- Ewa Swoboda won her first women’s 100m race in Paris on Friday
- The Polish woman crossed the finish line with great enthusiasm ahead of Britain’s Asher-Smith.
- Swoboda made a gesture to the camera that he quickly corrected after the race.
Polish sprint star Ewa Swoboda has left fans baffled with her on-camera reaction after advancing in the first round of the women’s 100m in Paris.
The 27-year-old ultimately failed to make it to the final after finishing fourth behind Melissa Jefferson, Marie-Josee Ta Lou and Mujinga Kambundji in the semi-finals.
But before that disappointment on Saturday, Swoboda was in high spirits after the first stage, waving her right hand in the direction of the television cameras as they turned to her for her reaction.
However, the world indoor silver medallist quickly corrected herself, moved her finger with a slight nod and repeated the gesture but with her left hand.
The sequence confused several viewers on social media, although it appears that his action was an attempt to distance himself from a gesture that is often associated with the military.
Poland’s Ewa Swoboda waved her right hand after winning her first race, but quickly corrected her gesture.
The 27-year-old failed to make it to the final of the women’s 100m after safely making it through the first round.
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“The military salute is done with the right hand. That’s why she switches to the left to salute,” wrote one user on X.
Another user of the platform agreed, saying: “Saluting from the right is a military thing to do. She realized her mistake and then saluted from the left.”
Swoboda is an eight-time Polish 100m champion and a regular in the latter stages of elite world races.
But her below-par performance at the Stade de France meant she was forced to watch from the sidelines as St Lucia’s Julien Alfred secured his country’s first Olympic medal when he won gold in the final on Saturday night.
The 23-year-old beat world champion Sha’Carri Richardson in a time of 10.72 in the rain in Paris.
The world indoor silver medallist was one of nine female athletes turned into Barbie dolls ahead of the Games.
Richardson took silver, while fellow American Melissa Jefferson finished third, taking bronze in a time of 10.92.
Swoboda, an Instagram sensation who was one of nine female athletes honoured by Mattel with the creation of a Barbie doll, will compete for her nation in the 4x100m relay later this week.
