Bump costs bronze

‘The right decision stood’

Canadian racewalker Evan Dunfee appeared to lose a bronze medal, then won it back, then lost it again Friday all in the space of a few strange hours.

And although he had the chance to file an appeal that might have put him back on the podium, the 26-year-old from Richmond, B.C, said his conscience wouldn’t let him do it.

He said he thought, in the end, the right call was made. Even though it denied him a medal.

“I will sleep soundly tonight and for the rest of my life, knowing I made the right decision,” Dunfee said in a statement Friday. “I will never allow myself to be defined by the accolades I receive, rather the integrity I carry through life.”

It was another poignant Olympic moment in a Games that, despite the problems they often have, still manages to break hearts and swell chests in equal measure.

Dunfee was in third place with only a kilometre left in the 50-kilometre race walk. He was jostled by oncoming Hirooki Arai of Japan and the collision threw Dunfee off his stride — a key element of the race walk. He struggled to the finish, but Athletics Canada appealed to race officials, who ruled Arai had committed an infraction and disqualified him. That gave Dunfee the bronze in a Canadian-record time of 3:41.38.

But the Japanese filed a protest and the Jury of Appeals overturned the disqualification, returning the bronze medal to Arai and putting Dunfee back in fourth position. Matej Toth of Slovakia won gold at 3:40.58, Australia’s Jared Tallent took silver at 3:41.16.

Dunfee had the option to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, but decided against it.

“Following my return to the village and my viewing of the incident, I made the decision not to appeal as I believe the right decision stood,” Dunfee said in his statement.

“Not many people can understand the pain athletes are in 31/2 hours into such a gruelling race. I believe that both the Japanese athlete and myself got tangled up, but what broke me was that I let it put me off mentally and once I lost that focus my legs went to Jell- O.”