An Australian Paralympic runner has been disqualified from a long-distance event after officials said the harness connecting him to his seeing-eye guide fell off.
Visually impaired distance runner Jaryd Clifford should have won a bronze medal in the T13 5000m for visually impaired athletes at the 2024 Paralympic Games on Saturday, August 31, but International Paralympic Committee (IPC) officials ruled that he was not properly strapped to his guide Matt Clarke while was crossing the finish line, according to Paralympics Australia.
Although Clifford, 25, ran the race in 16:12.45 — the third-fastest time overall — officials said he let go of his belt before crossing the finish line.
“Jaryd needs guides to run those distances competitively, but that creates more room for error and unfortunately that was the realization today,” Australian athletics team management said in a statement to Paralympics Australia. “He has 1500 mu in his program, and we know he will put all his energy and disappointment into that performance.”
Yassine Ouhdadi El Ataby from Spain and Aleksandr Kostin from Russia, who competes in the Neutral Paralympic Athletes Association, took home the gold and silver medals, respectively.
Clifford, who was the only runner in the competition to use a guide, spoke of his disappointment just moments after the race finished.
“I went and saw my mom and dad and my girlfriend and I broke down,” Clifford said, according to Yahoo Sports. “I had my little cry on the side of the track. If you talk about reacting to the results as sadness, I had my moment of grief. Out on the track, I was a little stiff, I’m still a little stiff… I’m pretty broken, to be honest, to be honest, we went in with the goal of winning gold.”
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Jaryd Clifford of Team Australia competes during the Men’s 5000m – Final T13 on 31 August 2024.
Ezra Shaw/Getty
According to Australian sports outlet Nine, Clifford has a rare genetic vision impairment called Best’s disease and has previously competed both with and without a guide.
“Having a guide means I can focus on running,” Clifford told the outlet. “I don’t have to worry about tactics, [how many] circles to the end, who are the people around me. This means that when I make a tough move for home, I can go all out and not worry about saving visual energy for that last lap to make sure I can move.”
In an Instagram post on Aug. 31, Clifford shared that he was “devastated” after the “critical error” that resulted in his disqualification from the event.
“Staying tethered is a fundamental rule of leadership and I’m devastated that I went crazy in those finals [meters],” he wrote in part. “I felt good, I still have so much to give and I promise to bring everything I have for the 1500m on Tuesday.”
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During the event, Clifford used two guides, Clarke and Tim Logan. According to Paralympics Australia, he was tied with Logan for the first 2000m of the event, then Clarke stepped in to keep his pace for the last 3000m.
“Managing for me is not a need; it’s a desire. The pros usually outweigh the cons,” Clifford told Nine. “Today, the last lap was probably a day where the lead was a fraud.”
In his post on Instagram, he thanked two of his guides for their support.
I feel so much love, I have a great team of people around me, Clifford wrote. “Sport can be a cruel beast at times but the tough times are what make the good times so great. Couldn’t be prouder to wear the Aussie jersey alongside my best friends @timlogann and @mattiiclarke ❤️.”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Clifford previously took home two silver medals and one bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Games, according to his Paralympic profile. After those games, he suffered a series of injuries, including a stress fracture in his left femur, and he said he hoped to return during this race.
After Saturday’s disappointment, he now looks ahead to his next race on September 3.
“Whatever happens, I feel like this is my fourth Paralympic medal, and I’m still chasing gold,” he told Yahoo Sports. “Hopefully I can get it sorted out as soon as I can before Tuesday.”
To learn more about all the Olympic winners and Paralympic hopefuls, come to people.com and check out the live coverage before, during and after the games. Watch the Paris Paralympics, which begin on August 28, on NBC and Peacock.
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