The Spanish walker who was defeated at the finish line after celebrating too early is a nurse when she is not competing, while her rival had already been previously disqualified for doping.
Laura García-Caro was very clear in third place when she entered the Olympic Stadium for the last 400 meters of the women’s 20 km walk, the first medal event of the European Championship in Rome.
The 29-year-old was beaming as she approached the finish line with a Spanish flag around her neck and her fist raised; However, this celebration was premature.
The fast Ukrainian Lyudmyla Olyanovska was closing the gap in the final stretch and at the same moment that García-Caro was celebrating two meters from the end, Olyanovska ran past her to take the bronze.
Mrs García-Caro could only stare in horror as she realized she had just lost her first major medal.
Laura García-Caro entered the last 400 meters of the women’s 20 kilometer walk thinking she had secured a bronze medal. However, her celebrations proved premature and she was surpassed by Lyudmyla Olyanovska.
Aside from racewalking, Ms. García-Caro is a nurse and psychology student, according to her Twitter bio. She is from the picturesque coastal town of Lepe in southern Spain, where she has also been a tourism ambassador since 2016.
The Spaniard won a gold medal in the 10,000m walk at the 2022 Spanish Athletics Championships, but at the time of writing he has yet to take home a major medal. He was part of the Spanish team sent to Tokyo for the 2020 Olympic Games.
While both women obtained the same time of 1:28.48. It was Olyanovska, who served a four-year doping ban between 2015 and 2019 for taking anabolic steroids, who took home the bronze medal.
Aside from racewalking, Ms. García-Caro is a nurse and psychology student, according to her Twitter bio. She is from the picturesque coastal town of Lepe in southern Spain, where she has also been a tourism ambassador since 2016.
The Spaniard won a gold medal in the 10,000m walk at the 2022 Spanish Athletics Championships, but at the time of writing he has yet to take home a major medal.
García-Caro was part of the Spanish team sent to Tokyo for the 2020 Olympics. It is unclear if he will join the athletes in Paris this summer.
In 2021, García-Caro appeared on a list of 50 influential young Spanish women by Mujerhoy magazine.
Writing on Facebook at the time Ms García-Caro, who also appeared on the magazine’s cover, said: “I am pleased to tell you that today I will be in Mujerhoy magazine with these three super women.”
Speaking after yesterday’s race, Ms Olyanovska said: “Today is a happy day for me to win this bronze medal.
‘The most important thing is that I have to thank my mother, my father and all of Ukraine. It is a very emotional moment for me.
“Of course, I was tired in the last kilometer and in the last meters, but I really wanted to win this medal for my country.”
The 29-year-old was beaming as she approached the finish line with a Spanish flag around her neck and her fist raised, but this celebration was premature.
The Spaniard seemed dejected after narrowly missing out on the first major medal of her career.
After the event, the Spaniard said: ‘I was very tired on the last lap. I did my best.’
“The look of anguish on Laura García-Caro’s face is beyond belief,” Tim Hutchings said in a BBC commentary.
‘Two meters from the line, García-Caro had his hands up hoping to be on the podium.
‘Only one step towards the line did he notice Lyudmila Olyanovska approaching and overtook her!’
To the delight of the local public, the race was won by Italian Antonella Palmisano in 1 hour 28.08 minutes, ahead of her compatriot Valentina Trapletti, who took silver in 1:28.37.