Sometimes, we may hear about things happening in the world of sports that don’t seem fair. One of those events happened during the 2024 summer Paralympic Games in Paris.
A marathon runner who had trained for many years and was in the Paralympics finished third. Despite the fact that she crossed the finish line, she did not receive a bronze medal.
Elena Congost placed third in the Women’s T12 Marathon, but she was disqualified. The visually impaired athlete was disqualified because she had to briefly let go of her guide, Mia Carol Bruguera.
The rules of the Paralympics are very clear on the subject. The guide and runner must stay connected via a tether while they are competing.
Terrible decision @Paralympics, her actions were entirely in line with the Olympic spirit. She should be reinstated… #ElenaCongost #ParisParalympics https://t.co/wpgNFjINRJ
— βπ πΓ‘π πΊπ¦ (@RonanB) September 8, 2024
They were close to the finish line when she broke the rules. Her guide ended up having leg cramps, so she assisted him and temporarily let go of the tether. She essentially reached out to keep him from falling and it cost her the bronze medal.
The two of them were still able to cross the finish line in a time of 3 hours 0.48 seconds. That made her the third athlete to cross the finish line when she was stripped of her bronze medal.
Elena said: “It was just a reflex action that any human being would have done β holding on to someone who is falling.”
Essentially, she feels as if she is being punished for being a human being. She does not agree with the fact that she should be taken out of the mix for the winner’s circle.
The athlete said: “I would like everyone to know that I have not been disqualified for cheating, but rather I have been disqualified for being a person and for an instinct that comes to you when someone is falling and is to help or support them.”
She also said that she was devastated, adding: “I had the medal. Iβm super proud of everything Iβve done and in the end they disqualify me because 10 meters from the finish line I let go of the rope for a second.”