7.22.24

Shocker alumna heads to Paris Olympics for Spain

Standout sprinter Paula Garcia ’20/22 will represent Spain at the Paris Olympics as a member of the 4×100-meter relay team. As a Shocker athlete, the Madrid native set Wichita State’s indoor 200-meter record and ranks in the top-10 all-time at WSU in the indoor 60 meters, indoor 400 meters, outdoor 100 meters and outdoor 200 meters. Spain’s relay team is set to compete in preliminaries on August 8 — at 3 a.m. CST.

Garcia, who holds both a bachelor’s degree in marketing (2020) and a master’s degree in business administration (2022) from Wichita State, started running at the age of 13. In high school she was the Under-18 National Champion in the 200 meters two times and third in the Junior Indoor in the 200 meters. When it came time for college, she, with encouragement from her mom, decided to go to the United States. In addition to WSU, she was recruited by a number of other schools, including Eastern Michigan and West Texas.

Looking back at her decision to leave Spain for college, Garcia relates, “I went to the U.S. because it was a really good opportunity, and I was going to improve my English. You know, getting your degree in the United States, it’s very valuable here in Spain.” She adds that her experiences as a student-athlete at Wichita State were top-notch. “The team aspect was wonderful,” she says. “I loved it. I never felt alone. I felt a lot of support by everyone there.” After graduating with an MBA, she returned to her home base of Madrid.

After making Spain’s Paris Olympics team, Garcia was interviewed by her Wichita State sprints coach, John Wise, assistant director of track and field, sprints and hurdles, who shared their conversation on his Off the Grid Travel with a Wiseguy YouTube channel. The two talked shop and reminisced about college track and field accomplishments, one of which is Garcia’s breaking the 200-meter school record with a time of 23.61 at the Ichabod Mid-Week Challenge in 2022. One of the sprinter’s goals, she says, is to run the 200-meter in 22 seconds.

As an athlete, Garcia has fought injuries throughout her career. Wise, who has coached at Wichita State since 2006, says, “I coached Paula from 2017 to 2022 and watched her do some incredible things in a Shocker uniform.” He adds that both as a Shocker and now as an Olympian, Garcia has navigated through a multitude of injuries to become one of the best in the world.

Garcia, who was selected for the 4×100-meter relay after she won the 100-meter title at the Spanish championships, is Wichita State’s 12th Olympian or Paralympian in track and field, and one of six Spanish athletes who will travel to Paris as members of the 4X100-meter relay pool. The final relay race for the gold will take place on August 9 between noon and 3 p.m. CST.