A Paralympian has been stripped of her gold medal after another team complained about her equipment.
Roza Kozakowska had previously won gold and silver in the Club Throw at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.
The 35-year-old Polish athlete threw an astounding 31.30 meters in her first attempt in Paris, surpassing her previous world record of 28.77 meters, set in June this year.
Sadly, what she thought was a throw that shattered her own world record was a celebration that was short-lived, as reported by the Daily Mail.
Following a protest from the Brazilian team, Kozakowska was disqualified. The protest claimed that the size of the pillow supporting her head in her chair was not in compliance with regulations.
This led to her being stripped of the gold medal.
Kozakowska’s ordeal was further compounded by a series of shoulder dislocations during the event, which reportedly left her in "excruciating pain."
Despite her record-breaking performance, the disqualification also cost her the chance to defend her Paralympic title, which she first won in Tokyo in 2021.
With Kozakowska out of the competition, Tunisia's Maroua Ibrahmi claimed the gold with a last-attempt throw of 29.00 meters, narrowly surpassing Kozakowska's previous world record by 0.23 centimeters.
Silver went to Iran's Parastoo Habibi, while Brazil's Giovanna Boscolo Castilho Goncalv, whose team filed the complaint, took bronze.
The Polish Paralympic Committee quickly appealed the disqualification, but the decision was upheld by event organizers.
In a statement released on Saturday, the Polish committee outlined the sequence of events: "On Friday before midnight, a protest was filed by one of the teams, questioning the size of the pillow under our representative's head. The protest was upheld, and as a result, Róża was disqualified. The Polish team immediately appealed this decision.
"The appeal committee meeting took place this morning; unfortunately, its decision was unfavorable for us. We take this ruling into account; such are the laws of sport and its rigorous procedures, we have to reckon with them."
The statement continued: "After the games, when understandable emotions have subsided, a transparent, thorough procedure will be initiated, which will aim to clarify the situation. We keep our fingers crossed for all our Paralympians and wish them success."
This isn't the first disqualification we've seen at these Paralympic games, as Jaryd Clifford was stripped of his bronze medal due to an unknown rule.
Clifford competed in the Men’s T13 5000m final at the 2024 Paralympic Games, accompanied by his guides, Matt Clarke and Tim Logan.
The trio ran the race tethered together, with Clarke taking over as the primary guide in the second half.
Clifford finished third, seemingly securing the bronze medal, but was swiftly disqualified after officials determined that he had broken a "fundamental rule" just inches before the finish line.
According to the New York Post, Paralympic regulations require both the athlete and their guide to hold onto the 20-inch tether throughout the entire race.
Judges ruled that Clifford let go of the band moments before crossing the finish line, leading to his disqualification.
