Rome-. As painful as possible. Can you imagine celebrating a medal that you longed for after overcoming an ordeal due to persistent COVID, being just a few meters away from crossing the finish line and, while raising your fist, You see yourself as a rival ahead of you and your dream turns into a nightmare.? That has happened to the Spanish Laura Garcia Caro in the 20 kilometers walk women’s European athletics competition. The Huelva woman’s face said it all.
In one of the novelties compared to other championships, The departure did not take place first thing in the morning but at 6:35 p.m. on a hot afternoon with a temperature of 30 degrees. The athletes looked for the water hoses arranged on the course and the few shadows in their circular path around the historic Marmi stadium, surrounded by 4-meter-high athletic statues.
It didn’t take long for the favorites to break the group before the first third of the race led by the Spanish Laura García Caro and Cristina Montesinos along with the great favorite, the Italian Parmisano, and the French Beretta. Raquel González was the first Spaniard to lose contact with the medal positions.
At the halfway point of the race, a group of seven walkers were heading in search of the medals with Montesinos showing better and better and a García Caro taking refuge in the group after receiving the first red card due to loss of contact. Behind them, Stey and Moutard went from strength to strength, returning to the leading group and completing the French team in the fight for the podium less than 50 days before their Paris Games.
After 10 kilometers, Palmisano couldn’t take it anymore and decided to head alone towards gold with the encouragement of the fans. The other two medals were up for grabs for six contenders, where the two Spanish medals remained without problems.
After a few kilometers of trial and error and with the arrival of the decisive moments at kilometer 17, Laura García Caro took control of the chasing group and with an increase in pace she reduced it to three candidates for two places with the also Italian Trapletti and the Ukrainian Olyanovska. Another pull, this time from the local walker, dropped the Ukrainian, closing the podium.
The Huelva native gritted her teeth to keep up the pace but finally decided to let Trapletti go to secure the bronze. With Olyanovska left behind, no one could imagine that the hardest possible moment awaited her.. The Ukrainian was sprinting in the finish line and, to the surprise of the Spaniard, who was already celebrating the medal, she saw how she overtook her on her squares, snatching her up to the podium.
The video where Olyanovska is seen overtaking Laura García Caro shows how the Ukrainian does not maintain contact and, therefore, fails to comply with the regulations of the march. The Royal Spanish Athletics Federation presented a claim before the European Athletics judges to analyze the action. However, the complaint was denied and the Spanish woman was permanently left without the metal.
