This athlete has 12 shot put and hammer throw titles. So why was she running the hurdles?

Belgian shot put and hammer thrower Jolien Maliga Boumkwo bravely tried her hand at the 100-metre hurdles after her teammate and fellow countrywoman Anne Zagre pulled out of the European Team Championships contest at the last minute.

Zagre, a European Youth champion, was due to run in the contest before an injury caused her to withdraw while 400m hurdle specialist Hannash Claes was also unavailable through injury.

It left team captain Boumkwo to take it on in a desperate attempt to earn some much-needed, and deserved, points to keep Belgium in division one for the championship taking place in Chorzow, Poland.

Boumkwo, who holds 12 national titles for shot put and hammer throwing, stood out like a sore thumb as the athletes lined up and was immediately left behind as the specialists sprinted to the finish line.

But despite being left on the track, Boumkwo carried on by stepping over each hurdle rather than jumping, as she managed to clock in a time of 32.81 seconds to pick up two points despite finishing last.

She was joined at the finish line by her competitors who all congratulated her effort with high-fives and hugs.

“When I was asked, I immediately liked it, but only with the approval of my coach,” the 29-year-old afterwards. “He agreed if I took it easy and didn’t take any risk of injury. ”

“We sometimes do hurdles in training, so I know how to do it. I thought it was a special experience, because much more than with the shot put I had the feeling that everyone was looking at me.”

“I try not to take myself too seriously as an athlete,” she says. “The past has taught me that that will only make you cramp. If my two points ensure that we stay in the top division, this will certainly have been worth it.”