medal with the women's 4 x 400 m relay team.[17][18] Competing at the 2026 World Athletics Relays, she ran as part of the women’s 4 x 400 m team which won their heat in 3:24.44, just 31 hundredths of a second shy of the Spanish record, and qualifying for the final.[19] The following day, she ran as the Spanish quartet achieved a 3:21.25 national record to win the silver medal in the women’s 4 x 400m final.[20] Competing at the 2026 European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, England, she was a semi-finalist in the 800 metres.[21] She also competed in the women's 4 × 400 metres relay at the championships, as the Spain team placed fourth in the final.[22]
References
- ↑ "Rocio Arroyo". World Athletics. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
- ↑ "The opening speech by athlete Rocío Arroyo kicks off the Val Festival". Dream-Alcala. 16 September 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
- ↑ "European Athletics U23 Championships". World Athletics. 12 July 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
- ↑ "Cordoba athlete Carmen Avilés takes bronze at the U23 European Championships". cordobabn.com. 17 July 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
- 1 2 3 "Rocío Arroyo, the new sensation in the 800 meters: "She's a bombshell. I wasn't thinking about changing events until the senior championship."". Runnersworld. 5 August 2025. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
- ↑ "Records tumble at European U23 Championships in Bergen". World Athletics. 20 July 2025. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
- ↑ Broadbent, Chris (19 July 2025). "Werro smashes championship record to win 800m gold, Mononen wins gritty steeplechase gold". European Athletics. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
- ↑ "European Athletics U23 Championships". World Athletics. 26 July 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
- ↑ "Great Britain and Spain win thrilling 4x400m finals in European U23 records". European Athletics. 20 July 2025. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
- ↑ "Spanish Championships". World Athletics. 1 August 2025. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
- ↑ "IFAM Oordegem". World Athletics. 9 August 2025. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
- ↑ "World Athletics Championships, Tokyo 2025". World Athletics. 21 September 2025. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
- ↑ "These are the 56 Spanish athletes who will compete in the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo". Runnersworld. 27 August 2025. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
- ↑ "Attaoui breaks European short track 1000m record in Madrid as De Sousa leaps to world lead". World Athletics. 6 February 2026. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
- ↑ "Spanish Indoor Championships". World Athletics. 27 February 2026. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
- ↑ "World Athletics Indoor Championships". World Athletics. 20 March 2026. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
- ↑ "USA wins women's 4x400m to claim final gold of WIC Kujawy Pomorze 26". World Athletics. 22 March 2026. Retrieved 22 March 2026.
- ↑ Paya, Rafa (10 March 2026). "Attaoui and Llopis lead a list of 13 athletes... which will be expanded tomorrow". as.com. Retrieved 10 March 2026.
- ↑ "Spanish relays unleash their potential in Gaborone". Atletismorfea.es. 2 May 2026. Retrieved 2 May 2026.
- ↑ "Norway run world lead to win women's 4x400m in Gaborone". World Athletics. 3 May 2026. Retrieved 3 May 2026.
- ↑ "European Athletics Championships". World Athletics. 10 August 2026. Retrieved 19 August 2026.
- ↑ "European Athletics Championships". World Athletics. 10 August 2026. Retrieved 19 August 2026.