Celebrating too early is a story as outdated as time, epitomized by the fable of the tortoise and the hare. But, athletes proceed to fall sufferer to this error yearly. The newest instance is Laura Garcia-Caro of Spain, who thought she had secured the bronze medal within the 20km race stroll on the 2024 European Championships in Rome, solely to be overtaken on the final second.
🤯 ¡NOOOOOOOO!
🇪🇸 CHOCOLATE de LAURA Gª CARO • Con la BANDERA a hombros se ve superada en el último metro en dudoso esprín con Olyanovska.
😞 ESPAÑA no abre la cuenta en #Roma2024 • Al menos Gª Caro asegura la 3ª plaza OLY en #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/1VqR674VgP
— Jaime Gómez (@Rincon_Deporte) June 7, 2024
Garcia-Caro grabbed her flag and pumped her fists in glory within the final 50 metres, believing the bronze medal was hers. Nevertheless, Ukraine’s Lyudmyla Olyanovska surged previous her on the skin on the end, snatching the bronze from Garcia-Caro’s grasp. This might have been Garcia-Caro’s first profession medal at a European Championship. Her speechless expression on the end line mentioned all of it.
“In the present day is a contented day for me, successful this bronze medal,” Olyanovska mentioned after the race. “I didn’t anticipate this.”
Catastrophe! 😱
Rule primary: don’t rejoice too early! 😬#Roma2024 #IgniteTheFire pic.twitter.com/neqiuXoEz3
— European Athletics (@EuroAthletics) June 7, 2024
The 20km race was received by the reigning Olympic champion, Italy’s personal Antonella Palmisano. Crossing the road in second was Palmisano’s teammate Valentina Trapletti, who took silver with a time of 1:28:37.
The 2024 European Championships in Rome will likely be a trial occasion for a lot of Olympic-bound athletes making ready for Paris 2024 this August. Massive European stars like Femke Bol, Jakob Ingebrigtsen, and Marcell Jacobs, amongst others, will likely be competing from June 7 to 12 in Rome.