Belgium’s Jolien Boumkwo showed true team spirit at the European Championships in Poland by running the 100-meter hurdles so her team could stay in the competition.
Following the withdrawal of competitors Anne Zagre and Hanne Claes due to injuries, Boumkwo– who is of Cameroonian descent– stepped up and entered the race.
Reuters reports that as soon as the race started, the shot put and hammer throw champion cautiously went over each hurdle, not knocking any of them down to prevent any deductions. She finished in 32.81 seconds, 19 seconds after Spanish sprinter Teresa Errandonea, who had the fastest time and had finished first at 13.22 seconds.
The team would have been disqualified if Boumkw had not competed in the event.
The audience cheered for her, and her rivals also congratulated her as she earned two points for the team. The points could be crucial as the bottom three countries will be eliminated from Division 1.
“My team is the most important thing for me,” said Boumkwo, according to Fox Sports.
Boumkwo was praised on social media for going the extra mile and was dubbed a hero for her amazing effort.
Belgium is 16th and last in the standings with 159 points as of Saturday, but they are not far behind Turkey (160), Norway (161), and Greece (171.5) in the race to avoid elimination.