José Manuel Martínez

Who is José Manuel Martínez?

José Manuel Martínez Fernández is a Spanish long-distance runner. He is married to Spanish field hockey player Nuria Moreno.

Martínez's first major win came at the 1999 Summer Universiade, where he became the champion in the 10,000 metres. He competed at the 2001 World Championships in Athletics, finishing 13th in the final, but was more successful at the European Athletics Championships, in which he won the 2002 gold medal in the 10,000 m, and returned to take the silver medal at the following edition in 2006. He won the San Silvestre Vallecana 10K race in Madrid in 2003.

Martínez has represented Spain at the Olympics on two occasions: in 2004, finishing ninth in the 10,000 m, and at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, at which he was 16th in the Olympic marathon race.

Other significant achievements include a win at the Madrid Marathon in 2008, a bronze medal at the 2005 Mediterranean Games, a silver medal in the half marathon at the 2009 Mediterranean Games and an eighth place finish in the marathon at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics. He has competed at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships on numerous occasions, with his best performance of 17th coming at the 2003 edition.