Belgium shot put and hammer throw champion Jolien Boumkwo showed good team spirit at the European Championships in Poland when she stepped up to run the 100-meter hurdles and saved her team from being disqualified.
Boumkwo was all smiles as he cautiously attempted each obstacle on Saturday. The 29-year-old finished the race without falling over any obstacles in 32.81 seconds, 19 seconds after beating sprinter Teresa Errandonea of Spain.
Every point *counts in the European Team Championships!
Seventh in the shot put, Jolien Boumkwo 🇧🇪 stepped up for the 100m hurdles in the last minute of #Silesia2023! 👏 #EG2023
(@TeamBelgium, @Ang_EOC) pic.twitter.com/3rhERw9y5I
– European Athletics (@EuroAthletics) June 24, 2023
Boumkwo agreed to compete when two Belgian hurdlers had to pull out with injuries. Without a Belgian athlete competing in the event, the team would have been disqualified.
The crowd applauded him and his opponents congratulated him as he scored two points for the team.
The points will be important because the bottom three countries will be moved from Division I.
