Paralympic Games organizers annulled a track result and ordered the winner to return her medal after upholding a protest over the race in which six wheelchair athletes fell and one was taken to the hospital.
A crash during the final lap of the women’s T54 class 5,000m in Beijing on Monday night resulted in just five of the 11 racers finishing. Canada’s Diane Roy was yesterday asked to give her gold medal back as organizers rescheduled the race for Friday.
“That’s what makes this sport so unexpected and exciting,” US wheelchair racer Cheri Blauwet said on the US Olympic Committee’s Web site after suffering cuts to her head, shoulder and arms in the pileup. “You hope to be on the other side of the crash, but tonight I wasn’t.”
PHOTO: AFP
Edith Hunkeler of Switzerland, whose fall produced a domino effect at the Bird’s Nest stadium, was disqualified from the re-run, organizers ruled. They said the medals ceremony had gone ahead because the officials involved weren’t informed about protests by the Australian, US and Swiss teams.
“Mistakes happened,” Paralympics spokesman Chris Cohen told reporters yesterday. “They clearly got things in the wrong order.”
Japan’s Wakako Tsuchida was taken to the hospital for X-rays and sustained no broken bones, said Peng Mingqiang, the medical services manager at the stadium. Sweden’s Gunilla Wallengren suffered facial cuts and was kept under observation at the athletes’ village to check for concussion.
The annulment was declared after Australia’s team said their racer Christie Dawes had been obstructed. A US protest about another incident wasn’t heard, nor was an objection by the Swiss team about officials blocking racers in the last 50m as they tried to help the injured, Cohen said.
The Paralympic committee’s appeals jury rescheduled the event after considering the seriousness of the crash and the number of athletes involved, Cohen said.
“In the interest of fairness for all concerned, it was decided the race will be held again,” Cohen said.
Shelly Woods of Britain had to hand back the silver medal and Amanda McGrory of the US returned the bronze.
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