A 90kg hammer thrower ran the 100m hurdles to save the national team and became the star of the European Games 2023. Video

A video of Belgian track and field athlete Jolien Boumquot's performance at the European Games 2023 went viral. The 12-time Belgian champion in the hammer and shot put finished last, 19 seconds behind in the 100-meter hurdles, but she received a lot of rave reviews on the Internet.

The 29-year-old volunteered to run in the race after two of her fellow sprinters withdrew from the tournament due to injuries. If no one had run, the team would have been disqualified, so Boomkwo decided to save the team.

During the race, she ran leisurely, just stepping over the barriers, and after the finish, she received congratulations from her rivals.

It is noteworthy that thanks to the performance of Jolien Belgium got not one but two points. The representative of Switzerland was disqualified for false start.

"My team is more important to me than anything...it's not a joke - the team points. I couldn't let that happen, to get us disqualified," she said after the race.

Boomkwo explained that she was more than happy to participate and said it was a "special experience."

"I liked the idea right away, but I got the coach's permission first. He gave his approval on the condition that I wouldn't run fast with the risk of injury. We sometimes break barriers in training, so I know how to do it. I think it was a special experience. It felt like I got a lot more attention than when I was competing in my discipline," The Daily Mail quoted the athlete as saying.

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