Belgian shot putter goes viral over hurdles

OTTAWA –

Belgian shot putter Jolien Boumkwo stepped out of her comfort zone and stepped onto the track to save her team from disqualification.

The 29-year-old ran the 100-meter hurdles at the European Athletics Championships in Poland on Saturday after her teammates withdrew due to injury.

“I’ll just take one for the team,” Boumkwo told CTV News in a video interview.

At the start, Boumkwo towered above its competitors. The mighty athlete is the Belgian hammer throw and shot put champion.

“(100 meters hurdles) was never my favorite part,” said Boumkwo. “Because it was a little scary for me.”

Despite past experience, Boumkwo was smiling on the starting line, dancing and waving to the crowd, her coach and teammates.

“They gave me extra confidence to just do it,” said Boumkwo.

With a little jump in her step, she carefully crossed each barrier, trying to avoid injury.

“My plan was to run over the hurdles, but with all the adrenaline and everything, I just run a little more,” said Boumkwo.

Her final time was 32.81, a full 19 seconds behind Spanish sprinter Teresa Errandonea who won with 13.22.

As hundreds of thousands watched videos of the smiling shot putter on social media, comments poured in praising the athlete’s selflessness and team spirit.

By finishing the race, Boumkwo secured two points for Belgium.

Unfortunately, it was not enough to prevent the country from being relegated to a lower division.

Boumkwo insists the team has had some bad luck and it won’t be long now.

“Next time we will play in the first division,” she said.