An Australian Paralympic athlete has been disqualified after dropping the tether attached to his guide dog during a long-distance event, officials said.
Visually impaired long-distance runner Jarryd Clifford was supposed to win bronze in the T13 5000m for visually impaired people at the 2024 Paralympics on Saturday, August 31, but the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Officials ruled he was not tethered properly. According to the Australian Paralympics, guide Matt Clark crossed the finish line.
The 25-year-old Clifford ran the event in 16 minutes, 12.45 seconds, the third-fastest time overall, but officials said he let go of his tether before crossing the finish line.
“Jarid needs a guide to run this distance competitively and that leaves a lot of room for error and unfortunately that was the case today,” Australian Athletics Team Management said in a statement to the Australian Paralympics. said in a statement. We know he will put all his energy and disappointment into that performance. ”
Spain’s Yassin Oudadi El Atabi and Russia’s Alexander Kostin, who is competing under the Neutral Paralympic Association, won gold and silver respectively.
Clifford, the only runner in the event to use a guide, spoke of his disappointment immediately after the race.
“I went to see my mom and dad and my girlfriend and I just broke down and cried,” Clifford said, according to Yahoo Sports. “I let out a little cry on the side of the track. If you would call my reaction to the result sad, I had a moment of sadness. I was a little numb on the course and I’m still a little numb…honestly. To say the least, I’m pretty devastated, but we went in with the goal of winning the gold medal.”
Team Australia’s Jarryd Clifford competes in the Men’s 5000m – T13 final on August 31, 2024.
Ezra Shaw/Getty
According to Australian sports channel Nine, Clifford suffers from a rare genetic visual impairment called Best’s disease and has competed both with and without a guide.
“Having a guide means I can focus on running,” Clifford told the magazine. “You don’t have to worry about tactics, how many laps to go, who’s around you, etc. This means you can give it your all without worrying about conserving your visual energy as you race home. That means we can work on it.”The last lap is just to make sure we can do it well. ”
Clifford said in an Instagram post on Aug. 31 that he was “devastated” after the “serious mistake” that led to his disqualification from the competition.
“Staying tethered is a cardinal rule in guiding, but I lost my mind in the last few meters and am devastated,” he wrote in part. “I felt good. I still have a lot of work to do. I promise to bring everything to Tuesday’s 1500m.”
During the event, Clifford hired two guides, Clark and Tim Logan. According to the Australian Paralympic Games, Logan was tied with Logan for the first 2,000 meters of the event, before Clark took over and maintained the pace for the final 3,000 meters.
“For me, coaching is not a necessity. It’s a necessity. Usually the pros outweigh the cons,” Clifford told Nine. “Today’s last lap was probably the day when the coaching didn’t go well.”
In an Instagram post, he thanked his two guides for their support.
“I feel so loved. I have a great team of people around me,” Clifford wrote. “Sport can be a cruel beast sometimes, but the tough times make the good times great. Great to wear the Australian singlet with my best mates @timlogann and @mattiiclarke I couldn’t be more proud of you ❤️”
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Clifford previously won two silver medals and one bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Games, according to his Paralympic profile. After these matches, he suffered a series of injuries, including a stress fracture in his left femur, and said he was hoping to return during this race.
After Saturday’s disappointment, he is now looking ahead to his next race on September 3rd.
“I feel like no matter what happens, this is my fourth Paralympic medal and I’m still chasing gold,” he said, according to Yahoo Sports. “We hope to be able to ignore this issue as soon as possible by Tuesday.”
To learn more about all the Olympic champions and Paralympic candidates, visit people.com for continuous coverage before, during and after the games. Watch the Paris Paralympics starting August 28th on NBC and Peacock.
