Juan Manuel Molina

Juan Manuel Molina Morote (born March 15, 1979, in

Cieza, Murcia Cieza () is a town and municipality in Spain, in the autonomous community of Murcia. It is the capital of the Vega Alta ''comarca'', an old form of provincial subdivision). Its current population consisted of 34,889 inhabitants in the year 2018. ...

) is a male former

race walker Racewalking, or race walking, is a long-distance discipline within the sport of athletics. Although a foot race, it is different from running in that one foot must appear to be in contact with the ground at all times. Referee, Race judges careful ...

from

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. He represented Spain at the Olympics in 2004 and 2008. His foremost achievement was a

bronze medal A bronze medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of bronze awarded to the third-place finisher of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The outright winner receive ...

in the 20 km walk event at the

2005 World Championships in Athletics The 10th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), were held in the Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland (6 August 2005 – 14 August 2005), the site of the first IAAF ...

. He competed at seven consecutive editions of the

IAAF World Race Walking Cup The World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships is a racewalking event organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations. It has been held since 1961, and generally on a biennial basis. Women first entered the 1979 edition. ...

, first appearing in 1999 and making his last outing in 2012. He emerged in 2001 with a win at the

2001 European Athletics U23 Championships The 3rd European Athletics U23 Championships were held in Amsterdam, Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherland ...

and second place at the

2001 Summer Universiade The 2001 Summer Universiade, also known as the XXI Summer Universiade, was an international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, between 22 August and 1 September. A total of 6,757 athletes from 165 nations took part in 12 sports ...

. He established himself on the senior circuit with a bronze medal at the

2002 European Athletics Championships The 18th European Athletics Championships were held from 6 August to 11 August 2002 in the Olympic Stadium of Munich, Germany. Men's results Track 1994 , 1998 , 2002 , 2006 , 2010 , 1 Dwain Chambers originally won the 100 m in 9.96 and was p ...

. He was fifth at the

2004 Athens Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...

and won a series of medals in 2005, including silver medals at the

European Race Walking Cup The European Race Walking Team Championships (European Race Walking Cup until 2021) is a race walking event established in 1996, and organised by the European Athletic Association. In 1996, the team scores were calculated by aggregating the points ...

and

Mediterranean Games The Mediterranean Games is a multi-sport event organised by the International Committee of Mediterranean Games (CIJM). It is held every four years among athletes from countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea in Africa, Asia and Europe. The fir ...

and a gold medal at the

Summer Universiade The Universiade is an international multi-sport event, organized for university athletes by the International University Sports Federation (FISU). The name is a portmanteau of the words "University" and "Olympiad". The Universiade is referred t ...

. His last major medal on the continental scene came at the

, where he was the 20 km walk bronze medallist. He retired from the sport, citing a long-term hamstring injury, after dropping out mid-race in the 50 km at the

2012 IAAF World Race Walking Cup The 2012 IAAF World Race Walking Cup was held in Saransk, Russia, on 12–13 May 2012.1979 births Living people People from Cieza, Murcia Spanish male racewalkers Athletes (track and field) at the 2004 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Olympics Olympic athletes of Spain World Athletics Championships medalists European Athletics Championships medalists Universiade medalists in athletics (track and field) Mediterranean Games silver medalists for Spain Mediterranean Games bronze medalists for Spain Mediterranean Games medalists in athletics Athletes (track and field) at the 2005 Mediterranean Games Athletes (track and field) at the 2009 Mediterranean Games Universiade gold medalists for Spain Universiade silver medalists for Spain Medalists at the 2001 Summer Universiade Medalists at the 2005 Summer Universiade Sportspeople from the Region of Murcia {{Spain-athletics-bio-stub