- The walker Laura García-Caro was left out of third place by a very thin margin
- The Spaniard was overtaken while celebrating the arrival at the finish line
Spanish walker Laura García-Caro was left blushing in Rome when she punched the air thinking she was about to win a European bronze medal, only to be overtaken just as she celebrated.
García-Caro was clearly 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 this European Championship.
The 29-year-old, who was even handed a Spanish flag upon arrival at the arena, was all smiles as she approached the finish line, punching the air with joy and sticking her tongue out.
However, unbeknownst to García-Caro, the speedy Lyudmyla Olyanovska had closed the gap in the final stretch.
And at the same moment that García-Caro was celebrating with two meters to go, Olyanovska ran past her to take the bronze.
Laura García-Caro entered the last 400 meters of the women’s 20 kilometer walk thinking she had secured a bronze medal.
However, the celebrations proved premature and she was surpassed by Lyudmyla Olyanovska.
“Today is a happy day for me to win this bronze medal.” Olyanovska said after the race.
‘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.”
García-Caro could only watch in horror as he realized he had just lost his first major medal.
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.
The Spaniard seemed dejected after narrowly missing out on the first major medal of her career.
‘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.
Olyanovska, who served a four-year ban for doping between 2015 and 2019, and García-Caro posted the same times of 1:28.48.
But it was the athlete from Ukraine who added to her bronze medal from the 2015 World Championships.