The Paralympic Games are not without drama, on the contrary, they bring the same emotions to the public as the Olympic Games. That can be attested to by the Australian Paralympic team, which suffered a major blow this weekend when one of its runners was disqualified for an unfortunate technical error.
In many ways, paralympic athletics can be more difficult than conventional track and field. The rules and technical requirements demand the utmost attention from athletes and coaches. The smallest mistake can lead to defeat or disqualification, as recently happened to long-distance runner Jaryd Clifford.
Clifford competed on August 31 in the 5000m T13 category for the visually impaired. The Australian runner crossed the finish line in third place at 16:12.45 minutes. However, just before crossing the line, the athlete released the tether, which earned him disqualification.
After Clifford’s disqualification, the bronze medal went to Russian runner Anton Kuliatin, who competes with the Neutral Paralympic Athletes association (NPA). The gold went to Spaniard Yassine Ouhdadi El Ataby, and the silver went to Aleksandr Kostin of the NPA.
A hard blow for Clifford
In a statement issued after the disqualification, the Australian Paralympic Committee explained, “Jaryd needs guides to run these distances competitively, but it creates more margin for error and unfortunately today was a realization of that.”
Clifford himself acknowledged his mistake. “Remaining tethered is a fundamental rule in guiding and I’m shattered that I lost my mind in those final [meters],” the runner admitted in an Instagram post.
Runners in the T13 category can run alone or with a guide. Although he can run unguided, Clifford often accepts the help of a guide. “When I have a guide it means I can focus on the running. I don’t have to worry about the tactics, [how many] laps to go, which people are around me,” he explained.
He explained that running with a guide helps him save energy for the final sprint. “It means when I make a hard move for home I can go all out and not worry about saving some visual energy for that last lap to make sure I can just get around.”
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Clifford will get another chance
Although Jaryd said he was “devastated” by the disqualification, he will still have another chance to get on the Paralympic podium. “He has the 1500m on his program, and we know he will be putting all the energy and disappointment into that performance,” Paralympics Australia explained.
“I felt good, I have so much more to give and I promise I’ll bring everything I’ve got for the 1500m on Tuesday,” said Clifford ahead of the competition where he will seek to vindicate himself and take home a Paralympic medal.