Long‑jumper’s solo trip to tears after a mis‑kept mark
Madrid, Spain — a promising 19‑year‑old high‑flyer found herself weeping halfway through the Spanish championships when the line judges decided to brush away her best jump.
What went wrong?
- Maria Vicente, the Catalan long‑jumper who had clinched the pentathlon crown last Friday, took a qualifying leap of over 6.50 m.
- Two officials in the pit mistakenly thought she had over‑stepped and erased the mark.
- Video replay confirmed there was no foul.
- Once the error was spotted, she earned another chance.
How did her day unfold?
Shaken by the twist, Vicentes high‑flying spirit was rattled. She fouled on her immediate follow‑up jump, but then landed a respectable 6.24 m, her best that day. The final attempt yielded a disappointing 4.83 m.
She ended up with the bronze medal behind:
- Gold – Fatima Diame with 6.51 m.
- Silver – Tessy Ebosele with 6.31 m.
Emotions in the arena
“There’s no explanation for what happened,” Vicente cried into the microphone. “The judge saw it was a valid jump, but the pit staff wiped it out. It hurt because I was trying to give it my all and lost it because of a mistake. I expected more from this championship.”
Official apology and next steps
Raul Chapado, president of the Spanish athletics federation, sent a heartfelt apology to Vicente and her coach, Ramon Cid. In a brief video posted on the federation’s Twitter feed, he acknowledged the slip‑up and promised improvements to prevent a repeat.
“It’s our responsibility to make the best championships possible. We’re only human, and we make mistakes. We’ll work harder so this doesn’t happen again.”
