To save her country from embarrassment and disqualification, Belgian athlete switched sports briefly. Jolien Boumkwo went from being the Belgian shot-put champion to representing her country in 100m hurdle, which she has no experience of participating in.

Now, if you’ve ever run hurdles, you know how difficult it is for someone to just randomly pick up this track and field event and compete against the world’s best. That’s exactly what happened, and this wholesome moment caught everyone admiring the Belgian Shotput champion.

Jolien Boumkwo Saves Belgium From Disqualification

While participating in the European Championships, an athletics championship currently underway in Poland, Belgium was near the bottom end of the table. If they didn’t participate in the hurdles, they would lose points, and be directly disqualified from the Division one.

Unfortunately for Belgium, the two designated athletes handpicked to participate in the hurdles were injured. If someone didn’t put their hands up and agree to participate, that was it, it was game over for Belgium. It wouldn’t matter if they finished last, as long as they don’t rake any penalty points by dislodging the hurdles, Belgium would still remain in division 1.

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Jolien Boumkwo, having secured the 7th place in the Shot put competition one day before the race, put her hands up. She showed the determination to run for her country, despite not having any experience or practice running the 100m hurdle.

Even for veteran professionals, all it’d take to rake in penalty points is a single misstep. The task ahead for Jolien was not easy by any stretch of imagination.

‘Once in a Lifetime Experience’

Jolien remained calm under pressure, took her time, and was steady-footed through the course. She made sure she didn’t knock any of the hurdles as she crossed the 100m mark. She finished the run at a steady 32.81, and secured the last spot for Belgium.

In comparison, the winner from Spain, Teresa Errandonea, finished at a time of 13.22 seconds. There was a huge cheer from the stadium, as she crossed the lines. Her competitors also celebrated this wholesome moments with high-fives and messages of congratulations.

Elated, Boumkwo shared her experience post race, in an interview?“My team is the most important thing for me. I couldn’t let it happen to lose by one point. That’s why I considered taking part in the 100m hurdles. There was no risk for me if I took it calmly. Maybe it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take part in such a run,” she said?“There were a few doubts in my mind, but now I can tell I’m glad about this new experience.”

Usually, athletes participate in an event to win it all, but this is one of the few instances where an athlete put her hands up to help others.

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