Imagine a race walking for 90 minutes over almost 20 kilometers, finally facing those last 5 meters. The anticipation of winning consumes you. The joy of making your country proud brings a smile to your face and compels you to wave your flag. Then, just as victory seems certain, it’s snatched away. This is what happened to Spanish walker Laura García-Caro at the European Championships held on Friday. Despite competition from over 35 athletes from 14 countries, the Ibero-American Championships winner was in a position to secure the Bronze medal. However, the tables completely turned when she missed out on the medal by a hair’s breadth. 

A recent clip from the European Championships has sparked a heated debate among track and field enthusiasts, with fans decrying the event as “fake”. The viral footage has many questioning the competition’s authenticity and integrity. Supporters and critics clash over the event’s legitimacy, expressing disappointment in the sport’s rules. For what transpired has been equally intense.

Laura García-Caro’s crushing last-minute defeat sparks controversy in Rome

A recent Reddit post from the track and field community shared WatchPeopleDieInside’s post on Laura García-Caro falling behind during a walk. The caption read, “Laura García-Caro coming in for European Bronze in the 20km walk, with her flag, starts to celebrate just before the line.” The disheartening moment occurred during the end of the European Championships in Rome. Even European Athletics shared the moment on X, saying, “Disaster! 😱 Rule number one: don’t celebrate too early! 😬” Spanish walker García-Caro began the day with a 90-minute race around Rome and felt like the medal was hers to win. 

Laura García-Caro coming in for European bronze in the 20km walk, with her flag, starts to celebrate just before the line …
byu/BrotherAnanse intrackandfield

She was just behind Italy’s Antonella Palmisano and Valentina Trapletti who came first and second respectively. García-Caro was in third place, hoping to go straight into the finals in Studio Olimpico in Rome. As she approached the finish line, she began to celebrate. She waved the Spanish flag and smiled widely. However it did not last. Quickly Ukraine’s participant; Lyudmila Olyanovska overtook her in the last five-meters, a moment that has now gone viral over the internet. Garnering over 470 comments. Captured in the video is Laura’s shocked and horrified expression when she notices Olyanovska surge up from behind her and make it to the finish line first. 

A heartbroken García-Caro spoke to local media after the match and said, “I am quite disappointed. The first part of the race I suffered, but (I did) recover and in the last 10 metres I thought I had it but I didn’t.” Lyudmila Olyanovska dedicated the win to her country, explaining how hard it is for athletes to train in a country riddled with war. Ukrainian fans celebrate the victory, leaving track and field enthusiasts worldwide shocked and speechless.

Track and field fans question the legitimacy of the game after Spain’s loss 

Racewalking has been one of the most controversial sports, often being subjected to protests over the ambiguity. On par with the notion, sport followers on Reddit expressed their disappointment over the reptation. Judges only penalize athletes for running if they observe them doing so. One fan vented their frustration after the controversial finish at the European Championships about judges being human and unable to monitor all 14 athletes at the same time, saying, “One of the reasons why racewalking shouldn’t be a thing. Their footing is subject to human error when it comes to arbitration. Such a stupid sport.”

Expressing a similar sentiment, another chimed in to reflect a widespread concern about the perceived inconsistency in enforcing rules in racewalking. They expressed their mistrust in the current rules, considering no slow-motion replays are allowed for foul detection. “Still can’t take this “sport” seriously. All of them blatantly cheat, but only get disqualified “if the officials see it”. Presumably only blind people are allowed to officiate race walking.”

One fan event called the sport jogging. Voicing out their opinion on how often athletes seemingly cheat during the event, which undermines the credibility of the sport. They see racewalkers as rule-breaking joggers, making the event seem fake. They wrote in support of García-Caro saying, “Yeah race walk will always be a fake event, just a bunch of common joggers. Everyone breaks the rules every step.”

Another fan made it clear that racewalking is a competition fans don’t look forward to. They argue that the sport’s criteria loose viewer interest and enthusiasm. The long distances as an added factor to ambiguous judging did not sit right. “Track fans would rather have more relay events than this “sport”. The fact that it has 2 distances in the Olympics is pathetic.” 

Many fans have agreed that by looking at the Ukrainian athletes’ knees, it can be reduced that they might have cheated by ‘running’. One fan even pointed it out directly. It adds to concerns about the sport’s declining popularity due to perceived dishonesty among competitors. They mentioned how the sport is losing fans because of rampant cheating, by writing, “I never watch this event and I could tell the on-comer was cheating.”

The viral clip sparked debates and criticism, with many questioning judging fairness and rule violations. The sport must now work to rebuild trust and renew fan interest amidst growing scrutiny and skepticism.