Manu Quijera Poza (born 13 January 1998) is a Spanish javelin thrower. He is a two-time Spanish Athletics Championships winner, and was the bronze medalist at the 2023 European Throwing Cup.[1]

Manu Quijera
Personal information
Full nameManu Quijera Poza[1]
Nationality Spain
Born13 January 1998 (26 years, 308 days old)[1]
RelativeNicolás Quijera (brother)[2]
Sport
SportAthletics
EventJavelin throw
ClubGrupompleo Pamplona At[1]
Coached byIdoia Mariezkurrena[2]
Achievements and titles
National finals
Personal best(s)
83.28m (2022)

JT (700g):
77.26m NYR (2015)
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  Spain
Mediterranean U23 Championships
Gold medal – first place 2018 Jesolo Javelin throw
European Throwing Cup
Bronze medal – third place 2023 Leira Javelin throw
Updated on 15 January 2024

Biography

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Manu Quijera began javelin throwing in his native Pamplona at the age of 13, following in the footsteps of his brother Nico, also a javelin thrower, under the guidance of Idoia Mariezkurrena.[2] Between 2013 and 2017, he was the Spanish champion in his age category five times in a row.

By virtue of his national titles, Quijera was invited to compete in the javelin throw at the 2015 World U18 Championships. He posted the second-best mark in the qualification behind only Hercules van Vuuren, who failed to medal in the finals. Given this, Quijera was in good position to medal after the first few throws, but he was eventually overtaken and had to settle for 4th place.[3]

In 2018, he was the runner-up in the Spanish senior championship after his brother Nico; it was the first time that two brothers shared the podium in the national championship since 1953. He finished the year as the third-best thrower in the national ranking, behind Odei Jainaga and his brother; these two were the first Spanish athletes that year to surpass the 80-meter barrier in javelin throwing.[2]

On 18 May 2019, he broke the Spanish javelin record during an under-23 international throwing event held in Madrid, with a mark of 81.31 m, surpassing Jainaga's record by 67 cm.[4] In August, he made his senior international debut as a member of the Spanish team at the European Team Championships, finishing fourth in his event.[5]

In 2022, he improved his personal best to 83.28 m, which led him to participate in the World Championships[6] and later in the European Championships, although he did not reach the final in either event.[7]

In 2023, he was part of the Spanish team that finished fourth in the European Games and achieved seventh place in the javelin event.[8]

Statistics

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Best performances

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Event Mark Place Competition Venue Date Ref
Javelin throw 83.28 m   Spanish Club Championships
Spanish: Liga Joma De Clubes Division De Honor Hombres
La Nucia, Spain 12 June 2022 [1]
Javelin throw (700 g) 77.26 m NU18R  
(Qualifying round)
World Athletics U18 Championships Cali, Colombia 19 July 2015 [1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Manu Quijera at Tilastopaja (registration required)
  2. ^ a b c d Mellado, Enrique (18 May 2019). "Manu Quijera breaks the Spanish javelin record with a throw of 81.31 meters". Marca.
  3. ^ "682 Atletismo Español Agosto 2015 by atletismo español - Issuu". issuu.com (in Spanish). Atletismo Español. 6 August 2015. p. 58. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  4. ^ "Manu Quijera, récord de España absoluto de jabalina (81.31) en Madrid". RFEA. 18 May 2019.
  5. ^ "European Athletics Team Championships - Javelin Throw Men". European Athletics. 9 August 2019.
  6. ^ Tamargo, Carlos (21 July 2022). "Manu Quijera: "The goal is to enjoy the experience and be competitive"". Noticias de Navarra.
  7. ^ Vallejo, María (19 August 2022). "Manu Quijera, out of the javelin final". Diario de Navarra.
  8. ^ "Historic #EspañaAtletismo, fourth in Europe". RFEA. 25 June 2023.
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