- Spaniard Elena Congost was disqualified two metres from the finish line
- The bronze medal was awarded to Misato Michishita of Japan.
Paralympic Marathon runner Elena Congost was devastated after being disqualified two metres from the finish line.
The Spanish T12/B2 track and field athlete suffers from a degenerative visual disability and ran alongside guide Mia Carol Bruguera during the race.
Congost finished third in the T12 marathon event and also managed to record a personal best of 3:00:48.
However, the 36-year-old was disqualified because she let go of the rope, which is not allowed under Paralympic rules.
Congost had broken free to help Brugera, who was suffering from cramps.
Paralympic marathon runner Elena Congost was disqualified two metres from the finish line
Congost had released the rope to help guide Mia Carol Bruguera, who had been struggling with a cramp.
Following Congost’s disqualification, third place went to Misato Michishita of Japan.
The rules state that all T12 marathon runners must be connected to their guide via a leash at all times.
Fatima El Idrissi of Morocco won the gold medal with a world record time of 2:48.36, while Meryem En-Nourhi took silver.
The bronze medal was awarded to Misato Michishita of Japan (right).
Talking with BrandCongost admitted she was “devastated” by the result.
She said: ‘I would like everyone to know that I have not been disqualified for cheating, but I have been disqualified for being a person and for an instinct that comes to you when someone is falling and is to help them or support them.
‘I’m devastated, to be honest, because I had the medal.
‘I’m super proud of everything I’ve done and in the end I was disqualified because 10 meters from the finish line I let go of the rope for a second because a person who was next to me fell face first to the ground and I grabbed the rope again and we crossed the finish line.
‘The next athlete is three minutes away from me, so it was a reflex action for any human being to grab a person who is falling next to you.’
