Belgium shot-putter Jolien Boumkwo runs hurdles in pinch after team suffers injuries

Jolien Boumkwo may be one of the best shot put and hammer throw competitors in Belgium, but on Saturday she became the ultimate team player.

Boumkwo participated in the 100-meter hurdles to save her squad from being disqualified at the European Athletics Team Championships. Pictures and videos showed Boumkwo smiling as she attempted each hurdle. She finished the race without knocking over any hurdles and recording a time of 32.81 seconds.

Spain’s Teresa Errandonea finished first with a time of 13.22 seconds.

“We sometimes do hurdles in training, so I know how to do it,” Boumkwo said after the race via The Guardian. “I thought it was a special experience because much more than with the shot put I had the feeling that everyone was looking at me.”

“I try not to take myself too seriously as an athlete. The past has taught me that that will only make you cramp. If my two points ensure that we stay in the top division, this will certainly have been worth it.”

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Boumkwo was thrust into the hurdles race after two of Belgium’s sprinters were injured, according to Reuters. Belgium would’ve been disqualified if she didn’t participate in the race. In the end, Belgium finished 14th out of 16 countries and was relegated from Division I.

Boumkwo, 29, has represented Belgium on the international stage since 2011 when she participated in the European Junior Championships and finished 13th. In the 2023 European Indoor Championships in Turkey, she finished 15th.

She holds the national record in outdoor and indoor shot put. Her outdoor distance was 17.09 and her indoor distance was 17.87.