Lía Caride: Rising Spanish hurdles specialist
Lía Caride is a promising Spanish track and field athlete who holds the Galician record in 400m hurdles and ranks among Spain’s top six hurdlers nationally. The 400m and 400m hurdles specialist from Vigo, Galicia has achieved significant success at national championships while maintaining a notably private personal profile. Her recent achievements include equaling the Galician record with a time of 59.14 seconds in 400m hurdles and earning bronze at the Spanish National Championships in the 400m flat. Despite her athletic success, Caride appears to deliberately maintain privacy around her personal life, with minimal social media presence and limited publicly available biographical information.
Athletic accomplishments showcase national-level excellence
Caride’s primary achievement is holding the Galician regional record in 400m hurdles with a time of 59.14 seconds, a performance that places her 6th among all Spanish hurdlers nationally. Her breakthrough came at the 2024 Spanish National Championships in La Nucía, where she ran 59.31 in the semifinals before improving to 59.14 in the final. In the 400m flat, she earned bronze at the Spanish National Championships with a personal best of 56.52 seconds.
Her 2025 season continued this upward trajectory with a dominant double victory at the Galician Championships in Santiago, where she claimed gold in 400m hurdles (1:01.04) and silver in 400m (56.06). At the club level, she has been equally successful in Liga Iberdrola competition, winning multiple 400m hurdles events and contributing to a 4×400m relay club record of 3:54.78 that broke a 30-year-old mark from 1994.
Caride competes at the highest levels of Spanish athletics, including national championships, regional championships, and elite club leagues. She has been selected to represent the Galician team at the Spanish Absolute Federation Championship in Ciudad Real, competing in both individual hurdles and relay events.
Personal background marked by coaching transition
Caride hails from Vigo in Galicia, northwestern Spain, though specific details about her age, birthdate, and educational background remain largely private. Her athletic development was guided by Virgilio González Barbeitos (1941-2024), a renowned Spanish athletics coach and former national record holder in the 400m who passed away in September 2024. Barbeitos, described as a “serious technician” who maintained close relationships with his athletes, worked with Caride until shortly before his death.
Currently, Caride competes for Grupoempleo Pamplona after leaving her previous club, Sociedad Gimnástica de Pontevedra, following the 2024 season. This club change coincides with the loss of her long-time coach, suggesting a period of transition in her athletic career. Research found no information about university affiliations, academic achievements, or career aspirations outside athletics, indicating she keeps these aspects of her life private.
Athletic profile centered on speed and hurdles technique
Caride specializes in 400m hurdles as her primary event and 400m flat as her secondary discipline. Her training has been based in the Vigo area of Galicia, where she worked with Barbeitos until his recent passing. She also trains alongside David Abalde, another athlete from the same coaching group.
Her competitive schedule includes regular participation in Spanish national championships, Galician regional championships, and elite club competitions including Liga Iberdrola and Liga Joma. As a relay team member, she has proven valuable in the 4×400m relay, contributing to record-breaking performances at the club level.
The technical demands of 400m hurdles require a combination of speed endurance and technical precision that Caride has clearly mastered, as evidenced by her consistent improvement and record-setting performances. Her ability to compete effectively in both hurdles and flat 400m demonstrates versatility within sprint disciplines.
Privacy characterizes personal interests and online presence
Unlike many contemporary athletes, Caride maintains minimal social media presence with no verified official accounts identified across major platforms including Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or TikTok. This deliberate privacy extends to personal interests, hobbies, community involvement, and family background, none of which appear in publicly available sources.
Her approach suggests a focus on athletic performance rather than public engagement, which is relatively uncommon in today’s social media-driven sports landscape. The absence of personal information likely reflects intentional privacy choices rather than lack of media attention, given her success at national level competitions.
Recent coverage highlights continued competitive success
Spanish regional sports media, particularly outlets like Atlántico.net and Pontevedraviva.com, provide regular coverage of Caride’s competitions and achievements. Recent coverage emphasizes her role as one of Galicia’s premier athletic talents and her consistent high-level performances.
The 2025 season has brought continued success, with her double medal performance at the Galician Championships receiving prominent coverage. Media consistently describes her as being in “spectacular form” and positions her as a key figure in Galician athletics. Her selection for the upcoming Spanish Absolute Federation Championship demonstrates her continued status among Spain’s top middle-distance athletes.
Conclusion
Lía Caride represents a compelling figure in Spanish athletics – a technically accomplished hurdler achieving national-level success while maintaining remarkable personal privacy. Her Galician record and top-six national ranking in 400m hurdles, combined with her bronze medal performance in the 400m flat, establish her among Spain’s elite middle-distance athletes. The recent loss of her longtime coach creates an inflection point in her career, making her future development particularly interesting to follow. Her deliberate privacy approach, unusual in contemporary athletics, suggests an athlete focused solely on competitive excellence rather than personal branding.
Go Líaa!
