The shot putter Mathias Schulze missed Paralympics bronze by 30 centimeters. In the last attempt he might even have managed the necessary 15.91 meters – but one tiny mistake costs him dearly.
At the Paralympics, centimeters often make the difference between victory and defeat. With the shot putter Mathias Schulze, however, different than expected. Because his last attempt flies until shortly before the 16-meter mark. His best attempt – and with it the bronze medal in the F46 class. Schulze’s joy is correspondingly great. But then he discovers that a referee shows the red flag: invalid attempt because he is said to have violated.
“I’ve never been so close to a medal,” said Schulze tearfully on ZDF. “I’m just very disappointed. I get so much support and then this shitty tab comes on the beam because I’m too stupid to tape it up.” In fact, Schulze only touched the edge of the ring with the protruding Velcro fastener on his right shoe – but that’s enough for the attempt to be considered invalid.
Mathias Schulze achieved 5th place instead of bronze
In this respect, his best valid attempt with 15.60 meters holds. His personal best is enough for 5th place. He had already achieved this in 2012 in London. A mistake like the one in Tokyo will certainly not happen to him again.
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I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
