Disqualified Aussie Jaryd Clifford 'shattered' as Paralympic race winner banned, stripped of gold over failed drug test
The Paralympic runner who won the Paris 2024 race in which Australia's Jaryd Clifford was disqualified has been banned for three years and had his gold medal stripped from him because he failed a performance-enhancing drug test.
Clifford has released an emotional statement in response to the suspension dealt to Spain's Yassine Ouhdadi El Ataby, revealing he is "shattered" that he had to compete against an athlete who's since been convicted of doping and suggesting he may not have been disqualified if Ouhdadi wasn't in the race.
Clifford also said to think winning silver would have equated to gold down the track was "a kick in the guts".
READ MORE: What Gout Gout texted Kennedy after star's sub-10 stunner
READ MORE: Galvin claims he never met Gould in tell-all interview
READ MORE: A looming ban isn't the only consequence Mad Max must consider
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) confirmed in a statement on Tuesday that Ouhdadi had tested positive to a banned substance called Clostebol — the same drug detected in the system of Italian tennis champion Jannik Sinner, who this year received a three-month suspension in a controversial agreement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
The Ouhdadi test which produced a positive result was conducted on July 28, just over a month out from the T13 5000m race he would win at the Paris Paralympics.
Clostebol is on WADA's list of banned substances and the drug was detected in the urine of Ouhdadi in an out-of-competition test.
Jaryd Clifford (gold singlet) and his guide runner, Matt Clarke, were disqualified after the T13 5000m final at the Paris 2024 Paralympics because they were not both holding the tether, a small piece of rope, as they crossed the finish line. Nine
The IPC said the gold and silver medals would be awarded to Russian runners Aleksandr Kostin and Anton Kuliatin, who competed as neutral athletes in Paris, and bronze would go to Ecuador's Sixto Roman Moreta Criollo.
Clifford, who has a vision impairment called "best disease", and his guide runner, Matt Clarke, crossed the finish line in third place, but were then disqualified because they were not both holding the tether, a small piece of rope, as they crossed the finish line.
On Tuesday, Clifford posted a statement on social media in response to the IPC's confirmation that Ouhdadi had been banned.
"It's hard to find the words for this, but I'll try," the statement began.
"... I'm pretty shattered. My races against Yassine have changed my life. It's taken a lot of strength to move forward from these moments in my career, particularly that race in Paris last year. Without Yassine in that 5000m, it's hard not to think about how different that last lap might have played out. Everything leading into that race was about beating him and only when he past us on that last lap did everything begin to unravel. To think that holding on for a silver that day would be a gold today feels like another kick in the guts.
Jaryd Clifford and guide runner Tim Logan, who assisted him over the first half of the T13 5000m final at Paris 2024, competing in a field featuring Yassine Ouhdadi El Ataby. Getty
"I'm determined to keep my focus on the future. I had always reflected on those moments with sadness and frustration, but I learnt a lot from falling short too. No matter how much you revise the official results you can never change how a race made you feel. When I dream of winning a gold medal, I don't dream about the dot-point on the resume. I dream about the moment crossing the line knowing that all the hard work finally paid off. I can't control the past, but I can control the chance I give myself to fight for those moments in the future."
Ouhdadi received a three-year suspension backdated to September 9, 2024, the day after the Paralympic closing ceremony.
The Spaniard will be eligible to compete at the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympics.
Three days after Clifford was disqualified in the T13 5000m, the Canberran fell short of winning bronze in the T13 1500m by just 0.01 of a second.
"It's almost so ridiculous that it's funny," Clifford told reporters in Paris, reflecting on the misfortune he'd encountered over those three days.
His misfortune left him in tears, and he shared an emotional hug with Nine reporter Kelly Cartwright trackside.
"I was able to pick myself up off the track in Paris last year because I knew I had an army there to dust me off and get me back on my feet," Clifford said in his statement published on Tuesday.
"I feel so much love from so many places, but particularly the communities that have been there every step of the way. It means the world to have you all in my corner.
"I love nothing more than pulling on that green and gold singlet and giving it everything I've got. That will never change. Bring on the next four years!"
In the French city of Nice at the weekend, Clifford clocked 3:40.39 to shatter his own T12 1500m world record.
