A Paralympian has opened up about his disappointment after being stripped of his medal moments after finishing his race.
Jaryd Clifford - who is representing Australia at the games - says he has been left "gutted" after he was stripped of his bronze medal after breaking a little-known Paralympic rule.
On Saturday, the runner - who is legally blind - took part in the Men’s T13 5000m final.
Accompanying him was his guide, Matt Clarke, as the pair ran around the track, each holding onto a tether. (For the first half of the race, Clifford was accompanied by guide Tim Logan.)
However, despite crossing the finishing line third, Clifford was swiftly denied his bronze medal just minutes later. The athlete was informed that he had broken a "fundamental rule" just inches from the finishing line.
Per the New York Post, both the runners and their guides are required to hold on to the 20-inch tether throughout the entire race. However, judges declared that Clifford let go of the band moments before he crossed the finish line.
Before the official ruling was delivered, Clifford told reporters at the Stade de France, per Nine.com.au: "I'm not just shattered for me; I'm shattered for them [his guides]. They give everything for me out there.
" [...] That's s**t. I can't see how they DQ'd us, but I'm sure there's a reason, which makes me nervous."
Speaking on Nine's coverage of the race, Olympic long jumper David Culbert explained: "You've got to hold the tether all the way through to the line, and it's pretty clear it's not in the hands of both athletes. In fact, it looks like Jaryd's let it go just before the line there."
The bronze medal was later awarded to Russian Anton Kuliatin.
Gutted by the eventual ruling, an emotion Clifford revealed he "broke down" to his loved ones.
"I had my little cry on the side of the track," he said, per Yahoo Sports. "If you talk about reacting to results as grief, I had my grieving moment. Out on the track, I was a little bit numb, I’m still a bit numb [...] I am pretty shattered, to be honest, if I’m frank about it, we went in with the aim of winning gold."
And taking to X after the race, Clifford wrote to his fans: "All the hurt of yesterday is all the fire I need for this 1500m on Tuesday. It’ll be just me out there this time, but after feeling so much support today, I know I’ll have an army behind me on that start line."
Clifford was the only runner in the race who opted to use a guide.
Although he doesn't always run with assistance, he's previously explained that running with a guide means he "can focus on the running".
"I don't have to worry about the tactics, [how many] laps to go, which people are around me," Clifford said in a previous interview. "It means when I make a hard move for home I can go all out and not worry about saving some visual energy for that last lap to make sure I can just get around."
"Guiding for me is not a need; it's a want. The pros usually outweigh the cons," he added.
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