Spanish Runner Disqualified After Winning Paralympic Medal

What was supposed to be a glorious moment for Spanish runner Elena Congost quickly turned into a nightmare after she was disqualified from the marathon race of the 2024 Paris Paralympics.

Congost, a visually impaired runner, finished third behind Moroccan athletes Fatima Ezzahra El Idrissi, who set a new world record of 2 hours, 38 minutes and 36 seconds, and Meryem En-Nourhi, who came in second.

However, disaster struck for Congost roughly 10 yards from the finish line. This was after she let go of the tether that was connecting her to her guide, Mia Carol Bruguera. At that point in the race, Congost felt like she had no other choice but to let go of the tether in order to prevent her guide from falling as Bruguera suffered cramps.

The rules of the competition stipulate that visually impaired runners must be connected to their guides at all times throughout the race via a tether, which is a short rope with a loop on both ends. Unfortunately for Congost, she violated this rule when she helped her guide as he was cramping. Congost let go of the tether for a few seconds after running for three hours.

Congost spoke about this tragic turn of events as the 36-year-old slammed the decision to disqualify her for the race. "I have not been disqualified for cheating, but rather I have been disqualified for being human and for an instinct that comes to you when someone is falling and to help or support them,” she told Spanish newspaper Marca .

Congost added that she was "devastated," but that she also feels "super proud of everything I’ve done."

The fans on X, formerly Twitter, shared the same sentiments. The majority of them believe that it is cruel to strip an athlete of a bronze medal for something that any person should have done in the moment.

"That is totally absurd; Olympics and Paralympics have gone from a festival of joy and togetherness to an event, where you only can turn your back on," wrote a user.

"To me, Elena and Mia are the true Paralympic 3rd place winners that comes with an extra heart to the win. Well done!! You’ll be remembered in history for how you both ran the race to the finish line 👏👏👏🥰" read a comment.

"Taking the medal away is wrong to do to her or any person helping another," reacted a viewer.

"She deserves the medal, where is spirit of Olympics judges. Please don't damage reputation of the Paralympics - the *Real Olympics* btw. It has been a fantastic Paralympics to watch, every athlete is a champion. Do the right thing - Bronze for Elena. Please 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇬🇧🇪🇸" demanded another.

"Her disqualification belies the spirit of the games. She responded as a person with compassion. 🏃‍♀️" another comment stated.

Congost was denied a bronze medal in the T12 category race. This is the second of three tiers that classify athletes depending on their vision. Congost was a gold medal winner in the T12 category at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

Related: USA Gymnastics Sends Strong Simone Biles Message To Team USA Before Paris Paralympics