Runner stripped of Paralympic medal after helping her guide
Spanish marathon runner Elena Congost lost her chance at Paralympic bronze in a heartbreaking moment on the final day of the Paris Games.
Congost, who has a visual impairment, was in line for third place in the final stretch of the T12 marathon on Sunday when her guide, Mia Carol Bruguera, cramped up just a few metres from the finish line.
Acting instinctively, Congost reached out to help Bruguer regain his balance, briefly letting go of the tether that connected them.
Elena Congost volvió hace unos meses tras un parón donde ha sido madre de cuatro niños.
Hoy ha terminado tercera, pero ha sido descalificada.
Ella ha priorizado ayudar a su guía al llegar a meta.
Estamos Inmensamente orgullosos de Elena y de Mia. #teamEspaña ❤️ pic.twitter.com/7z3WtGeZig
— Pilar Alegría (@Pilar_Alegria) September 8, 2024
Under Paralympic rules, visually impaired athletes must remain tethered to their guides throughout the entire race. Though it helped her guide stay on his feet, Congost’s momentary release of the rope was enough for officials to strip her of her bronze medal.
As a result, despite crossing the line more than three minutes ahead of the fourth-place runner, Congost was disqualified, and the bronze medal went to Japan’s Misato Michishita instead.
“I would like everyone to know that I have not been disqualified for cheating, but rather I have been disqualified for being human and for an instinct that comes to you when someone is falling and to help or support them,” the 36-year-old, who won a gold medal at the 2016 Paralympics, told the Spanish sports newspaper Marca after her disqualification.
“I’m devastated, to be honest, because I had the medal. I’m super proud of everything I’ve done, and in the end, they disqualify me because 10 metres from the finish line, I let go of the rope for a second.”
The disqualification put a bittersweet twist on what was otherwise an incredible marathon. Morocco’s Fatima Ezzahra El Idrissi took gold and smashed the world record by six minutes.
The Paris 2024 Paralympics officially wrapped up Sunday night, with China dominating the medal count with 220, followed by Great Britain with 124 and the USA with 105.