Global Courant
Jolien Boumkwo may be one of the best shot put and hammer throw in Belgium, but on Saturday she became the ultimate team player.
Boumkwo took part in the 100 meter hurdles to prevent her team from being disqualified from the European Athletics Championships. Photos and videos showed Boumkwo smiling as she attempted each obstacle. She finished the race without taking any obstacles, recording a time of 32.81 seconds.
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The Belgian Jolien Boumkwo will participate in the 100 meter hurdles for women on Saturday. (Reuters/Aleksandra Szmigiel)
Spain’s Teresa Errandonea finished first with a time of 13.22 seconds.
“We sometimes do hurdles in training, so I know how to do it,” Boumkwo said after the race via The Guardian. “I thought it was a special experience because I had the feeling that everyone was watching me much more than with the shot put.”
“I try not to take myself too seriously as an athlete. The past has taught me that it only gives you cramps. If my two points ensure that we stay in the top division, this has certainly been worth it.”
The Belgian Jolien Boumkwo will participate in the 100 meter hurdles for women on Saturday. (Reuters/Aleksandra Szmigiel)
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According to Reuters, Boumkwo was pushed into the hurdle race after two of the Belgian sprinters were injured. Belgium would be disqualified if she did not enter the race. In the end, Belgium finished 14th out of 16 countries and was relegated from Division I.
Boumkwo, 29, has represented Belgium on the international scene since 2011, when she competed in the European Junior Championships, finishing 13th. At the 2023 European Indoor Championships in Turkey , she finished 15th.
The Belgian Jolien Boumkwo will participate in the 100 meter hurdles for women on Saturday. (Reuters/Aleksandra Szmigiel)
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She holds the national record in shot put, both indoor and outdoor. Her outdoor distance was 17.09 and her indoor distance was 17.87.
Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.
