BRITISH ultra-marathon runner Joasia Zakrzewski has been banned for one year after using a CAR for part of a race.
Scot Zakrzewski, 47, finished third in the 2023 GB Ultras Manchester to Liverpool 50-mile race.
But she was later disqualified and admitted to using her friend’s vehicle to cover part of the course.
UK Athletics have subsequently found her guilty of breaching their code of conduct for senior athletes – slapping her with a 12-month ban.
The runner, who finished 14th in the marathon at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, claimed she had suffered a leg injury at around halfway.
She insists she was considering dropping out, but received encouragement to finish in a “non-competitive” manner.
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One of her miles was clocked at just one minute and 40 seconds, with Zakrzewski estimated to have been in the car for around 2.5 miles of the course.
After crossing the line, she accepted a third-place medal and wooden trophy.
Zakrzewski, who denied deliberately cheating in the race, has subsequently admitted this was a “massive error”.
A UK Athletics disciplinary panel rejected her reasoning and said her submission was “contrary to the evidence of the marshals, evidence which the respondent did not seek to challenge or contest, by way of cross-examination at the hearing”.
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The statement went on to add: “Further, the claimant had collected the trophy at the end of the race, something which she should have not done if she was completing the race on a non-competitive basis.
“She also did not seek to return the trophy in the week following the race.
“Even if she was suffering from brain fog on the day of the race, she had a week following the race to realise her actions and return the trophy, which she did not do.
“Finally, she posted about the race on social media, and this did not disclose that she had completed the race on a non-competitive basis.”
Source: Athletics - thesun.co.uk
