It was undoubtedly one of the beautiful images of the weekend in sport. The Belgian shot putter, Jolien Boumkwo, taking the start of the 100m hurdles to make up for the absence of the specialist in the discipline, her compatriot Anne Zagré, and to allow her team not to be disqualified during the European Championships in Chorzow (Poland). Present when he got off the plane on Monday evening, our colleagues from Parisian Could collect testimony of the one who finished the race, under the amused and benevolent gaze of her opponents, in 32 seconds, twenty more than the other competitors lined up at the start.
“I saw in their eyes that they found it funny to find me on the starting line alongside them. Seeing someone who throws take their marks for a sprint is a bit funny. Before the race, someone from the organization came to ask me if it was really me who was going to run, she explained. But it was really cool! It was a once in a lifetime experience. I really wanted to have fun. In addition, instead of taking a point with the last time (she finished the race good last), I had two because there was a false start in the other series. For us, it was the best case. »
At the Paris Olympics… in shot put
Stepping over the hurdles more than jumping them, the shot putter wanted to secure the shot and avoid any stupid injury, she who aims to be at the 2024 Paris Olympics in a year. “I really didn’t want to take any risks, so I told myself that I was going to walk when crossing the hurdles to ensure, confided Boumkwo. But with the adrenaline, you get caught up in the game and do a little more (smile). Upon arrival, I looked at my time out of curiosity. And I went faster than I thought I would for that distance. »
If the performance of the Belgian athlete did not allow his country to avoid relegation to the second division, his smile throughout the race and his dedication to not leaving his team in trouble will have been a pleasure to see . And Boumkwo to conclude, satisfied: “I received a lot of reactions and friendly messages. It makes me feel good that people respect what I’ve done and see the collective dimension of the gesture. »