A visually impaired marathoner was stripped of her medal at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games on Sunday (September 8). Team Spain’s Elena Congost reportedly violated the Paralympic rules when she momentarily let go of the rope tethered to her guide, Mia Carol, just before the finish line during the race over the weekend.
The 36-year-old Spanish athlete was denied a bronze medal on the final day of the Paralympics as a result of Mia losing his footing while cramping, the New York Times reported on Monday (September 9).
Highlights
- Elena Congost was disqualified from the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games for letting go of her guide's tether.
- Elena lost her bronze medal after helping guide Mia Carol, who cramped up just before the finish line.
- Paralympic rules require visually impaired athletes to stay connected to their guide with a tether at all times.
Paralympic rules require blind and visually impaired athletes to run with a guide, a sighted person who keeps them on the right path. Both guide and runner must at all times hold a tether, a short rope with a loop on each end that keeps them connected.
About 10 yards (approximately nine meters) before the finish line, after three hours of running, Elena was on her way to third place when Mia, who was suffering from cramps, stumbled, as per the Times.
A visually impaired marathoner was stripped of her medal
Image credits: Paralympics
Image credits: Andy Lyons/Getty Images
Elena reportedly went to help balance him, briefly letting go of the tether in the process. The Paralympian's guide Mia subsequently regained their balance and crossed the line more than three minutes ahead of the fourth-place finisher.
Two Moroccan athletes finished in the top two spots, with Fatima Ezzahra El Idrissi winning and Meryem En-Nourhi coming in second, the Times reported.
Team Japan’s Misato Michishita ended up taking the bronze after Elena was disqualified.
She lost her medal at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games on Sunday (September 8)
Image credits: Andy Lyons/Getty Images
Image credits: marcvidal
Following the heartbreaking outcome, Elena told Marca on Sunday: “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.”
She added: “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 meters from the finish line I let go of the rope for a second.”
“And since I let go, that’s it, there’s no going back.”
Team Spain’s Elena Congost reportedly violated the Paralympic rules
Image credits: marcvidal
People quickly flocked to social media to express their disappointment, as a Threads user commented: “Do the right thing Paralympics she gained no advantage by releasing the rope to catch her falling guide. It's not like she wasn't in contact with him.”
A person wrote: “I don’t think it’s worth watching ever again, I don’t understand why people would want to join these games if they're gonna treat people like s**t, if that was me I’d never train for the Olympics ever again?
“I mean to help out someone who seems to be struggling, in my opinion, I’d give her more than a medal.”
A separate individual chimed in: “This isn’t ok whatsoever, this person was just trying to help her support worker when he had a cramped foot, I mean what is wrong with the Olympics [...]
“Like seriously honestly I wonder if it’s worth watching the Olympics ever again? Because this is just getting outta hand this is turning into the most stupidest.”
She momentarily let go of the rope tethered to her guide, Mia Carol
Image credits: Agência Brasil
Elena, who has a degenerative hereditary eye disease, competed in the T12 category at the Paralympics. T11 is for athletes with near-total blindness. T12 athletes are less impaired, and T13 is the least impaired.
This incident is reminiscent of a similar case that occurred last month when team Australia’s Jaryd Clifford was disqualified and stripped of his bronze medal after he also dropped the tether connecting him to his seeing-eye guide.
Jaryd finished third in the Men’s T13 5000m final on August 31. He later learned that he had been disqualified due to a rule breach.
"She should be proud," a reader commented
