- He had won the bronze medal in the 5000 m race.
- He was stripped of his medal for breaking the rules
- There is no reason to appeal the decision.
A ‘numb’ Jaryd Clifford is recovering from the pain of learning his Paralympic bronze medal had been stripped from him after the 5000m runner was disqualified for breaking rules.
Clifford crossed the line in third place in the men’s T13 final at the Stade de France on Saturday.
But his ecstasy quickly turned to agony when officials told the visually impaired runner he had been disqualified for letting go of the leash connecting him to his guide Matt Clarke as he crossed the line.
Clifford, the only runner in the race to use a guide, was visibly distraught as he spoke to reporters after hearing he had been stripped of bronze.
The 25-year-old had hoped to appeal but was told by the International Paralympic Committee he had no grounds to challenge the verdict.
Jaryd Clifford was automatically disqualified after dropping his strap just before the finish line, robbing him of a bronze medal.
“I went to see my mom, dad and my girlfriend and I broke down,” Clifford said.
‘I had my little cry on the side of the track.
‘If we talk about reacting to results as if it were pain, I had my moment of grief.
‘On the track I was a bit numb, I’m still a bit numb… I’m pretty shattered, to be honest, if I’m frank about it, we went in with the goal of winning gold.’
Clifford’s devastation was evident and the dramatic and confusing circumstances of his disqualification capped a rollercoaster first hour on track.
While Clifford searched for answers, Madison de Rozario finished with a bronze in the women’s 5000m T54 final.
Australian Madison de Rozario claimed the bronze medal in the women’s 5000m T54 final
De Rozario said a restarted race caused her to lose synchronization and finish behind American Susannah Scaroni and Swiss Catherine Debrunner.
“(My start) actually went perfectly and then I had a little shock when I heard the gunshots again and I knew they were calling again,” de Rozario said.
“It was a little overwhelming. I wasn’t sure how it would go (my second start), but I’m happy.”
The bronze was the seventh Paralympic medal for the 30-year-old, who now has her sights set on the 1,500 metres and the marathon.
Shortly after de Rozario crossed the finish line, Michael Roeger took silver in the men’s 1500m T46.
Roeger led his race until the final 200 metres, when neutral Paralympian Aleksandr Iaremchuk overtook the Australian and took gold.
“Luckily, I did enough early on to be on the top step of the podium… I’m very proud of how I’ve done over the last three years,” Roeger said.
“I gave it my all at the start and fell short, but it’s not the end of the world if I come second.”