Athletics

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.
Joasia Zakrzewski pictured with her race number at the GB Ultras Manchester to LiverpoolCredit: Facebook
She insists she did not intentionally cheat but has been slapped with a one-year banCredit: Facebook
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.”
Zakrzewski represented Scotland in the marathon at the 2014 Commonwealth GamesCredit: Alamy More

THE Challenge Vieux Boucau triathlon ended in heartbreak for German athlete Mika Noodt.The 23-year-old led for almost the entire running stage before he was pipped to the finish line by Frenchman Mathis Margirier with less than a metre to go.
Mika Noodt tripped over less than a metre before the finish line at the Vieux Boucau triathlonCredit: 2022 Getty Images
Noodt said he ‘lost control’ of his legsCredit: Instagram @challengefamily

After turning the final corner, Noodt initiated a final push as he powered down the home straight.
With just a few steps to go he looked over his shoulder to find Margirier hot on his heels.
But before he could cross the finish line, the German “lost control” of his legs and fell to the floor.
His rival then clinched the win in dramatic fashion while the crowd looked on in shock.
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After the race, Noodt said: “It’s insane, I gave everything but I lost control of my legs.
“I’ve never experienced this – he was too fast, but that’s racing – I gave it everything I had!”
Meanwhile, Margirier revealed he didn’t think he would be able to get the win until the final stage of the race.
He said: “It was really hard today. I wasn’t feeling good on the bike so in the middle of the bike, I was just waiting for the finish.
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“The first lap of the run was so hard, I had no energy. But when I saw Mika slowing down, in the last 10 metres I was second, but I could sprint and he couldn’t so I finished first!”
Olympic gold medallist Alistair Brownlee also took part in the inaugural Challenge Vieux Boucau, but he finished sixth. More