American runner is told during live TV interview he was disqualified after thinking he won the silver medal
American runner Paul Chelimo won the silver medal in the men's 5,000 meters on Saturday night, but for a little while he thought he had been disqualified and he was told the news in the worst way possible.
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Chelimo thought he was about to be interviewed on NBC as the silver medalist in the men's 5,000 meters. Instead he found out he had been disqualified. Fortunately, the decision would later be reversed, but not before a few tense moments on live TV.
See photos from the race:
Chelimo had just crossed the finish line moments earlier, second to race favorite Mo Farrah of Great Britain. It was seemingly a fantastic finish for the Kenyan-born American.
Instead NBC's Lewis Johnson started his interview by saying, "Paul, I am getting some information here that you have been disqualified in this final."
Needless to say, Chelimo's reaction was one of complete shock.
After several moments of silence, Chelimo finally said under his breath, "Disqualified? No, no, no."
Chelimo appears to have been disqualified over contact that occurred on the final lap. Johnson showed Chelimo the video who tried to explain the contact, noting that he felt other runners had blocked him towards the inside and weren't letting him move to an outer lane.
"I was trying to go to the outside to get in position,"Chelimo said. "They were blocking me in. They were pushing me into the rail. I was trying to save myself from all of the pushing."
Here is some of the contact on the back stretch with about 300 meters to go. Chelimo is in blue.
"I can't believe it," Chelimo continued. "I was running a fair race. I wasn't trying to pick someone. I was trying to go to the outside because the Cuban guy kept blocking me the whole time."
The U.S. coaches eventually appealed the decision and it was reversed, giving Chelimo the silver medal. However, it seems like this all could have been avoided if it had been handled better.
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