María Valero Garrido

Getting to know María Valero Garrido a little

María Valero Garrido (Valencia, 11/06/2003) is a young athlete who has excelled in middle-distance and also in distance events, competing for Metaesport and for the Valencian Community team. She took up athletics at just 8 years old at the Valencian Community athletics school (EMID Valencia) and in the U16 category she began to wear the Metaesport colours, a team she joined together with her lifelong coach, Ximo Ortiz. She began competing in the U10 category and in 2025 she became Spanish U23 indoor champion over 3,000 m.

Sporting achievements…

Her best results:

–Spanish U23 Indoor champion in 2025 over 3,000 m

-Third in Spain in the U23 individual cross-country in 2025 (Getafe).

-4th at the 2025 Spanish U23 Outdoor Championships in Badajoz over 5,000 m.

-Took part in the 2025 Spanish Senior Indoor Championships in Gallur (Madrid).

-5th at the 2024 Spanish U23 Outdoor Championships over 5,000 m

-Valencian Community senior outdoor runner-up in 2024 over 1,500 m.

Her personal bests:

-1,500 m: 4:23:86

-3,000 m: 9:38:85

-5K road: 16:41

-5,000 m track: 16:28:78

-10K road: 34:28

What you might not know about María…

María has a twin sister called Lucía who is also an elite athlete. “Lucía was born first, but the doctor told my mother that I was the elder because I was the one who spent longest inside her”, she says. Since 2026 they have worn the Metaesport colours together, the club where they both started competing in the U16 category, although Lucía later went on to represent other clubs. Even though they are not identical twins the resemblance between them is remarkable, and the only way to tell them apart is to look for a freckle on María’s face. María is a keen reader, but she also says she likes to spend her free time with her family and her friends.