An unusual incident occurred at the 2023 European Games, which continue in Krakow, Poland.. Belgian shot putter Jolien Bumkwo was forced to represent her national team in two different disciplines at once.. Jolien, 29, is the captain of the Belgian athletics team.. She specializes in throwing events: in the hammer throw and shot put Bumkwo won the national championship 21 times.. However, at the competitions in Krakow, the athlete unexpectedly had to compete also in hurdling. The fact is that Anne Zagr and Hanne Claes, who specialize in hurdling in the Belgian national team, were injured and could not start. So Bumkwo had to take part in the 100m hurdles herself so that the team would not be disqualified.. Jolien quite funny overcame the distance, stepping over barriers, but was able to get to the finish line. She lost almost 20 seconds to her nearest competitor (32.81 vs. 13.81), but she earned two points for her national team at once in the standings for the team Euro, as the Swiss Ditanji Kambunji was disqualified due to a false start. At the finish line, Jolien received loud applause from the fans in the stands and her rivals.. Video of shot putter's selfless race goes viral on social media.

The European Athletics Association dedicated a separate post to the athlete in social networks. " A shot putter competes for Team Belgium in the 100m hurdles - a new level of dedication.

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We add that in her profile discipline - shot put - Bumkwo took seventh place at the European Games among sixteen participants with a score of 16.58 m. European Games 2023 will last until July 2. These competitions are also part of the selection for the 2024 Olympics.. After the fifth competitive day, the Ukrainian team with 25 awards (12 gold, 7 silver and 6 bronze) takes third place in the medal standings of the European Games 2023. Recall that athletes from Russia and Belarus were not allowed to the European Games 2023 due to the war in Ukraine.