Alejandra Gálvez and Daniela Sierra both qualified for the 1500m and ended up running in the same heat

A mother and daughter made history at this past weekends Spanish Indoor Championships (February 16-18) after competing against each other in the 1500m.

A 31-year gap separates Alejandra Gálvez, 46, and Daniela Sierra, 15, but they became the first mother/daughter combination to ever run in the same race at the Spanish Indoor Championships.

Gálvez, who last year broke the W45 world indoor 800m record with 2:12.99, was the oldest athlete in the championships. Safe to say, her daughter was the youngest.

Incredibly, the pair got the last two places amongst the 36 registered athletes in the 1500m.

Sadly, they didnt qualify for the final. Gálvez and Sierra finished 10th and 12th with times of 4:38.59 and 4:49.85.

However, they captured the hearts and imagination of the athletics community.

AW caught up with Gálvez and Sierra about the feeling of competing against each other, the emotions involved and what is next for both of them.

Youve been all over the media in Spain and had so much attention at the Spanish Indoor Championships, so how do you feel? 

Alejandra (Mother): The truth is that it comes to you from everywhere. You dont even have to look for it. We get news via WhatsApp and Instagram. Ive even got more followers on Instagram! On the one hand, Im a bit hooked on social media these days. But on the other hand, I cant wait to turn it off, to be honest. Were getting so much exposure. But we love it too.

Daniela (Daughter): My friends write to me asking me what Im doing appearing on their television. I dont know! I havent even found out what has happened. I havent processed it yet.

You just made it to the Spanish Indoor Championships. You were the last two out of the 36 competitors on the list. How did you receive the news?

Alejandra: We had rejected the possibility [of being at the championships]. We had calculated that we had to run around 4:35 to qualify. We went for that time at the Andalusian Championships. We were pushing each other to achieve that time and we were disappointed because at the end we clocked 4:37 and we thought that time would never get us in the list.

One day though, I was working an afternoon shift [Digestive Doctor in Almería] and I got a message from the competitions coordinator at the Cueva de Nerja Club [a team from the city of Nerja (Málaga) where Alejandra and Daniela both run] saying that we had qualified myself in the 800m and Daniela for the 1500m.

Being honest, at first it didnt suit us. We had already organised our training for Danielas upcoming competitions. But when I got home, my husband and Daniela told me that I had also qualified for the 1500m.

Thats when I thought it would be amazing for the two of us to be in the 1500m. Mother and daughter. Its a very nice generational relay! It would also be Danielas first national championships.

Supported by our team and our coach, we wanted to have this experience and started looking for tickets to travel to the championships.

Daniela: I like to see which athletes go and which athletes dont go before a competition. When I saw my mum on the list, it was a surprise and a huge motivation. We both said we should go for it.

At the regional championships in Andalusia, Daniela beat Alejandra. In the national championships, it was the other way around. Do you want to play the tiebreaker race at the outdoors season?

Alejandra: Well, she [Daniela] is still ahead of me because we ran a meeting before and she surpassed me in the last 30 metres. So, in fact, weve had three 1500m races and its 2-1 to her!

We had thought of another challenge for the outdoors though. As Im an 800m runner and Daniela is also starting to train it this year, we want to try to get the standard for the outdoor championships. Its more difficult than what weve done now.

Talking a bit about your careers as athletes Alejandra, the first time you competed in a championships was 30 years ago in Seville and you did the pentathlon. Shortly after, you participated in the outdoor national championships in 2002 and ran the 800m. And until 2020, you didnt return to the track. What happened during all that time?

Alejandra: Between the combined events to the 800m, I started studying medicine in Madrid. The first year there involved a lot of practical classes in the afternoon and it all became too much for me. In the end, I focused on my studies because my parents were making the effort to pay for them. That was the decision I made at the time but I never really stopped doing some sport, even if it was just to maintain my own health.

During my fourth year doing medicine, I had more free time in the afternoons. So, I decided to come back and I spoke to Guillermo Ferrero, one of the best middle and long distance coaches in Spain.

In less than four months I finished second at the Spanish U23 Championships. At some point I considered taking on the sport more professionally but it coincided with the residency programme. So I went back to medicine and did my residency in the gastroenterology department. Thats when I gave athletics up for good for 16 years.

As well as being a doctor, you also have three girls. How do you manage your professional life, your personal life, and your life as an athlete?

Alejandra: Well, as my husband states, we are a team. We have made our family life around sport, and I think we are all happy with it. Sometimes more, sometimes less. You have to find the right balance to ensure that all the members of the team are happy.

Since you came back, you have competed at the nationals three years in a row, have set the W45 world indoor 800m record and were nominated for Female Master Athlete of 2023. Did you expect all this when you decided to return to athletics?

Alejandra: It wasnt so much what I achieved last year, but the repercussions it had in Almería. I was chosen as the woman of the year in sport and this gave me the opportunity to go to schools, talk to children and encourage them to participate in athletics. Above all, many female athletes related to me and I helped them to continue in the sport. I love athletics so much and its something everyone should have in their lives.

Daniela, youve already managed to compete at a national senior championships. What are your hopes for the future as an athlete? How does your mother inspire you?

Daniela: For this season, my biggest goal is to achieve the qualifying mark for the European U18 Championships.

Id love to represent Spain at an Olympics, Worlds or European Championships in my career.

Im lucky to have my mum and she helps me with everything in training. She encourages me when I dont feel like training, shes there when my coach isnt around and supports me in every decision. An athlete around my age told me this past weekend that I was lucky to have such an amazing role model.

Momentazo en el #CEatletismoST con una madre y una hija en una misma carrera al más alto nivel en España

Lee más sobre la inédita historia de Alejandra Gálvez y Daniela Sierra en nuestra noticia https://t.co/xQ3xp5JKkg pic.twitter.com/ArKL2RC5ZQ

Teledeporte (@teledeporte) February 17, 2024

How would you promote athletics to all youngsters of your age?

Daniela: I would get rid of the idea that athletics is only about running. My classmates ask me a lot if I just go to the track and run and thats it. Since I was a child, Ive done many other things. Ive tried everything. Thats how I fell in love with athletics.

I spend a lot of time on the track with my friends. I need it. Even on days when I have to study a lot, I prefer to go for an hour to train, to clear my head, to have fun and then come back with my batteries recharged. Its so much better than spending the whole afternoon studying.

Finally, who are your idols in athletics?

Daniela: With Daniela García [European U23 800m champion], we had a special connection this weekend. If we had to choose someone, we would choose our close and wonderful person, Mariano García.

Alejandra: In my life as an athlete, athletes like Jackie Joyner-Kersee, who was the best heptathlete when I was a teenager, have been great reference points for me. Im also good friends with Maite Martínez and we can relate to each other.

By Silvia Rueda