Micaela Levaggi is on top of the world after she became women’s national champion — the top ranked Argentine — at the Buenos Aires Half Marathon last Sunday. Now she’s setting her sights on bigger targets and even planning to make a push for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Just five months ago, however, things were looking much more dire for the 26-year-old: she was actually pondering retirement as a string of injuries threatened to derail her career.
“Had we talked in March, I would’ve given you very different answers; my outlook has completely changed,” she recently told the Herald.
Born and raised in Argentina’s quintessential beach town of Mar del Plata — some 400 kilometers south of Buenos Aires City — Levaggi started running aged 13, thanks to a public athleticism program run by the Mar del Plata Municipality. “I had always liked sports, but my family couldn’t afford a club fee or the equipment,” she said.
“You don’t need much for running, just to show up and run, so it was my first chance to practice a sport properly.”
And run she did. Levaggi started training under coach Leonardo Malgor, who instantly recognized her potential. In less than a year, she was already competing in the South American Schools Championships, and admits being instantly hooked. Having never left Mar del Plata before, she took pride in traveling around Argentina and South America representing her country.
Success didn’t take long. Levaggi won silver at the 2014 South American Youth Championships (1500m), then gold in the 2017 South American U20 Championships (3000m) and bronze in the 2018 South American Games (1500m), among a myriad of other victories.
Injuries, however, soon started to take their toll on her and her career, once seemingly on an unstoppable surge to the top, all of a sudden was hanging in the balance.
A mental and physical challenge
First it was a tear on her left meniscus, followed by Achilles tendinitis and a right foot plantar fasciitis. The string of injuries made it nearly impossible for her to train regularly, and Levaggi admits the ordeal weighed on her.
“It was a very difficult time because even when I recovered, it was hard to go back to training again, staying fit and with the right weight,” she explained. “After the last injury I thought about retiring. I was really tired and as you grow up you start to ponder the economic factor and everything else. When I put everything on the balance, I wasn’t sure I’d carry on.”
Levaggi credits her training teammates and her coach for her decision to not quit. She shares a very special bond with Malgor. “From the first moment I realized that he was a great guy and a top coach. I admired him a lot and I also felt very well guided and supported by him,” she said, adding that having that counsel gave her a lot of confidence in her abilities.
It was her coach’s guidance that prepared Levaggi for the Buenos Aires Half Marathon. Having always specialized in the 1500m to 5000m track distances, adjusting to the 21k run required a change in training.
“I was doing longer weekly distances than ever before, and that was a big change for me,” Levaggi said. “I was running over 150 kilometers weekly. Getting used to that was the most important thing.”
Moving from tracks to the streets was another adjustment. “The tracks are a bit crueler, because you’re alone and it’s a different environment.”
Still, Levaggi is adamant she was only looking to improve her best time in Buenos Aires. Having previously only taken part in a single half marathon, in her native Mar del Plata, she was hoping the capital city’s flatter circuit would help her improve and build up confidence.
Her performance quickly surprised everyone, even herself. Having started next to one of Argentina’s best long distance runners in Antonella Guerrero, Levaggi found herself having to step up her pace to keep up with the times she and her coach had planned for. She was passing some of the country’s best, but said she avoided thinking about becoming national champion.
“I didn’t want to lose focus because there was still a long way to go,” Levaggi explained, adding that she only realized her position as she approached the finish line.
“I heard the commentator say ‘here comes the first Argentine’ and saw people going crazy. When I looked up and saw the one hour, 13 minute mark, the coin finally dropped. I was incredibly happy.”
Levaggi celebrated with her coach and training teammates, many of whom had also taken part in the race. “It was very meaningful to me because of the whole process that I had been through personally and everything that had been going on in the background,” she said.
Levaggi said the win was important to her not only as a validation of her decision to not give up, but also proved she’s on the right track to continue achieving important goals. She’s now aiming for things she says she would’ve never imagined five months ago and is now more committed than ever.
“Two months ago my coach put forward the idea of reaching Los Angeles 2028 and I accepted the challenge,” she confessed.
The first step, however, is much closer to home. The 2025 South American Athletics Championships are set to take place in Levaggi’s home town of Mar del Plata. If she qualifies, it will be the first time she’ll represent Argentina at home, and in her hometown, a possibility she’s thrilled to have.
“The qualifiers are next year, so I’m already working to get there.”