Jaryd Clifford of Team Australia competes during the men’s 5000-meter T13 final.
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Australian runner Jaryd Clifford said he’s “shattered” he was disqualified from the Paralympics men’s T13 5000-meter final for vision-impaired athletes after crossing the finish line in third place over the weekend.
“I’m absolutely devastated that we made such a critical mistake out there today,” Clifford wrote on Instagram. “Remaining tethered is a fundamental rule in guiding and I’m shattered that I lost my mind in those final metres.”
Clifford was denied the bronze medal after officials determined the tether, a small piece of rope binding Clifford to his guide Matt Clarke, was released just before they crossed the finish line.
The three-time Paralympic medalist was guided by Tim Logan for the first 2000 meters of the race and Clarke for the remainder.
The World Para Athletics rules and regulations stipulate that if “during a race their tether breaks then the athlete shall be disqualified.”
“Sport can be a cruel beast at times, but the tough times are what make the good times so great. Couldn’t be prouder to have worn the Australian singlet alongside my best mates,” Clifford wrote on Instagram, tagging his guides.
Speaking to reporters at Paris’ Stade de France after the race, Clifford explained that he doesn’t always use a guide, but when he does, “it means I can focus on the running.”
“I don’t have to worry about the tactics, [how many] laps to go, which people are around me. It means when I make a hard move for home I can go all out and not worry about saving some visual energy for that last lap to make sure I can just get around,” he said, according to Nine News.
Clifford after the men’s 1500-meter T12 and T13 combined final on Tuesday. He missed out on bronze again, this time by 0.01 of a second.
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Athletics Australia said in a statement that Clifford was “in really good shape, but there is always risks when you bring in other factors to middle-distance running, such as guides.”
“Jaryd needs guides to run these distances competitively, but it creates more margin for error and unfortunately today was a realisation of that,” it said.
Clifford, who took home two silvers and a bronze from Tokyo, also competed in the 1500-meter T13 final on Tuesday, missing out on a medal by 0.01 of a second. He broke the world record for the T12 1500-meter event in 2021.
“It’s almost so ridiculous that it’s funny,” Clifford told reporters after the 1500, per Nine.
“I get DQ’d in the last meter and [miss bronze again by] 0.01. It’s crazy that it’s three years of work and the last meter of both races can define all of that. It’s pretty brutal,” he said.
