By Megan Armitage
Olivia Breen took a fourth-place finish on the chin after she was cruelly pipped to a second consecutive long jump Paralympic bronze.
The 28-year-old from Wales jumped a distance of 4.99m in Paris, the exact same as Columbia’s Karen Palomeque Moreno.
But it was Palomeque Moreno who ultimately reached the podium after a countback rule came into effect, with the Colombian’s second best of 4.89m longer than Breen’s 4.79m.
https://twitter.com/BritAthletics/status/1831636567221318014
Despite the disappointment, Breen admitted that she was already looking ahead to how she can return to the podium.
“I’m very disappointed, it’s obviously tough coming fourth when you’ve jumped the same distance as the bronze medallist,” said Breen, who is part of Aldi’s Nearest and Dearest programme in partnership with ParalympicsGB, helping to maximise support and minimise potential distractions for athletes so that they can focus on their performance.
“It’s a tough one to swallow but I’ve just got to move forwards really and re-evaluate.
“I realised in the fifth round that I would not medal. I went up to my coach and asked what we could do. I just had to hope for the best.
“It’s just the reality of long jump and the reality of sport.
“When you’re working every day for the last four years for everything to come down to one moment and it doesn’t go to plan it’s hard, but I now need to come back stronger.”
https://twitter.com/LboroSport/status/1831646538122064016
Breen was joined in the final by teammate Maddie Down who jumped to a personal best of 4.81m on her fourth attempt to finish sixth at her maiden Paralympics.
It was a rain-soaked morning at the Stade de France, with the weather playing havoc on the track and in the field.
Breen noted that the elements evidently affected her performance, which was some 16cm short of her personal best, but had prepped for all possibilities in Paris and held her head up high to compete in front of her friends and family once more on the Paralympic stage.
“The weather was not great,” she said. “Having cerebral palsy and all my clothes being wet made an impact but you can’t control that you just have to do what you can and keep yourself warm.
“It’s amazing to have family and friends here and that is what made it so special for me though. I just need to look at the positives.
“My best friend Anna, who is the crowd got me some Great Britain bows for my hair as a good luck charm so it’s great to have her here.”
Aldi are proud Official Partners of Team GB & ParalympicsGB, supporting all athletes through to Paris 2024.
Absolute heartbreak for @BreenOlivia this morning.
The same distance as bronze, but misses out because her next best jump was 10cm shorter.
Such fine margins. https://t.co/h3Ra9KclyJ
— Tom Brown (@tombrownsport) September 5, 2024
Read more about Olivia Breen
Olivia Breen Hungry For More Parisian Glory Nights After Striking World Para Silver