Belgian shot putter Jolien Boumkwo nobly covered for her injured teammate in the 100m hurdles at the European Team Championships.
Despite finishing last by 19 seconds and clearly being unaccustomed to the event, Boumkwo still secured two potentially vital points for her nation. A 12-time national champion in her usual sport, the 29-year-old managed to complete the hurdles in 32.81 seconds and was cheered on by the crowd in Poland.
Boumkwo had confirmed ahead of Saturday's event that she'd be filling in for the injured Anne Zagr and also 400m hurdles star Hanne Claes, who was also unavailable due to injury. "It's not a joke. One for the team," she posted on Instagram when the news that she'd compete in the race filtered through on Friday.
Although she started off with a 0.230 reaction time, Boumkwo managed to clear all of the fences and did her nation a superb bit of service by completing the race. Spaniard Teresa Errandonea came out on top at the Slaski Stadium in Chorzow, claiming victory with a finish time of 13.22.
Without Boumkwo's remarkable intervention, Belgium would have been disqualified from the event. She was in good spirits as the camera panned to her before the starting gun went off and has received heaps of praise for her decision to take one of the team.
It soon got even better for her, as when Switzerland received a disqualification, Boumkwo was awarded not one but two points. Speaking after her impressive feat, she beamed to reporters: "When I was asked, I immediately liked it, but only with the approval of my coach. He agreed if I took it easy and didn't take any risk of injury.
"We sometimes do hurdles in training, so I know how to do it. I thought it was a special experience, because much more than with the shot put I had the feeling that everyone was looking at me." Boumkwo added: "I try not to take myself too seriously as an athlete.
"The past has taught me that that will only make you cramp. If my two points ensure that we stay in the top division, this will certainly have been worth it."
Social media was awash with praise, with one user posting on Twitter: "Fair play to Jolien Boumkwo, she took one for the team." Another quoted Roger Crawford, saying: "If you enter a race and finish last, you are a winner. The loser never entered." A third added: "Jolien Boumkwo, an absolute trouper that even sprinted hard at the end! Legend."
