Commonwealth Games: Sophie Unwin left in tears after not being awarded bronze medal despite third-place finish

Jul 30, 2022
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England's Sophie Unwin and Georgia Holt
England’s Sophie Unwin (left) and Georgia Holt borrowed team-mates’ medals for a photograph
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England’s Sophie Unwin has been fined for protesting towards a choice to not award her a Commonwealth Video games bronze medal regardless of ending third.

The tandem B dash had 4 entries and guidelines say solely gold and silver medals can be issued in such instances.

Para-cyclist Unwin and pilot Georgia Holt borrowed bronze medals from team-mates Laura Kenny and Josie Knight to pose for pictures on the rostrum.

However the pair have every been fined by biking’s governing physique, the UCI.

The 200 Swiss francs high-quality has additionally been issued to England’s biking group supervisor Keith Reynolds. The UCI said the high-quality was for “failure to respect the directions of the commissaire/organiser”.

Nevertheless, BBC Sport understands that is an lively problem and Staff England is engaged in “high-level” discussions with the Commonwealth Video games Federation and wish the medal resolution overturned.

It is usually understood the difficulty was an agenda merchandise at a CGF Board assembly on Saturday.

A CGF spokesperson mentioned: “Within the small variety of instances the place there are fewer than 5 entries in a Commonwealth Video games occasion, the CGF applies a medal allocation coverage to keep up the integrity of competitors.

“The coverage – which was revealed in January this yr – states that solely gold and silver medals are awarded the place there are solely 4 contestants; and solely gold medals the place there are solely three or two contestants.

“Sadly, whereas the athletes within the ladies’s tandem B dash occasion have been knowledgeable of this earlier than the race, the scoreboard and outcomes sheet incorrectly indicated that it was a bronze medal race. We apologise to the athletes concerned for the inadvertent misery this has induced.”

5 groups initially entered the tandem B dash occasion however solely 4 began.

England’s Unwin and Holt beat Scotland’s Libby Clegg and pilot Jenny Holl in what was known as the bronze-medal closing on Friday. They have been displayed as bronze medal winners on the massive screens contained in the velodrome in London.

Nevertheless, they have been later denied entry to the medal ceremony.

Unwin and Holt protested by holding up an England flag behind the rostrum earlier than being requested to maneuver by safety.

Later, whereas posing for pictures on the empty podium, they visibly wiped away tears as the gang noticed them, rising to their ft in applause.

Unwin, 28, gained Paralympic highway race silver and particular person pursuit bronze in Tokyo final summer season.



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