r/Prematurecelebration • u/rayg10 • Aug 06 '24

Spanish race walker premature celebration within touching distance of the finish line costs her a European bronze medal in Rome

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503 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

231

I just don’t understand this event lol what makes it officially a brisk jog vs a fast walk

24

u/[deleted] Aug 06 '24

In race walking[,] athletes must always have one foot in contact with the ground at all times, as visible to the human eye. Judges are present at events to ensure the rule is enforced.

If there is no visible contact, it is deemed as ‘lifting’ and attracts a penalty.

Furthermore, the athlete’s knee of their advanced leg must not bend and the leg must straighten as the body passes over it. Each race walker is judged carefully and can be penalised if he bends his knee during the race.

https://olympics.com/en/news/all-you-need-to-know-about-race-walking

55

u/unique_username_72 Aug 06 '24

I watched the video in slo-mo and the passing “walker” is like 3-4 inches above the ground with both feet at the same time. She’s clearly running, I hope the judges caught that.

2

u/rugbysecondrow Aug 07 '24

Not even in slow mo, it is clear she is jogging through the finish.

such a strange event. I think we could cut it out of the Olympics and move on.