Asier Martinez has been named Spain captain for the six-nation DNA indoor international at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow, Scotland. The February event, a new format for team athletics, sees Spain, Ireland, and Turkey taking on the Home Nations of England, Scotland and Wales in the competition.
Spain sends a strong team to Glasgow
Spain’s 21-year-old Asier Martinez had a breakthrough year in 2021, including landing the European U23 hurdles title. At the Tokyo Olympic Games in the 110m hurdles, he set a new Spanish U23 record time for the event of 13.22 as he took a sixth-place finish.
The hurdler already got his 2022 calendar year up and running successfully, almost breaking his 60m personal best time in an early-season run. Martinez heads up a strong team Spain is sending to the Glasgow event.
Bernat Erta and Aauri Bokeska, part of Spain’s Olympic team last year, will join Martinez. Also included in their line-up is former 800m Indoor European champion Alvaro de Arriba and Lorena Martin, who set a new 800m personal best time in January.
The new DNA of Athletics
The Dynamic New Athletics (DNA) indoor event features a mixed-genre set-up, with teams of up to 16 athletes. The DNA indoor international features ten events across track and field.
In those events, participants will earn points for their team and every finishing position will get a points reward. Team tactics and strategy will come into play, with exciting events such as Mixed 200m and 400m relays.
The entire competition will be held over just two hours, and the final event will be The Hunt, which is for teams of four. The Hunt comprises legs of 800m, 600m, 400m and 200m, each run by a different athlete, and will decide the outcome of the DNA Indoor Glasgow.