UPSET Sophie Unwin has received an apology for the distress caused by her ‘ghost bronze’ race.
But the English para-cyclist and pilot Georgia Hall have been FINED for their podium protest by killjoy chiefs.
England stars Sophie Unwin and Georgia Holt borrowed medals to celebrate their third-place finish in the Women’s Tandem B – Sprint[/caption]
The duo will each have to pay a fine of £172[/caption]
Visually-impaired rider Unwin, 28, thought she had won a Commonwealth gong at the London Velodrome on Friday.
They beat Scotland’s former Paralympic runner Libby Clegg and pilot Jenny Holl over three races to finish third overall in the women’s Tandem Sprint B.
But under competition rules, only gold and silver are awarded when there are four teams involved.
Organisers claim they told Unwin BEFORE her bronze medal race that there would be no silverware for her efforts.
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The pair – who broke down in tears post-race – tried to stand behind the podium ceremony with an England flag before being moved by a member of security staff.
They later borrowed bronze medals from the women’s team pursuit squad for their own unofficial podium photo shoot.
The Commonwealth Games Federation say there will be no change to the decision and the two English stars have to pay a £172 fine.
A CGF spokesperson said: “In the small number of cases where there are fewer than five entries in a Commonwealth Games event, the CGF applies a medal allocation policy to maintain the integrity of competition.
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“The policy – which was published in January this year – states that only gold and silver medals are awarded where there are only four contestants.
“And only gold medals where there are only three or two contestants.
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“Unfortunately, while the athletes in the women’s tandem B sprint event were informed of this before the race, the scoreboard and results sheet incorrectly indicated that it was a bronze medal race.
“We apologise to the athletes involved for the inadvertent distress this has caused.”
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