Sweden’s world 10,000m bronze medallist Andreas Almgren will return to the 10K Valencia Ibercaja in search of another fast time on 11 January.
Almgren made history in this race last year by taking victory in a sprint finish ahead of European 10,000m champion Dominic Lobalu, winning in 26:53 to become the first ever European to break the 27 minute-barrier for this distance on the roads.
In what was his annus mirabilis, Almgren went on to break the European 5000m record on home soil in Stockholm with 12:44.27 - the fastest time in the world in 2025 - before bookending his year with another barrier-breaking performance in Valencia, becoming the first European to break 59 minutes in the half marathon with 58:41.
The 10K Valencia Ibercaja will be Almgren’s first race since shattering the European half marathon record and the 30-year-old has hinted that another fast time is a distinct possibility. "Once again I’m aiming to run a fast 10km in Valencia on January 11th. What should my target be?" Almgren wrote on Instagram earlier this week.
The withdrawal of the designated pacemaker in last year's race didn’t prove to be an impediment to Almgren’s record-breaking ambitions. With the wind on his back, the Swede flew through the second half of the race in 13:10 to set his first of three European records in 2025.
"This time, I came here with a plan and a target: to stay with the leaders and to run as close to 27 minutes as possible or under as I had some very good sessions in recent weeks. As far as the European record was concerned I knew it was going to be a big fight with Dominic [Lobalu] as he wanted to achieve the same things as me," said Almgren after last year’s race.
Ireland's Jack O'Leary, who was a surprise fifth place at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Lagoa is also in the field for Valencia.
Looking further ahead, Almgren will also race over 1500m in the Stockholm Diamond League on 7 June as part of his build-up to the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham where Almgren is planning to contest both the 5000m and 10,000m in the Alexander Stadium.