Laia Forcadell

Laia Forcadell Arenas (born June 6, 1982 in Tortosa, Tarragona, Catalonia) is a female Spanish sprinter and hurdler.[1] She won the gold medal for the 400 m hurdles at the 2006 Ibero-American Championships in Ponce, Puerto Rico, and bronze at the 2010 Ibero-American Championships in San Fernando, Cádiz, Spain.[2]

Laia Forcadell
Personal information
Full nameLaia Forcadell Arenas
Nationality Spain
Born (1982-06-06) 6 June 1982
Tortosa, Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain
Height1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Weight59 kg (130 lb)
Sport
SportAthletics
Event(s)400 metres, 400 metres hurdles
ClubISS L'Hospitalet
Coached byArmando Álvarez Anaya
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)400 m: 54.68 s (2008)
400 m hurdles: 56.24 s (2008)
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing  Spain
Ibero-American Championships
Gold medal – first place2006 Ponce400 m hurdles
Bronze medal – third place2010 San Fernando400 m hurdles

Forcadell represented Spain at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, where she competed for the women's 400 m hurdles. She ran in the fourth heat against six other athletes, including Poland's Anna Jesień and Czech Republic's Zuzana Hejnová, who were both considered top medal contenders in this event. She finished the race in last place by eighty-eight hundredths of a second (0.88) behind Trinidad and Tobago's Josanne Lucas, with a time of 58.64 seconds. Forcadell failed to advance into the semi-finals, as she placed twenty-sixth overall, and was ranked farther below three mandatory slots for the next round.[3]

Forcadell is a member of ISS L'Hospitalet Track Club in Barcelona, Spain, being coached and trained by Armando Álvarez Anaya.

Competition record
YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventNotes
Representing  Spain
2003 European U23 Championships Bydgoszcz, Poland 19th (h) 400m hurdles 88.69
2004 World Indoor Championships Budapest, Hungary 11th (h) 4 × 400 m relay 3:38.01
Ibero-American Championships Huelva, Spain 5th 400 m hurdles 57.72
2005 European Indoor Championships Madrid, Spain 5th 4 × 400 m relay 3:39.73
Mediterranean Games Almería, Spain 9th (h) 400 m hurdles 57.78
2006 Ibero-American Championships Ponce, Puerto Rico 1st 400 m hurdles 57.26
European Championships Gothenburg, Sweden 23rd (h) 400 m hurdles 57.81
2007 Universiade Bangkok, Thailand 13th (h) 400 m hurdles 58.93
2008 Olympic Games Beijing, China 26th (h) 400 m hurdles 58.64
2009 Mediterranean Games Pescara, Italy 6th 400 m hurdles 57.85
European Championships Berlin, Germany 32nd (h) 400 m hurdles 58.57
2010 Ibero-American Championships San Fernando, Spain 3rd 400 m hurdles 57.73
European Championships Barcelona, Spain 30th (h) 400 m hurdles 58.80

References
  1. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Laia Forcadell". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  2. "Spain finishes second at Ibero-American Championships". European Athletics. Archived from the original on 14 April 2013. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  3. "Women's 400m Hurdles Round 1 – Heat 4". NBC Olympics. Archived from the original on 21 August 2012. Retrieved 13 December 2012.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.