Jonay Álvarez is crowned European Elite Aquathlon Champion in Banyoles
Marina Muñoz wins silver in the women's category
Jonay Álvarez has been proclaimed European Elite Aquathlon Champion in Banyoles 2026, on a day in which Spain has dominated the elite, under-23 and junior men's podiums.
The Spanish team has been the main protagonist of the European Aquathlon Championship , held this Saturday, July 18, within the European Multisport Triathlon in Banyoles.
Spain won eleven medals in the elite, under-23 and junior categories , in addition to five more medals in paratriathlon and eleven in age group competitions.
Jonay Álvarez wins the elite title while still a junior
Jonay Álvarez had a great run to win the overall classification and conquer both the elite and junior European titles.
The Spaniard overtook Hugo Fernández , second in the general classification and European under-23 champion, at the finish line, while Kevin Tarek Viñuela completed an all-Spanish elite podium.
| Position | Aquathlete | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1.º Partners must | Jonay Álvarez | Elite and Junior Gold |
| 2.º Partners must | Hugo Fernandez | Elite silver and under-23 gold |
| 3.º Partners must | Kevin Tarek Viñuela | Elite Bronze |
Spanish dominance also extended to the under-23 podium, made up of Hugo Fernández, Raúl Gómez and Gorka Rodríguez.
In the junior category, Jonay Álvarez was accompanied by Lucas Riola , fourth in the overall standings, and Arcadi Sala.
Marina Muñoz wins the women's silver medal
In the women's competition, Slovenian Tjasa Vrtacic was crowned European champion with an eight-second advantage over Marina Muñoz.
The Spaniard thus added her second medal of the championship after winning gold in the European Cross Triathlon held on Tuesday in Banyoles.
Hungarian Jazmin Kropkó , the junior European champion, finished third overall after leading the race for the first few kilometers of the running portion.
Gemma Valentina Llabrés was sixth overall and second among the Spanish, while junior Julia Benito finished ninth.
In the under-23 category, Marta Novo won the bronze medal. Gold went to Belarusian Alina Sinevich and silver to Croatian Iva Pavlovic.
Five Spanish medals in paratriathlon
The Spanish aquathletes in the Paralympic categories also completed an outstanding day, with two golds, two silvers and one bronze.
| Sport Star | Category | Medal |
|---|---|---|
| Diana Gómez Liern | PTWC | Gold |
| Ivan Espejo de la Fuente | PTWC | Silver |
| Marcos Garnica Haro | PTVI | Silver |
| Diego Guerrero Moreno | PTVI | Bronze |
| Javier Martínez Moreno | PTS4 | Gold |
Eleven medals in the age groups
Spain won another eleven medals in the age group categories : three golds, three silvers and five bronzes.
| Medal | Aquathlete | Age group |
|---|---|---|
| Gold | Abel Reyes Valenzuela | 20-24 |
| Gold | Sergi Lasheras Rabionet | 45-49 |
| Gold | Francesc de Lanuza Gimeno | 50-54 |
| Silver | Sara Iglesias Gómez | 20-24 |
| Silver | Nuria Bruguera Roig | 50-54 |
| Silver | Josep Colomé Somoza | 75-79 |
| Bronze | Rubén Aguilar Martí | 35-39 |
| Bronze | Mario Rosell Rosique | 50-54 |
| Bronze | Victor Dobaño Lazaro | 55-59 |
| Bronze | Martín Sanz de la Hoz | 70-74 |
| Bronze | Miguel Vidal Galindo | 80-84 |
The middle distance event will close the European Multisport Championships.
The Banyoles 2026 European Multisport Triathlon Championship will end on Sunday, July 19th with the European Middle Distance Triathlon Championship, the European Age Group Aquabike Championship and the Triatló de Catalunya.
The day will begin at 7:00 a.m. with the Triatló de Catalunya, which will bring together some 400 participants over 1,5 kilometers of swimming, 40 kilometers of cycling and 10 kilometers of running.
The European Middle Distance Championships will start at 8:00 a.m. Due to the expected high temperatures, the organizers have reduced the running portion from 21 to 14 kilometers.
The final course will consist of a 1,9-kilometer swim, an 83-kilometer non-drafting cycling course, and a 14-kilometer run.
The European Aquabike Championship will start at 8:30 a.m. and will share the swimming and cycling segments with the middle-distance race.
Guillem Montiel will defend his European title
Guillem Montiel will try to defend the continental title he won in Pamplona in 2025. Among his main rivals will be Serbian Ognjen Stojanovic , silver medalist in the last edition, and Spaniards José Ignacio Gálvez, Julen Lopetegui and Mikel Arrasate.
In the women's competition, Italy's Marta Bernardi is one of the top favorites after finishing second in Pamplona. Spain will be represented by Helene Alberdi, María Vilas, and Sofía Aguayo.
The Belgian Sophie Delguste , continental champion in 2023, the Italian Sara Sandrini and the Dutch Dieske Kruisselbrink complete the list of candidates on the last day of the championship.
The middle distance race will bring to a close nine days of competitions that have turned Banyoles and the Pla de l'Estany region into the center of European multisport triathlon.
This content has been created with the support of AI tools and reviewed by the Triathlon News editorial team.
