ELENA CONGOST’S incredible act of kindness at the Paralympics cost her much more than a bronze medal.
The Spanish T12/B2 track and field athlete, who was born with a degenerative visual impairment, was disqualified with TEN METRES left of Sunday’s marathon in Paris.
REUTERSSpanish Paralympic marathon runner Elena Congost thought she’d won a bronze medal on Sunday[/caption]
APBut she was cruelly disqualified for briefly letting go of the rope between her and her guide after he struggled with cramp[/caption]
REUTERSCongost has been left heartbroken by the disqualification, which has caused global outrage[/caption]
Congost, who ran a personal best of 3:00:48, was denied a bronze as she let go of the rope connecting her and her guide, Mia Carol Bruguera.
Her momentary letting go of the rope to help Bruguera deal with cramp violated the strict race rules and cost her a whopping £25,000.
She told ABC: “That gesture cost me €30,000, which is the prize money for the medal, plus my monthly salary, which is food for my children.
“And that was what hurt me the most. Athletics is my passion, but I make all the effort for my family and for my children and to have economic stability because, in the end, it is my job.
“Nobody works for free. You don’t eat nothing.
“I made a titanic effort in a year after being a mother four times for them, to have a better family economy and to be able to work in what is my passion, which is a privilege.
“And I saw it all taken away from me. Everything I have done has been for nothing.
“I made a huge effort for my family, I had achieved it and they stole it from under my nose.”
REUTERSElena Congest’s ecstasy soon turned to agony after she realised she’d been disqualified[/caption]
Congost’s pain was worsened by the fact that two of her children were present when she found out she wouldn’t be on the podium.
“The two older ones, aged six and four, were there,” she said. “They saw me run, they encouraged me, they saw me win the medal and they saw me lose it.
“I met them just when they told me there was nothing to do. They saw me angry and heartbroken, they saw me crying.
“You can imagine. Everyone was crying. Instead of a party, it was a drama.
“I tried to calm them down and explain to them that we have been punished for helping, something they cannot understand.
“There are rules that must be broken. The rule is the rule, but to move forward you have to break them.”
Congost, like many others, reckons the decision to disqualify her isn’t in keeping with the spirit of the Games.
She said: “These are not the values we want to demonstrate as elite athletes or as people.
“I feel very responsible for these values that we want to transmit.
ReutersThe Spanish Paralympic Committee are set to appeal Elena Congost’s disqualification[/caption]
“Many children admire us and see themselves reflected in us and sometimes they even play sports.
“Because they want to be like us and the least we can do for them is to transmit these values because sport shapes people.
“You have to be the best on the track, but also off it.”
The Spanish Paralympic Committe are set to appeal the International Committee’s decision to disqualify Congost, although the 36-year-old isn’t getting her hopes up.
When asked if she’s confident about the decision being overturned, a heartbroken Congost said: “I don’t know.
“I don’t know how inflexible the body that has to decide is.
“What I would like is for them to fight for me, for sport, for values and for our children.”