Belgium’s shot putter Jolien Boumkwo set one of the slowest hurdle sprints in history at the European Team Championship – and was still a big winner.
Records are nothing new for Jolien Boumkwo. In Belgium she holds this in shot put, indoors and outdoors, for many years. On Saturday another one unexpectedly came along: Nobody has ever enjoyed a race over 100 m hurdles as extensively as Boumkwo – exactly 32.81 seconds long.
“Unlike with the shot put, this time I really had the feeling that everyone was watching me,” said the 29-year-old with a grin after her spontaneous trip from the ring to the obstacle sprint at the European Team Championships in Chorzow, Poland, for the unexpected high point in the atmosphere gaping empty giant round of the Slaski Stadium.
Boumkwo had actually already done her job in the title fights: on Friday she finished seventh among 16 starters in the ball competition. After that, Boumkwo wanted to give the Belgian team moral support in their fight against relegation from the top flight. And that turned into the most remarkable day of Boumkwo’s career.
Boumkwo gets a point for Belgium
Because Anne Zagre, who was scheduled to start over 100 m hurdles, was injured, Belgium was threatened with a zero-point round in this discipline. Because there were no suitable substitutes available, but the last place would still bring in a point, the coach suddenly said: “How about you, Jolien?”
And Jolien immediately agreed: “I liked the idea. Anyway, I try not to take myself too seriously as an athlete,” she said. And because Boumkwo regularly incorporates hurdles into her training to improve her mobility and even competed in sprint competitions in the early stages of her career, “there was no risk for me if I took it easy.”
And that’s how she went about it, trotted off relaxed and behind her competitors half her size, climbed carefully over each of the ten hurdles, finished 20 seconds behind the winner Tereas Errandonea from Spain. One point was certain for Belgium. And because the Swiss EM third Ditaji Kabunji was disqualified, a second one was added. “It was worth it,” said Boumkwo. However, the career changer did not prevent the relegation with her special operation.