Aitana Alonso Simon

Spanish Track and Field Athlete

Aitana Alonso Simon is an exceptional young Spanish track and field athlete who has rapidly established herself as one of Europe’s most promising high jump talents. Hailing from Palencia in the Castilla y León region of Spain, Aitana competes for Club de Atletismo Puentecillas and represents Valencia Club Atletismo on the international stage.

Track and Field Accomplishments

International Success

Aitana’s breakthrough moment came in the summer of 2024 when, at just 15 years old, she captured the silver medal at the European U18 Championships in Banská Bystrica, Slovakia. Competing against predominantly older athletes born in 2007, she cleared an impressive 1.81 meters to secure second place. This achievement was particularly remarkable as she was the youngest competitor among the favorites in the high jump final. Her performance placed her fifth in the all-time Spanish U18 rankings and established a Castilla y León U23 record while still competing in the U18 category.

The 2024 season marked an extraordinary progression for Aitana. She began the summer season with a mark of 1.70 meters and rapidly improved to 1.80 meters just one month later at the Castilla y León Championships in Segovia, setting her first personal best of the season. Her European Championship performance of 1.81 meters further elevated her standing in Spanish athletics history.

In 2025, Aitana has continued her upward trajectory, setting a new personal best of 1.86 meters on July 26 at the Athletic track of National Arena Philip II in Skopje, Macedonia. She currently holds the #111 world ranking in women’s high jump.

National Recognition

For her exceptional 2024 season, Aitana was awarded the prestigious title of Best Athlete of “Generación Atletismo 2024” by the Royal Spanish Athletics Federation (RFEA). She received this honor at the Spanish Athletics Gala held at the Spanish Olympic Committee headquarters in Madrid in April 2025. The award recognizes her dedication, commitment, and remarkable achievements as one of Spain’s brightest young athletic talents.

In March 2025, Aitana also earned an absolute Spanish indoor short track bronze medal, demonstrating her competitive excellence across different competition formats.

Multi-Event Versatility

While high jump is her primary discipline, Aitana has demonstrated versatility across multiple track and field events. Her personal bests include:

• High Jump: 1.86m (July 2025)
• Long Jump: 5.40m (February 2025, indoor)
• 60m Hurdles (76.2cm): 8.65 seconds (March 2025, indoor)
• 100m Hurdles (76.2cm): 14.57 seconds (May 2025)

At the 2025 Spanish U18 National Championships in Valencia, Aitana competed in both high jump and 60m hurdles, reaching the finals in hurdles and finishing eighth in Spain—an impressive result for an event she trains only once per week. Her packed schedule at that championship required extraordinary time management, balancing competition in both events on the same day.

Athletic Background

Aitana began her track and field journey at a young age, initially competing in high jump at the sub-10 or sub-12 level. However, she didn’t transition to the Fosbury Flop technique until the sub-14 category, initially jumping with the scissors technique due to early nervousness. Her breakthrough in technical proficiency came at age 13 when she was already clearing 1.78 meters.

Her athletic development hasn’t been without challenges. In June 2023, just before the Spanish U16 Championships, she suffered a broken fibula after stepping on a hurdle. The injury was initially misdiagnosed as a sprain, leading to complications. She didn’t resume training until September 2023, and subsequent issues with bone edema kept her out of competition until February-March 2024, causing her to miss the indoor national championships. This setback makes her 2024 European silver medal even more remarkable, demonstrating her resilience and determination.

Aitana credits much of her success to her coach, Elena Caballero, whom she considers “a second mother” due to the significant time they spend together and their excellent relationship. Coach Caballero was recognized as the Best Coach of “Generación Atletismo 2024” for her work with Aitana and her contributions to the Puentecillas club’s athletics school. Aitana’s first high jump coach, Álvaro Infante, also played a crucial role in recognizing her potential and connecting her with Elena Caballero.

Education

Aitana is currently balancing her athletic career with her academic pursuits. As of the 2024-2025 academic year, she is enrolled in her first year of Bachillerato (the Spanish pre-university program equivalent to 11th grade) at IES Jorge Manrique in Palencia. She learned of her “Generación Atletismo” award while in class, where she and her friends celebrated enthusiastically in the school hallways.

Personal Interests and Character

Standing at 1.73 meters tall, Aitana has proven that physical stature is no barrier to high jump excellence. She possesses a determined mindset and exceptional competitive mentality, particularly on the big stage. Despite her young age, she demonstrates maturity in managing the pressures of international competition.

Aitana takes great pride in representing Palencia, a relatively small city that has produced numerous outstanding endurance athletes. She is committed to elevating the profile of high jump in her province and throughout Spain. She views the recognition from the athletics community as highly motivating and fueling her drive to continue improving and giving her best effort.

Her goals include reaching heights of 1.85 or even 1.86 meters, fully aware that improvement at elite levels requires dedication and persistence. She has expressed admiration for Spanish high jump legend Ruth Beitia, who holds the Spanish U18 record just four centimeters above her personal best. Standing in fifth place on the all-time Spanish U18 rankings, Aitana has set her sights on climbing even higher in the record books.

With her combination of natural talent, technical proficiency, mental toughness, and unwavering dedication, Aitana Alonso Simon represents the bright future of Spanish track and field athletics and high jump in particular.

Go Aitana!