A Paralympian has been left heartbroken after seeing his bronze medal taken away from him following a bizarre breach of the rules in Paris.
Aussie middle distance star Jaryd Clifford crossed the line in third position in the men’s T13 final of the 5000m at the Stade de France on Saturday, only to be told his result will not stand.
The visually-impaired runner was told by officials that his time had been disqualified because he had dropped the tether linking him to guide Matt Clarke as he crossed the line.
Clifford, the only runner in the race to use a guide, was visibly distraught while speaking to reporters after hearing his bronze had been taken away from him.
The 25-year-old had hoped to appeal but he was told by the International Paralympic Committee he had no grounds to challenge their verdict.
‘I went and saw mum and dad and my girlfriend and broke down,’ Clifford said.
‘I had my little cry on the side of the track.
‘If you talk about reacting to results as grief, I had my grieving moment.
‘Out on the track, I was a little bit numb, I’m still a bit numb … I am pretty shattered, to be honest, if I’m frank about it, we went in with the aim of winning gold.’
Clifford’s devastation was plain to see and the dramatic and confusing circumstances of his disqualification capped a roller-coaster first hour on the track.
The Aussie is currently dating fellow Paralympian Anna Grimaldi, who represents New Zealand.
Reflecting on their relationship, she told Now: ‘I know, I know, he’s n! How did I let this happen!?
‘He’s awesome and it’s nice that while we’re both in athletics, his events are different from mine. We keep most of the sport stuff at training, but it’s helpful that we understand what the other’s going through.’
The pair have been dating for a year, and Grimaldi hopes to convince Clifford to make the move over to Dunedin soon.
‘It’s going pretty well, I think!’ she said. ‘He comes over here and I go there. It’s worked out really well.
‘It’s nice to have each other there. Last time he was with me at an event, I made him hold a New Zealand flag. I think I’ll do the same again!
‘I’m honestly just so excited. I think I’ve realised that over the last year, ‘sport Anna’ only thrives if ‘Anna Anna’ is thriving too. I think that’s the case right now.’