With multiple standout performances this season, a Blue Valley junior star has earned widespread attention. In three weeks, she’s won all but one race across four disciplines. Still, her latest record sits in a grey area: recognised by Kansas but ignored by the record books.

Maria Portela clocked 11.38 seconds in the 100m at the Eastern Kansas League Championship, shattering the previous record of 11.43 set by promising Jaël Bestué in 2019. However, the Spanish federation didn’t consider her new junior record because she lacked a licence.

However, even if she had a license, the federation still wouldn’t have ratified it. That’s because the championship lacked a wind gauge, which prevented a proper wind measurement from being recorded. Portela has equalled Aria Pearce’s 11.38 from 2024. 

The Blue Valley junior has been setting the track ablaze with her performances recently. Her season only kicked off at the end of March, but since then, Portela has won all but one race.

The Blue Valley junior kicked off at the end of March with four golds in the 100m, 200m, 4x100m relay, and the long jump. She recently highlighted her experience. 

“This season has been incredible for me,” Portela said, per reports. “I came into it with really high expectations for myself and wanting to reach my biggest goals. I have been so grateful to see my off-season work start to shine through in my performance.”

“The season has definitely exceeded my expectations, and I can’t thank my coaches and family enough for supporting me.”

Following her four-medal haul, her top-two finish in the 100m at the BV West Elite meet earned her the ninth rank nationally. She went on a rampage. Portela set a personal best in the 200m, broke the 100m meet record at the Shawnee Mission North Relays, and won KMBC Hy-Vee Athlete of the Week.

She followed that up by shattering the state record and currently holds the fourth fastest junior time nationally in the 100m. Blue Valley coach Andrew Reeves believes Portela has surpassed his expectations.

“To have her slowest time be 11.81 on a cold day in early April, and the rest be under 11.66, I would say is the best season to-date in Kansas history in the 100 meters specifically,” Reeves said. “Running 11.64 week one, and staying consistently at or faster than that has maybe been beyond my expectations.”

Portela’s rise marked a turnaround from her inconsistent sophomore year. Even the President of the Royal Spanish Athletics Federation noticed her.

Raúl Chapado calls Maria Portela Spain’s new future

There’s a video of Maria Portela’s 100m run at the EKL Championships, and it has stunned fans. That’s because, not even before the halfway mark, the Blue Valley junior has already flown past her competitors. In fact, she finished more than a second and a half ahead of Aubrey Koedatich, who finished with 12.63.

Meanwhile, Portela clocked 11.38, and the video shows the difference in class. However, with no wind measurement and no license, the junior’s record will only remain in the Kansas record books. Yet, her trajectory suggests national-level competition ahead.

It’s what has Raul Chapado so excited for the future. The president of the Spanish Athletics Federation believes Portela represents Spain’s next generation.

“María represents an exciting generation of young athletes with extraordinary potential,” Chapado said, as per ABC.es (translated). “That’s exactly why programmes like ‘Allianz Futures 32’ are so important.”

“They allow us to support them holistically, beyond immediate results, helping them grow athletically and personally with a forward‑looking vision.”

Spanish Olympic sprinter Manolo Carballo echoed the praise:

“She is an impressive sprinter. I’m struck by how she keeps her hips advanced through the middle of the race until the end… without losing stride length. If her training planning is not messed up, I think we are facing the most promising sprinter of the last decades.”