Picture Credit: Twitter
Belgium’s shot put and hammer throw champion Jolien Boumkwo displayed great team spirit as she stepped up outside of her event to help her country from getting disqualified at the European Championships in Poland. The soon-to-be 30 year-old ran a 100 metre hurdle to save her team from getting disqualified at the event.
This incident which took place on Saturday, June 24 when two of the hurdlers of Belgium, namely Anne Zagre and Hanne Claes had to pull out after suffering injuries. The 29-year-old successfully completed the race in 32.81 seconds without knocking down any hurdles. She finishes just 19 seconds behind Spanish sprinter Teresa Errandonea, who eventually came out victorious, clocking 13.22.
“My team is the most important thing for me,” said Boumkwo as quoted by USA Today. It is to be noted that the Belgium team would have face a disqualification from the event if no athlete would have competed in 100m hurdle.
This gesture by the Belgian athlete has earned her praises from all over. While some hailed as “great”, a few others lauded this as “a wholesome story”.
Additionally, Belgium is currently at the last place (16 th ) with 159 points. Turkey (160), Norway (161), and Greece (171.5) are only above Belgium with last three countries standing a chance of relegation from Division 1.
