Aussie ‘shattered’ as disqualification strips him of medal

PARIS: Australian Paralympic distance runner Jaryd Clifford is “shattered” after crossing the finish line of the men’s T13 5000m final in third place then finding out minutes later he’d been disqualified.
Officials cracked down on Saturday after deeming the tether, which is a small piece of rope, was not held by both Clifford and guide Matt Clarke as they crossed the finish line, Athletics Australia (AA) confirmed.
About 30 minutes prior to AA’s confirmation, Clifford had told reporters in the media mixed zone that he was not aware of the reason and said he would protest, provided the opportunity was available to him and he hadn’t “completely missed something”.
LIVE UPDATES: Paris Paralympics, day three
READ MORE: Star hockey player dies in ‘devastating’ tragedy
READ MORE: World’s second-tallest man without a bed in Paris
AA said the decision would stand and Clifford did not have the grounds to protest.
“I’m not just shattered for me; I’m shattered for them [his guides],” Clifford said at the Stade de France.
“They give everything for me out there.
“… That’s shit. I can’t see how they DQ’d us, but I’m sure there’s a reason, which makes me nervous.”
Watch every moment, every medal of the Paralympic Games Paris 2024 live and free on Channel 9, 9Gem and 9Now. Plus, every event streaming ad free, live and on demand with 4K on Stan Sport.
The moment that led to Jaryd Clifford’s disqualification in Paris. Nine
Clifford lost bronze to Russian Anton Kuliatin, who had crossed the finish line just after the Australian.
Clifford was guided by Tim Logan over the first half of the race and Clarke throughout the second half.
Clarke was visibly devastated when walking past Clifford as the distance runner was talking to media.
Australian Olympic long jumper David Culbert was quick to suspect the reason for the disqualification.
“You’ve got to hold the tether all the way through to the line, and it’s pretty clear it’s not in the hands of both athletes,” Culbert said on the Nine coverage.
“In fact, it looks like Jaryd’s let it go just before the line there.”
Jaryd Clifford running with guide Matt Clarke at the Stade de France. Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
Clifford, who has a vision impairment called “best disease”, was the only guided runner in the race.
There have been occasions throughout the 25-year-old’s career where he’s opted against being guided.
“When I have a guide it means I can focus on the running,” explained Clifford, who won two silver medals and a bronze at Tokyo 2020.
“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.
“… Guiding for me is not a need; it’s a want. The pros usually outweigh the cons.
“Two guides mean they should be fresher.
“Today on the last lap was probably a day where the guiding was a con.
“But these boys are my best mates,” he added.
“Jaryd had a great preparation after several years of injury frustration,” AA said in a statement approved by management and Clifford.
“He 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.
“He has the 1500m on his program and we know he will be putting all the energy and disappointment into that performance.”
Later in the track and field session, South Australian distance runner Michael Roeger claimed silver in the men’s 1500m T46.
The 36-year-old, who’s missing one arm, competed in the marathon T46 at Tokyo 2020, but has since returned to the 1500m because the longer event was scrapped by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).
Australian opening ceremony flag bearer Madison de Rozario also won a medal on the track, securing bronze in the women’s 5000m T54.
De Rozario edged Swiss pair Patricia Eachus and Manuela Schaer in a pulsating three-way sprint to the finish line.
Help Australia’s para-athletes chase their sporting dreams! Click here to donate.