Spanish racewalker left red-faced as early celebration costs European Athletics Championships bronze medal

A Spanish racewalker has been left red-faced, as premature celebrations cost her a medal at the European Athletics Championships.

Laura Garcia-Caro, 29, appeared certain to take the bronze in the women’s 20km race in Rome, and quickly produced a Spanish flag, which she draped around her neck.

But as she closed in on the finish line, and began punching the air in delight, Garcia-Caro was overtaken by Lyudmyla Olyanovska of Ukraine and pipped for the final podium place.

“I am quite disappointed,” she told media post-race.

“The first part of the race I suffered, but [I did] recover and in the last 10 metres I thought I had it, but I didn’t.

“Now I have to assimilate [what happened] and heal my heart.”

Meanwhile, Olyanovska dedicated her bronze medal to her country, currently at war with Russia.

“I was tired in the last kilometre and the last metres, but I wanted to win this medal for my country so much,” she told European Athletics.

“Nowadays, there is a war in Ukraine. We train under very difficult conditions. I do not know even if my 5-year-old son saw me competing today because in Ukraine, the infrastructure is broken.

“They do not have electricity, there is no internet, no light, so I do not know if he saw me on the TV.”

Italian pair Antonella Palmisano and Valentina Trapletti took gold and silver respectively.