The head coaches of the Spanish national teams, David Martin and Miki Oca, decided which teams would represent the country at the upcoming European Championships in Croatia and the Netherlands.
The male team, set to travel to Croatia on January 1, experienced two modifications compared to the World Championships in Fukuoka. Martin Famera, injured during the preparation tournament in Budapest (where Spain won 1st place), won’t be available. Besides Famera, Francisco Valera isn’t on the roster.
Unai Biel and 17-year-old Biel Gomila step in as replacements. Gomila is the youngest player on the roster. Felipe Perrone, the oldest, was born in 1986, 20 years before Gomila.
The Spaniards will play in the group in Dubrovnik in the first phase against Croatia, Montenegro, and France. On Day 1 (January 4), Spain will play against Croatia.
On the women’s side, head coach Miguel Oca has retained all players who secured silver at the World Championships in Fukuoka, where Spain went with a 14-player roster. The addition to the team that won the silver medal in Fukuoka is 19-year-old Isabel Pirlakova.
In its final test before heading to Eindhoven for the Europeans, the Spanish women’s team recorded a victory against Hungary in Barcelona (7:5). Placed in Group B for the European Women’s Championships, the Spaniards will face Italy, France, and Israel in the first phase of the tournament that starts on January 4.
Spain at the 2024 European Championships
MEN
Goalkeepers: Unai Aguirre (Barceloneta),Eduardo Lorrio (Sabadell).
Field players: Alberto Barroso (Sabadell), Unai Biel, Alejandro Bustos (both Barceloneta), Sergi Cabanas (Jug), Miguel De Toro (Barceloneta), Biel Gomila (Catalunya), Alvaro Granados (Novi Beograd), Marc Larumbe (Barceloneta), Blai Mallarach (Sabadell), Alberto Munarriz (Barceloneta), Felipe Perrone (Barceloneta), Bernat Sanahuja (Barceloneta), Roger Tahull (Barceloneta)
WOMEN
Goalkeepers: Laura Ester (Sabadell), Martina Terre (Sant Andreu).
Field players: Paula Camus (Terrassa), Paula Crespi (Sant Andreu), Anna Espar (Mataro), Judith Forca, Maica Garcia, Paula Leiton (all Sabadell), Cristina Nogue (Mataro), Beartiz Ortiz (Sabadell), Maria del Pilar Pena (Terrssa), Nona Perez (Sant Andreu), Isabel Pirlakova (Terrassa), Ariadna Ruiz, Elena Ruiz (Sant Andreu).
