– Where were the guards? They had 47 seconds to remove these people from the field. And who knows that there won’t be someone with a knife next time who will put the athletes in (greater) danger? writes Olympic pole vault champion Katie Moon on Twitter. WANTED SECURITY: Katie Moon. Photo: AP The reigning pole vault world champion is one of several athletes who have expressed concern in the hours after the Diamond League meet in Stockholm. When Karsten Warholm stormed towards the finish in the 400 meter hurdles, he suddenly encountered several protesters sitting in the middle of the track with a banner. When he gets to watch the race replay a few hours later, he shakes his head. – It’s completely idiotic, it’s actually completely idiotic, says Warholm to news. – Dangerous He says that he first saw the demonstrators a few meters before he passed them. – I get pissed off. It’s very bad style, says Warholm. He was never physically prevented by the protesters from his position in the outer lane, but the other athletes had their runs more or less destroyed. REACTS: Here, Warholm watches the race in replay. Photo: Roy Kenneth Sydnes Jacobsen / news – It’s dangerous, and that’s why I think it’s disrespectful. All those who start today have a season of three to four months and get quite a few races. For (Alessandro) Sibilio, it is the first Diamond League he runs this year. He gets his chance here, and then someone comes and destroys, Warholm follows up. One of those who was prevented was Estonian Rasmus Mägi. He noticed the protesters after passing the last hurdle. – I thought it was the finish line for Karsten, but he had already finished so I was surprised when they were still standing there. And when I hit them I realized that there was no finish line, but more like a rope or something even stronger, Mägi tells news. – Sad He believes that he had already ruined his race before he was prevented by the protesters, but was most concerned with safety after the race. THE OBSTACLE: Rasmus Mägi was one of those who ran in the middle of the demonstration. Photo: JEWEL SAMAD / AFP – It was just a stupid surprise you don’t want at the finish line. From a security perspective, something like this is unheard of. I’m glad it went well with everyone, but I don’t want to experience something like that again, says the Estonian, who finished in third place behind Warholm and Kyron McMaster. The organizers have now reported the demonstrators to the police and are following up on what they have to do to avoid similar incidents next year. Meeting director, Jan Kowalski, believes the situation is worrying. – It is a sad situation that the athletes do not feel safe. That we can’t keep it open and that we have to have guards is sad. But there is no absolute security even if you have fences around the stadium, says Kowalski to news. He says that he has never experienced anything similar before, and understands the athletes’ thoughts about safety. – They are not violent, they just want to get a message across. But they can get in the way, and there can be collisions that cause injuries, concludes Kowalski.
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– Imagine if it was a knife – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
